GRAND CANYON NORTH RIM
Bright Angel Point, Grand Canyon - North Rim
JUNE 1 , 2024— START OF OUR SUMMER ROADTRIP
On Saturday, June 1 we started our 8 week roadtrip. Kyle flew to Uganda on May 26, so the girls and I started the trip without him (we would pick him up in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 6.). Apart from the last minute items, Kyle and I together pretty much had the van packed before he left the country.
PAUMA VALLEY
For the first night, we planned to stay with friends in Las Vegas and then head onto the Grand Canyon - North Rim to meet up with Kyle’s parents for two nights. In very much our style, we took a roundabout way to Vegas stopping first down south in Pauma Valley to see dear friends before leaving for the summer.
In Pauma Valley, we spent the morning picking citrus at the amazing Quixote Farm owned by the most lovely couple.
From Pauma Valley we drove the 5 hours to Las Vegas. This was the longest solo drive in the van I had done with girls. Thankfully, both girls took a good nap on the way. I also kept crafts and snacks at arms’ length to hand back to them. We got a good night’s sleep in Vegas and hit the road Sunday morning to make the 4+ hour drive to North Rim.
NORTH RIM
We arrived at North Rim in time for early dinner reservations with Kyle’s parents (G & Uppa) at the restaurant inside the lodge. Kyle and I are not strong restaurant people, and in this season of life with two small kids, we pretty much avoid sit-down restaurants—especially ones that don’t have outdoor seating. I prepped the girls for this special dinner with G and Uppa (grandparents) and brought a craft for them to do at the table while waiting for dinner. They both did well—even when the food took longer than expected to arrive.
North Rim is typically only open May 15 through October 15 each year. The opening date each May is subject to change based on snow level. South Rim is open year round. When we arrived for dinner, you could tell the waitstaff was still getting in the rhythm at the start of the season. Our server let us know of several items from the menu they did not have because deliveries had not yet arrived. North Rim is the more remote area of the canyon and it feels that way. Only 1 out of 10 people who visit the South Rim will visit North Rim. Where South Rim sees on average 4 million visitors annually, North Rim receives 1 million. I have been to South Rim twice and both times it felt very crowded. North Rim felt like the sleepy somewhat forgotten older brother compared to South Rim.
The Grand Canyon Lodge at North Rim was built in 1937 (after the original lodge—built in 1928—burned down in 1932). It is made of ponderosa beams and limestone and sits at 8,000 feet on the edge of the canyon.
The Sun Room—steps below the lobby—provides the first views of the canyon.
National Park Passport Book—we purchased passport books for this girls this spring at Sequoia National Park ad they have been a huge hit. Every national park visitor center has a place to take your passport to get date stamped, and almost all visitor centers have unique stamps for their location.
GRAND CANYON LODGING
Kyle’s parents booked a cabin at North Rim I believe at least 6 months out. There are motel style rooms next to the lodge along with rustic and “deluxe” cabins. Our cabin was definitely on the rustic side. It had two rooms joined by a small bathroom in the middle. The cabin carpet had seen a lot of love and the bathroom needed a redo, but the location next to the canyon could not be beat. The girls loved their bunk beds.
STAR PARTY WEEK
Our stay at North Rim unexpectedly coincided with Star Party Week. Each evening the patio behind the lodge filled with hobbyist astronomers and their amazing telescopes. Being in a remote part of the canyon without light pollution, the stars were incredible! I had never seen the Milky Way so clearly. The second night I let the girls stay up later so they could look through some of the telescopes once the sun went down. Both Monet and Indy kept exclaiming how many stars there were, and Monet was genuinely impressed by what she saw in the telescopes. The astronomers were also so kind in answering all our questions—you could tell they love doing this.
BRIGHT ANGEL POINT TRAIL
This is a paved trail to the most popular lookout point in North Rim. It is a narrow and steep trail, so even with the less-busy feel of North Rim, the trail gets crowded. I was on high alert the entire time with the girls—many spots along the trail are right on the edge of the canyon without any railing.
For Monet and Indy two highlights—besides the bunk beds in the cabin—were playing in the dirt and riding their balance bikes.
Kyle’s mom was a preschool teacher for many years and she is never without crafts and activities for the girls. What a gift! She brought a travel paint kit for the girls and a national parks coloring book. Watching Monet and Indy paint sitting on wood stumps side by side overlooking the canyon was a highlight for me on the trip. It takes lots of planning to get to places like this, but it’s these moments that make the effort worth it.
The sun setting on North Rim.
One more walk down to Bright Angel Point before leaving North Rim.
SMALL CHILDREN AT NORTH RIM
If planning another trip, I’m not sure I would return with the girls any time soon. I did not find North Rim kid-friendly. I saw very few families (and even fewer with small children). It was mostly older/retired couples and Rim to Rim hikers. The place held an overall atmosphere that kids were a necessary tolerance. I’m also not sure how best to handle situations where strangers are nervous about what I am allowing (and believe to be appropriate) for the girls to do. I wish I had some quick confident one liner to give in response to comments and looks, but usually I just stumble over my words or give a less than heartfelt smile in response. We are attempting to raise our girls to love (and fully experience) the outdoors—this requires we get out in it, get dirty, use our five senses (yes, even tasting is sometimes involved), use our (loud) voices, and play hard.
With the remote location of North Rim, there were also so few food options. North Rim only has two places to eat: the fancy restaurant inside the lodge (requires reservations for all mealtimes) and a small cross between a gas station and mini cafeteria with limited hours and pretty undesirable food choices. Apart from dinner the first night, we ate the rest of our meals out of the cabin. Our cabin did have a mini fridge, so between the food I had in our van and what Kyle’s parents packed we were able to get by.
Next stop: solo camping with the girls in the van at Bryce Canyon National Park!
Just outside the park entrance at North Rim as we were leaving, we were stopped on the road for over an hour due to a motorcyclist and their passenger hitting a deer. Two helicopters landed on the road just in front of us to LifeFlight both people out. We pray they both were okay!
HIGHLIGHTS:
Staying in a cabin with Kyle’s parents right on the rim
Watching the girls play so contently in the dirt with the sand toys we packed
Star Party Week and all the amazing stars
LOWLIGHTS:
I spent 20 minutes the morning we left for our summer trip searching for my sunglasses and could not find them. I wear sunglasses with high UV protection nonstop outdoors—as I have gotten older my eyes have become more sensitive to light. I grabbed a pair left behind from someone when we last had a party to get me by—I kept hoping my pair would be discovered somewhere inadvertently packed in the van.
Watching two people be life flighted off the road after their motorcycle hit a deer
Ver limited and not great food options at North Rim
Navigating safety vs. risk when exploring outside with the girls