• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Boulder Dam Hotel

Rates at this elegant Boulder Dam landmark include continental breakfast and free wireless internet. 702-293-3510; www.boulderdamhotel.com; 1305 Arizona St, Boulder City, NV; r $59-109

Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn

A non-cutesy Route 66 motel with amenities like wi-fi, pool, ATM and convenience store. 928-422-3223, 877-422-4459; www.gccaverns.com; Mile 115, Rte 66, AZ; r $75-85;

Havasu Campground

Surprisingly spacious and shaded by cottonwoods, with spring water and pit toilets. 928-448-2121, 928-448-2141; Havasupai Camping Office, PO Box 160, Supai, AZ; adult/child $17/8.50; check in 9am-5pm

Havasupai Lodge

Rooms at the lodge sleep up to four people; they have air-conditioning but no TVs or phones. 928-448-2111, 928-448-2201; www.havasupaitribe.com; PO Box 159, Supai, AZ; r $145; check-in 8am-5pm

USEFUL WEBSITES

www.destinationgrandcanyon.com

www.havasupaitribe.com

LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner

TRIP

7 Dam Diving

29 Ghosts of the South Rim

30 South Rim Art

* * *

Return to beginning of chapter

Hiking the North Rim

* * *

WHY GO Having lived and worked at the Grand Canyon for over 10 years – with a quarter of his job involving actual time roaming the backcountry – Ranger William Reese lets us in on the best of the North Rim, from spectacular sunset overlooks to multiday backcountry treks.

* * *

* * *

TIME

5 – 15 days

DISTANCE

300 miles

BEST TIME TO GO

May – Oct

START

Jacob Lake, AZ

END

Tuweep, AZ

ALSO GOOD FOR

* * *

“I don’t wanna say it’s like a cult, but people who make the effort to come here typically do their research beforehand; they read up and are more savvy about the Grand Canyon,” says Reese. “They’re mostly hikers, though not necessarily hardcore hikers, and birders. Some stay for up to two months at a time. But they really run the whole gamut.”

Situated about 44 miles from the rim, Jacob Lake Inn is a welcome place to lay your head at the end of a long drive to the canyon. The inn is equipped with spacious rooms and appealing, heated cabins at the junction of Hwys 67 and 89A. In the morning, get the homemade toast with your eggs at Jacob Lake Inn Restaurant, and don’t forget to pick up a couple of the big, home-baked peanut-butter cookies for later.

Driving through the hills of ponderosa forest that open out on rolling meadows in Kaibab National Forest, look out for mule deer as you approach the entrance to the park. Stop by the North Rim Backcountry Information Center to pick up a backcountry permit if you plan to do any multiday hikes or camp out on the North Rim. It’s also a good idea to drop by just to find out about current weather and road conditions in and around the park.

Then get your first eyeful of the grand North Rim view as you enter the stone portico of Grand Canyon Lodge, pass through the sunroom and out along the narrow, quarter-mile path to Bright Angel Point; though paved, the path follows the spine of this promontory and has steep dropoffs on either side in some places. But the outcrop gives huge, unobstructed views into the canyon and across to the South Rim. On clear days, you can see all the way to the San Francisco Peaks, over 80 miles south.

Head back in to the rim, pick up sandwiches, salads and drinks at Deli in the Pines, and then drive out to the Widforss Point trailhead. This 5-mile trail follows the edge of a forested plateau, a pleasant walk in the shade with great rim-side views most of the way. The trail ends with the expansive views at Widforss Point, where you can enjoy a quiet picnic. Hike back the way you came, or stay the night somewhere in the woods; there’s at-large camping here, with a backcountry permit.

* * *

DETOUR

“In the spring, the Thunder River/Deer Creek hike is a great backcountry hike if you have at least three days. At Surprise Valley, if you head east, you’ll get to the cave where Thunder River Waterfall flows out. If you head west, there’s another river and waterfall. The flowers will be blooming –