The breathtaking North Rim rewards travelers with greater silence and isolation than can be found on the South Rim. It receives only a fraction of the park's total visitors, partly because it closes in the winter and partly because it's in a rather remote location.
The park boundary on the North Rim is 30 mi/50 km south of Jacob Lake, Arizona, on Highway 67, making it more convenient to Utah than to central and southern Arizona. The canyon itself is the barrier that makes it time-consuming to go from the South Rim to the North, and as a result, the North Rim is often seen on a separate trip, if it's seen at all.
The North Rim is usually accessible mid-May to late October. (The exact dates vary each year, depending on the weather.) Generally, the road from Jacob Lake to the North Rim opens around 15 May, as do the lodge, campground and other services. They close in mid-October, but day visits to the area are allowed until the snow falls. There is no public transportation to the North Rim other than the Trans-Canyon Shuttle from the South Rim.
The North Rim is strikingly different from the South. When the Colorado River cut through, it headed south of the main Kaibab Plateau uplift, leaving the North Rim standing more than 1,000 ft/300 m higher than the South Rim. It has cooler temperatures, and thick forests of spruce, fir, locust and ponderosa pine are mixed with stands of aspen and meadows of wildflowers. It resembles the pine forests of Colorado more than the desert that most people identify with Arizona. You're also likely to see more wildlife: mule deer, porcupine, beaver and the rare Kaibab squirrel.
The main facilities on the North Rim are near Bright Angel Point. There you'll find the impressive Grand Canyon Lodge, a historic stone-and-log structure perched right on the rim of the canyon. Camping, restaurants and other concessions are available in the area, but there are fewer options than on the South Rim. The North Rim offers many of the same activities, however: scenic drives, mule trips and hiking (everything from short jaunts on nature trails to multiday backpacking journeys into the canyon).
The drive to Cape Royal from Bright Angel Point is considered by some to be better than either of the South Rim drives. Because this is a winding road with many stunning sights along the way, take at least a half-day to enjoy the drive. The road runs for 23 mi/37 km, passing many overlooks as it heads east to Point Imperial and Cape Royal. Visitors can enjoy a number of short trails along the way. A self-guided walking tour of the Walhalla Ruins, where Pueblo people dwelled a thousand years ago, is an interesting stop. The Cliff Springs Trail (across the road from the Angel's Window Overlook), which meanders down a wooded ravine past a small Pueblo ruin, is a 1-mi/2-km hike (round-trip) that can be done in about an hour. From the parking lot at the end of the Cape Royal road, an easy 0.6-mi/1-km trail leads to Angel's Window, a scenic rock portal. The views there are fantastic.
More adventurous souls in search of an even more pristine view far from the crowds should make the two-hour drive to Point Sublime, about 17 mi/26 km west of the Widforss Trailhead. Note that four-wheel drive is required to reach this viewpoint, as the only access is via a fairly rough dirt road. Check with rangers regarding road conditions before attempting the trip.
