Peripatetic Photos: North Rim, part II

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon has several viewpoints and trails that are only accessible by 4-wheel-drive or on foot, and only one trail that goes to the bottom of the canyon. The South Rim has several trails that go "below the rim" and a much bigger selection of viewpoints and paved trails. It also has a ton more people and there's a big difference in the way the views feel. The features inside the canyon feel much closer on the north side and the views are more panoramic. Because the north side is higher, you can see across the plains to the San Francisco peaks near Flagstaff and Marble Canyon and the Vermillion and Echo Cliffs to the north and east.

Other than the lodge area, there are only two developed access points and a handful of turnouts accessible by road. The roads on the north side are much like the ones in the Ozarks, with only a simple two-lane, minimal shoulders, many twists and lots of turns along the ridgelines of the Kaibab Plateau. It's only about 30 miles of driving from the lodge to the east side points, but it's easy to spend a half-day just hitting the short trails.

These shots are from Roosevelt Point.

The first looks northeast toward the beginning of the canyon and the second looks southeast toward the confluence with the Little Colorado. The Little Colorado has a 1,000'-deep canyon of its own and would be worth at least a state park in most places.

We went south along the rim to Cape Royal and Angels Window, where you can actually walk out on top of the narrow fin of stone over the window. The view on the opposite wall of the canyon includes (if you zoom in far enough) the Desert Tower. It's right above the bend of the Colorado. I'm not sure how well that will do in this format, though.