This post is not about the Civil War, it’s about Grand Canyon National Park. The Grand Canyon is, of course, a very popular park with visitors from around the world. It was the second most visited National Park in the United States in 2014, behind Great Smoky Mountains National Park and ahead of Yosemite National Park.
When you visit travel websites like TripAdvisor.com you can find people asking, if they could only visit the Grand Canyon once, should they visit the North Rim or the South Rim? Having been to the South Rim several times, I finally made a trip to the North Rim this year and would like to offer some observations as well as some photographs.
If the only factor you’re considering is scenery, I’d have to recommend the South Rim. It’s not that the North is not scenic, but there are many more miles of easily accessible viewpoints and sweeping canyon views from the South Rim. The road from Hermit’s Rest in the west to Desert View in the east is over 30 miles long. You have to take shuttle buses on the 7-mile segment to Hermit’s Rest but the rides are free, the buses run frequently, and you can get off at many stops along the way. If you’d like to do some day hiking along the rim you’ll find more miles of trails on the South Rim as well.
The photos above are all from my recent trip to the North Rim.
For photos from past trips to the South Rim, please visit my Grand Canyon Gallery.
There are significantly fewer viewpoints at the North Rim and you often have to drive many miles to reach one. The North Rim is more convoluted than the South and the road does not remain close to it so views from the road are very limited. Also, the North Rim is at a higher elevation and is more heavily wooded than the South Rim so trees block your view even when the road is close. If you’re a hiker, though, the forested North Rim offers a pleasant ambiance to your hike.
So, the South may seem like the better choice. However, if you don’t like crowds and riding shuttle buses and you can only go in the middle of the summer, when there will definitely be crowds, you may prefer the North Rim. The higher elevation (8000’ versus 7000’) also means that the temperatures are generally cooler. That was a real bonus this summer with the heat wave in the Southwest. There’s also a bison herd at the North Rim that you might see in a meadow along the road.
If you’re schedule’s flexible I’d recommend the South Rim in the fall. My last trip there was in early November and it was beautiful. Then, if you change your mind about visiting only once, check out the North Rim in the summer.