Day 27: A funny thing Happened on the way to the Grand Canyon
National Park #10
We had a great plan.
We’d been to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon before, which is where most people go when they visit. So we decided to take the more adventurous path and go to the less-traveled North Rim with its higher elevation, rugged trails, and less humans. It was a great plan…until we showed up.
We’d traveled up to Page the day before ready to embark. We got up early, drove the first 2 hours down Hwy 89, and came up to the turnoff to the main road into the park…
Road Closed.
And so too, was the North Rim. It turns out that the whole rim closes down in the winter months as the roads and trails become impassable. This was of course all listed out in our guidebooks and all over the internet, but in our excitement to get there we somehow missed it all.
And so four hours later we arrived down at the South Rim again, just as the sun was getting ready to set. We briefly discussed just skipping it entirely (we’ve been there before), but it’s the Grand Canyon. And we’re on a Campervan tour of National Parks.
One does not simply skip the Grand Canyon.
Theodore Roosevelt believed that the Grand Canyon was “the one great sight which every American should see.” You’ll get no argument from us. We spent the early evening walking along the Rim Trail, the main track overlooking the South Rim of the canyon. In addition to the gorgeous views of the canyon, the Rim Trail also the Trail of Time, a stunning geological exhibit that allows you to see (and touch) each type of rock that make up the nearly 2 billion years of the canyon’s formation.
What you need to know:
For god’s sake, if you go to the North Rim confirm that it’s open.
North or South, the Grand Canyon lives up to the hype. Picture’s cannot do it justice. Teddy Roosevelt was right - everyone who can should go see the Grand Canyon.
The temperature drops pretty quickly as you ascend into the park - so pack accordingly.
Plan to spend 2-3 days per rim to really experience the Grand Canyon and all it has to offer.
Cell service is pretty spotty here, and we didn’t encounter any Wi-Fi.