After leaving Carlsbad, NM at around 3:00 p.m., we started the drive up to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The reason for choosing the North Rim was due to the fact that it was so much closer of a drive to the next destination, Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah. Driving through the night, we decided to pull over in a random little rest area on the side of the road about two hours outside of the Grand Canyon. Sleeping in the car for a few hours, we got up with the sun and the view was absolutely stunning! Pulling in at night, we couldn’t see a damn thing around us, but when that sun came up it was beautiful.
Getting to the North Rim before any centers or the main campground opened, we took a stroll around the canyon. No picture or description of a sight will ever do justice to this amazing landmark. You HAVE to see it yourself. When you are standing on the edge of that canyon, you have a new appreciation for life. All of your problems, or so thought problems, begin to wash away and you are focused on the sheer size of the canyon that lies in front of you. After a bit of exploring, we found some awesome lookout points that were pretty dangerous to get to, but no guts no story!
I visited the Grand Canyon when I was in middle school and it is a sight that you can never forget. However, I only saw the South Rim. The North Rim was completely different! With greenery embedded into the rock siding, the North Rim has a lot more of a nature feel with trees and hiking trails surrounding the rim. After setting up camp we made our way back to an awesome rock spot that Cory found while taking a little walk for the sunset over the canyon. With a clear sky, it was impeccable. It was a perfect ending to a great day at the canyon. In the morning, we packed up camp and hit the road to the next stop: Zion National Park! Check out all of the pictures from our time at the Grand Canyon on the Ultimate Road Trip Facebook page!
The Ultimate Road Trip 