2012 Grand Canyon North Rim May

May 15 2012  We flew from Dulles Airport in DC to Salt Lake City and arrived in the late evening. We checked in at the Airport Marriott for the night.

May 16 2012  Took the Salt Lake City express shuttle to pick up our off airport site rental car.  We saved a lot of money and airport fees by renting away from the airport.  After picking up the car, we headed south to Jacob Lake.  This area has a motel, restaurant, gas station, etc.  The restaurant is well known for it’s bakery and especially the cookies! Jacob Lake Inn is about 44  miles north of the North Rim and it was an enjoyable drive from Salt Lake City.

May 17 2012  We loaded our day packs and our camera gear into our rental car and drove south on scenic byway 67.  The entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park North Rim is located 30 miles south of Jacob Lake on Highway 67; the actual rim of the canyon is an additional 14 miles south.

We checked in at the Visitors Center and then walked out to Bright Angel Point to get photos and take in the view. The next stop was the North Rim Lodge.  From the Lodge  we hiked along the rim (Transept Trail) from the Lodge to the Campground.  The store and the gift shop were right there so we make a quick visit.  After our day trip we drove back to Jacob Lake to relax and review our photos.

May 18 2012    The day started just like the previous, with the pleasant drive into the Park.  Today we took the left fork into the park and drove all the way south to Cape Royal and Angels Window.  There are viewpoints here and hiking trails. The 1/2 mile Cape Royal Trail offers easy hiking and views of the Colorado River, Angels Window and of course, the Canyon.  We had our picnic lunch and then returned part way and took a right turn to go to Point Imperial.  At 8,803 feet above sea level, Point Imperial overlook treats visitors to the northernmost view of the Grand Canyon. It was another great day and left us with wonderful memories.

From Henry David Thoreau…”The question is not what do you look at, but what do you see.”

To see more photos of our 2012 Grand Canyon trip, click here

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