The Grand Canyon: North Rim vs. South Rim

[YellowstoneDate]

One key note. North Rim entrance to the lodge is about 30 miles. South Rim entrance is one mile to Grand Canyon Village and the hotels. It's nice to be within national park setting.

[teddyearp]

Also, I am not sure that the road to the North Rim opens much earlier than late May if you're lucky. And getting to Zion and Bryce is done via Kanab with the US89 callapse south of Page.

You can check this site to find out when SR67 from Jacob Lake to the actual North rim opens:

ADOT traffic

As one who has been to both, I highly prefer the North rim as I've already probably said in this thread.

happy trails

[chazk14]

if im planning out a whole weekend its north rim. if im just going on a whim with the whole family i prefer the south rim just because everything is easier

[ThePhx]

Im telling you right now, the North Rim is far better than the South Rim, no competition. 6 years ago, i camped on the North Rim for a week. Since then, i have returned to the North Rim 4 times to camp for a week at a time. I honestly don't think that i will ever be visiting the South Rim ever again. The North Rim trumps the South Rim in beauty, hiking, weather, views, camping, wildlife, and variety. The North Kaibab Trail to Bright Angel Creek is a trail that is unmatchable by any other trail on Earth. You can see all the way to the SF Peaks, and you also get the most epic thunderstorms during the summer! There are far more deer, and there are actually a herd of bison that roam the wide open meadows. The Kaibab Plateau is extremley remote, and is only accessible from the South Rim via a 220 mile road trip AROUND the Grand Canyon. It is at least 1000 feet higher than the South Rim, and the vistas are much more impressive due to the number and depth of the side canyons. Due to it's higher elevation, the forest is thick and lush with ferns, spruce, fir, and aspen. It is the location of the most beautiful sunset i have ever seen and it is my favorite place in the world.

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by ThePhx

Im telling you right now, the North Rim is far better than the South Rim, no competition. 6 years ago, i camped on the North Rim for a week. Since then, i have returned to the North Rim 4 times to camp for a week at a time. I honestly don't think that i will ever be visiting the South Rim ever again. The North Rim trumps the South Rim in beauty, hiking, weather, views, camping, wildlife, and variety. The North Kaibab Trail to Bright Angel Creek is a trail that is unmatchable by any other trail on Earth. You can see all the way to the SF Peaks, and you also get the most epic thunderstorms during the summer! There are far more deer, and there are actually a herd of bison that roam the wide open meadows. The Kaibab Plateau is extremley remote, and is only accessible from the South Rim via a 220 mile road trip AROUND the Grand Canyon. It is at least 1000 feet higher than the South Rim, and the vistas are much more impressive due to the number and depth of the side canyons. Due to it's higher elevation, the forest is thick and lush with ferns, spruce, fir, and aspen. It is the location of the most beautiful sunset i have ever seen and it is my favorite place in the world.

wow, ThePhx, I think you're in love!.....

actually, you're entirely correct....the North Rim is so different from the South.....much more pleasant experience....the South Rim only developed the way it did because it was always much closer to the existing transportation corridors across the country.....

[buckeyenative01]

I'm also partial to the North Rim, but I'm enough of a bumpkin to appreciate the gigantic hole in the ground from either side. There aren't as many tourists in the winter months along the South Rim which is nice (I live in Flagstaff, it's only an hour and a half from my house). The free weekends are an added bonus.

That said, as others have touched upon, to get more "in touch" with nature and the canyon itself, nothing beats the the North Rim (photos of my trip last summer can be found here)

My only complaint about the experience was the drive up there. It's a little too remote for my taste, but the scenery is absolutely breathtaking.

[Steve Pickering]

Camping "North Rim", Sightseeing "South Rim". No questions and hands down. PS the North Rim is a couple of hundred miles further. I know as I hiked it from rim to rim for my 40th birthday. Over 20 trips to the south rim under my belt and another 6 to the north rim.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

So that trip I was planning back then when I made the original post ended being the South Rim, as it was still too early in the Spring to get up to the North Rim, but fortunately I showed up at a time (early April) where it wasn't too crowded.

I'm still planning on getting up to the North Rim probably in summer 2014 and most of the posts about the North Rim on this thread are very encouraging. Not many people have mentioned how the North Rim Lodge is. Anyone have experience staying there, and how the restaurant was etc.? I hiked nine miles round trip down into the canyon in one day last time. That kicked my ass and I was very sore for the next day but I just couldn't help trotting down further and wanting to see more of it. Anyway, I figure I'd rather pay extra to stay there after a day of hiking rather and jumping in the car for 1 hour + drive with a sore body to somewhere outside the park.