Thursday, May 16, 2024
This morning, Jane conjured up a gourmet breakfast from leftovers, a brocolli and cheese omelet, mountain trout, fingerling potatoes, and toast, plus carrot cake for dessert. Afterwards, we again drove the hour-long route via AZ-67 into Grand Canyon National Park. We noted how pleasantly remote and natural the approach to the North Rim is relative to the commercialized route to the South Rim. Large remnant snow patches informed us as to why the National Park Service is sometimes forced to delay opening the North Rim until after its targeted May 15th date.
—— Grand Canyon Road, AZ-67 ——
After entering the park but before reaching the Visitor Center and Lodge area, we turned east off of AZ-67 onto Cape Royal Road. This 20-mile-long road winds along the rim offering views from overlooks and ends at Cape Royal, the eastern-most point accessible on the North Rim. About 5.5 miles along Cape Royal Road, we turned off at a place designated “Y” on the park map to drive a 2.5-mile spur road to Point Imperial. At an elevation of 8,803 feet, Point Imperial is the highest viewpoint in the Grand Canyon. We enjoyed the eastward views from 6,000 feet above the Colorado River which was hidden from view.
—— Point Imperial ——
We then retraced our route along the Imperial Point spur road and continued our eastbound drive on Cape Royal Road. We pulled off at the next designated overlook, Vista Encantada, discovered a vacant bench on the rim with a great view, and ate our lunch there.
—— Vista Encantada ——
After lunch, we continued eastward along Cape Royal Road to the next pull-off area, Roosevelt Point. Here we hiked a short loop trail with great canyon views.
—— Roosevelt Point ——
Our final stop on this driving tour, was Cape Royal. We parked and walked a 0.8-mile paved trail with great views and glimpses of the Colorado River. From this overlook, we could also look through Angels Window, a triangularish-shaped opening through a nearby rock formation. The appropriate viewing angle resulted in a dramatic view of the Colorado River through the window.
We continued along the trail and walked across the top of Angels Window to an overlook where we savored sweeping panoramic views. While gazing at the southern canyon wall, we spotted Desert Tower that we had enjoyed visiting on the South Rim almost two weeks ago. From a display, we learned that the North Rim is 1,200 feet higher than the South Rim resulting in 12 vs 5 feet of annual snowfall, respectively. After satiating our landscape-viewing desires, we drove the twisty Cape Royal Road back toward AZ-67.
—— Cape Royal & Angels Window ——
We parked at, and checked out, the General Store, then hiked the 1.5-mile Transept Trail from the General Store to the Lodge. The pleasant trail switched back and forth from nice rim views to mountain forest lands.
—— General Store and Transept Trail ——
From the Lodge, we visited the nearby Saloon for refreshments. Jane selected a Prickly Pear Cider and John chose the Grand Canyon Pilsner. We took our drinks to one of the outdoor balconies of the Lodge and enjoyed them basking in the sun’s warmth with a nice North Rim view.
—— Happy Hour ——
After relaxing awhile, Jane found us a free shuttle ride back to our car at the General Store. We were the only passengers and had a fun discussion with our chatty driver. Then, we began the hour-long drive back to the campground.
A few miles before reaching Kaibab Camper Village, Jane pulled over and parked at the base of the Jacob Lake Lookout Tower. We huffed and puffed up the tower stairs not expecting to be able to enter the lookout chamber. But, during the climb, I heard voices that became ever louder with each upward step. At the top, I entered the lookout room through the floor and met two guys. One, the fire ranger, quickly welcomed me and handed me a Smokey Bear coozie and bookmark. Then, Jane joined the three of us in the crowded and warm lookout.
The other visitor was from the Netherlands and born below sea level so that high elevation exertion, like climbing a fire tower, was a novel challenge for him. The youthful ranger, Steven, was from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and this was his first day working in the tower. Unlike most other fire towers where the ranger is isolated from society, this tower is popular due to being along a main highway and internet postings, and Steven had hosted 25 visitors on his first day. Soon, we all descended the stairs. Steven’s work day was over so he locked up and we gave him a ride to his Forest Service lodging that was on the way to our campground.
—— Jacob Lake Lookout Tower ——
Jane and I ate dinner and relaxed in our motorhome until turning in for the night.
We were satisfied that today, we had completed one of the main goal’s of this trip, visiting the Grand Canyon. After four days visiting the South Rim and two days visiting the North Rim, we have driven east to west on each side and have viewed this magnifient geologic wonder from multiple perspectives. We now have a fuller appreciation for why this enchanting natural landform has become such an iconic feature of our nation.