The North Kaibab Trail from the North Rim follows Bright Angel Creek to this spot on the Colorado River. (Photo by Austin Corbett)

Grand Canyon North Rim 

 It's a trek to get to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The 208-mile drive from Flagstaff takes close to four hours. That's why only 10 percent of the park's 6 million visitors tour the North Rim.

That scarcity of visitors and a delightful summer climate at 8,000 feet are good arguments for going the distance  to the North Rim.

It's also an enjoyable drive on US 89A from Marble Canyon along the towering Vermilion Cliffs to Jacob Lake, and then through alpine meadows and forest along State Route 67 to the rim. Other than a country store and an historic lodge, there are no homes or other structures along the 45-mile route to the national park. 

 The North Rim has a campground with sites near the rim and cabins overlooking the canyon. It's hard to find a better spot than the patio of the Grand Canyon Lodge to sit back with a drink and enjoy the staggering view from its patio on Bright Angel Point.

The lodge was designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood in 1927 and the project included 120 cabins. The lodge was destroyed by a fire in 1932. It was rebuilt in 1936-37 with an altered design that included some of the original stonework.

The North Rim has  a dozen day hikes for travelers of varying fitness levels. Cross-canyon hikes start here on the North Kaibab Trail at an elevation of 8,241 feet a few miles north of the lodge. 

Book a campsite at recreation.gov or a North Rim cabin at grand canyonforever.com. 

North Rim visitors have a much better chance for solitude than at the South Rim's scenic overlooks. Only one in ten park visitors go to the North Rim.

​The lodge and cabins close in mid-October but the North Rim remains open until Dec. 1 for day use only. The gas station stays open for self-serve gasoline and diesel fuel.

​Established: 1908 National Monument; Feb. 26, 1919 National Park status granted
Elevation: 8,000, North Rim
Annual Visitation: 4.53 million  (South and North Rim)
​North Rim gets about 10 percent of overall visitation

See more of the Canyon at the South Rim:
http://www.ontheroadarizona.com/gcsouthrim.html

A Kaibab limestone alcove outside Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim opens up to what looks like a landscape painting of the canyon.

Rock outcroppings near Grand Canyon Lodge are busy spots for selfies and portraits.

Grand Canyon Lodge, built in 1928, was destroyed by fire four years later. This grand lodge, which opened in 1937, blends into the rim of the canyon.

It's hard to beat the views in the dining room of Grand Canyon Lodge with its rustic beams and native stone walls.

An unusual reflection looking into a room in Grand Canyon Lodge creates an indoor-outdoor mashup of images.