Why I prefer The North Rim Of The Grand Canyon To The South Rim
Point Imperial, North Rim Of the Grand Canyon.
As a resident of Arizona for over 25 years I have had the opportunity to visit and explore both rims of Grand Canyon National Park in Northern Arizona many times. Let me start off by saying they are both stunningly beautiful with epic and other worldly views, and you cant go wrong investing time in visiting one or both rims of one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The comments and insights below are just my personal opinion and preference as a photographer and an avid camper. You can also see some images below that reinforce some of my reasons for preferring the North Rim to The South.
In no particular order, here are my top reasons why I prefer the North Rim:
Way, Way, Way, Less Crowded: Because it’s very remote and not as developed with lodging and other amenities, the North Rim generally receives considerably less visitors than the more famous South Rim. By some estimates, its only 10% of the number of visitors compared to the South Rim. If you are allergic to big crowds of tourists like I am that is a major plus. I also find its also a lot more relaxed and reverent outdoorsy vibe on the North rim vs. the very busy “Disneyland” tourist attraction atmosphere of the South rim. In fact, on a recent fall trip I did not see one busload of clueless tourists offloading when I visited the park on the North Rim.
Its Cooler: Literally. Because the North Rim sits approximately 1,500 feet or more higher than the South rim (8,500 feet vs. 7,000 feet) and is heavily forested it’s generally at least 7-10 degrees cooler than the South Rim. This is very noticeable in the summer months where the more open South Rim can bake and heat up dramatically. And If you camp a lot like me, the cooler weather just makes it a lot more enjoyable outdoors experience. And BTW, I dont have time to detail it here, but camping on the North Rim is a much more authentic and quiet outdoors experience in my opinion.
A More Alpine Forested Environment: Because of its higher elevations and cooler climate the North rim supports a vast Pine, Fir, Spruce, and Aspen forest with wide open grassy meadows that look more like Montana or Colorado than the predominantly dry Pinyon/Juniper and Ponderosa forests of the South Rim. Yes, there are a few Aspen trees on the South rim, but its not even close to the vast amount that thrive on the cooler and very forested Kaibab plateau the North rim sits on. The North rim is just one of those places where you hear this observation from first time visitors to Arizona all the time: “I cant believe this is in Arizona…” In short, even though the 2 rims of Grand Canyon National Park are only about 20 miles a part as the crow flies, the North Rim looks and just feels like a noticeably different environment than the South Rim.
Epic Fall Colors: There is no contest here. As you can see in some of my images below, come late September and early October the vast stands of quaking Aspens in the forests and meadows of the North rim and Kaibab plateau start to put on a quite a colorful and vibrant fall show. The Kaibab plateau just seems to provide a perfect altitude zone (8,000 to almost 9,000 feet elevation) for Aspen trees to thrive as generally they need at least 7,000 feet of elevation in the desert Southwest before making an appearance. And if you’re an Aspen lover like me, that’s a major plus. Check out the video below to see some cool fall Aspen scenery on the Kaibab!
Anyway, that’s my 2 cents on why I prefer hanging out on the North rim of the Grand Canyon. Don’t get me wrong, the South rim is gorgeous and absolutely worth visiting. In addition, you could argue that the South rim has better and more expansive views with more easily accessible viewing opportunities as well. But with way less tourists, a super relaxed outdoorsy vibe, cooler weather, and a stunningly beautiful forested high-country environment, the North rim is my preferred Grand Canyon destination.
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This is a view from one of the side trails at the Point Imperial overlook on the North Rim. If you are looking for some solitude, taking a side trail away from the main or designated viewing area is the way to go. The fall colors are curtesy of young Aspen trees filling in a burn area.
Due to its overall higher elevation than the South Rim, there are no shortage of quaking Aspen trees on the North Rim and the adjacent Kaibab plateau and national forest. This is just one of the many, and generally very uncrowded, forest roads that transverse the plateau. Who wouldn't want to cruise down a beautiful and quiet forest road that looks like this in the fall?
You can watch this short video I created that highlights the fall colors in the Kaibab National forest where the North Rim is located. Watch in the 4k setting for best quality and resolution. This video will give you a good sense of the vastness of the Kaibab plateau that is surrounded by an ocean of high desert 4,000 feet below.
A Double rainbow right outside the North Rim park entrance.
This is a view from the Bright Angel over look on the North Rim. Bright Angel can be pretty busy do to its proximity to the Visitor center, rental cabins, and the designated park campground. But it still is absolutely worth checking out particularly at sunrise in my opinion.
The views are expansive at Point Imperial. At 8,803 feet elevations, this is highest part of the Park for both sides. Awesome place to shoot a time-lapse video if your a photographer.
This is one of the several stunning view points at the Cape Royal overlook. Cape Royal is my favorite designated overlook on the North Rim.
You can drive for hours on remote and beautiful Aspen lined forest roads on the Kaibab Plateau. Dispersed camping opportunities are abundant and free in the Kaibab National Forest outside the park entrance.
Historic ranching cabin in the Kaibab National forest.
Another stunning view from the Cape Royal overlook with the mighty Colorado river below.
The day I took this 3.5 hour drive into the back country of the Kaibab Plateau I only saw one other vehicle! I was looking for the Bison herd that lives on this plateau. Yes, there are a herd of Buffalo on the North Rim...Thats another story that I will write about one of these days. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or comments!