The North Rim

We'd arrived!  We'd finally arrived!  After dreaming about it for years, I was finally going to see the Grand Canyon - live and in person.

Our first glimpse

After spending a rainy three days in Zion National Park, my hubby and I drove a short distance to the Grand Canyon's North Rim.  Higher in elevation and much more isolated than the heavily-visited South Rim, we came prepared for colder weather and smaller crowds.

Trail to N Rim viewpoint

First order of business - before we went exploring Roger and I located our campsite.  I'd reserved online months before, and chose this particular site for it's partial canyon views.  BUT unfortunately we discovered there wasn't a flat spot to be found.  Where to pitch the tent?  I almost went back and asked if we could switch sites, but my hubby found a spot that worked.

A few aspens still in color

After erecting our still-damp tent, we left it to dry and decided to follow the Transept Trail from our campground to the North Rim Lodge.  The skies were cloudy and it appeared low fog was hugging the canyon's rim.  Would I be cheated out of seeing the views I'd traveled so far for?

Amazing viewpoint

Lucky for us, as we approached the first viewpoint, the cloud and fog began to clear.  Trees parted and I gasped at the multi-hued canyon wall rising up from the river bottom.

A few clouds in the canyon

Oh it was amazing!  Deep crinkles in the earth, colorful layers of sediment, amazing rock formations worn down by eons of erosion.  The canyon dropped steeply down - and the Colorado River was waaayyy below!  I've seen other canyons and rock formations, but nothing on this scale.

Clearer view

Yeah, the Grand Canyon was aptly named!  It was grand indeed.

Bright Angel Point

After oohing and ahhing (and taking copious photos!)  my hubby and I moved on towards the North Rim Lodge.  A few improved viewpoints (complete with handrails) jutted out over the canyon, but passing by the lodge, we saw a sign pointing towards Bright Angel Point. 

Roger takes it all in

Bright Angel Point had the best views of all.  A narrow peninsula, it jutted out over the canyon presenting visitors an impressive panorama of spectacular scenery on three sides.

Red rock and wispy clouds

Although the gray skies made crummy light for photography, that didn't stop me from loading up another memory card.  Even in horrible light, the canyon was stunning.

N Rim lodging - closed for the season

After finally getting our fill of canyon views, Roger and I walked through the deserted cabins and shuttered North Lodge.  Because of it's high elevation (8255 feet!) winter comes early to the North Rim, and everything shuts down by October 15th.  We arrived on October 20th, just 5 days after it had closed for the season.

Visitor Center wasn't open

The only thing still open was the gift shop.  They even closed their restrooms - which I discovered when I needed to use the facilities.  Three extremely stinky port-a-potties sat in the parking lot for anyone who was really desperate (I decided I wasn't).

Our sloping campsite

We hiked back to our campsite, had a late lunch, and entertained ourselves by watching a very unusual looking squirrel gathering it's winter food supply.  The critter was gray had tall ears, and a bright white tail.  We later looked it up, and discovered this was a Kaibab squirrel.

Kaibab squirrel

It was now mid-afternoon.  Roger and I debated what to see next.  After chatting with one of the rangers and getting her recommendations, we decided to drive over to Cape Royal.  This viewpoint was only 20 miles away, and was supposedly the place to go if you wanted to catch a sunset.

Breathtaking!

So off we went to see more sights!  But the skies began to cloud up again and I even heard a few thunder rumbles.  We passed through an area of dense fog.  It wasn't looking good for sunset views...

Would I get skunked on my first sunset at the Grand Canyon?  Check back for my next post and find out!

Leaving Zion

(Continuing the recap of my mid-October trip to southern Utah and Northern Arizona...)

On the road again.....

The third morning of our trip, my hubby and I awoke to rain and foggy skies.  But the previous night we'd chosen a cozy motel room over our tent, and now smugly watched fat raindrops patter the ground outside.

The scenic Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway

Due to the lousy weather, we were in no hurry to leave.  Heavy clouds and rain equaled no views.  Glad we'd seen most of Zion's sights already, Roger and I lingered over a fabulous breakfast in the nearby restaurant (included with our room).  Then we took our time packing our now-dry gear back into the car. 

Mile-long Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel

Today's destination - the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Only 125 miles away, we planned a leisurely drive via the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway for a final look at Zion National Park.

Canyon Overlook Trail

The Zion-Mount Carmel Highway leads visitors from Zion National Park to all points east.  A winding, narrow road, it's a spectacular climb from the canyon floor, traversing a series of six sinuous switchbacks and a mile-long tunnel.  The Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, built in the 1920s when vehicles were much smaller, requires larger vehicles (RV's and trucks) to pay an additional fee to drive through.  Due to narrow lanes, the park service shuts down the tunnel to all traffic for large vehicles, allowing them to take up the entire road width.

Lots of steep drop-offs!

Luckily, by the time Roger and I left Springdale, the rain began to taper off.  Dry skies greeted us as we began our ascent of the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway.

Looking down into a narrow Pine Creek Canyon

What an outstanding drive!  The scenery was spectacular.  Huge sandstone monoliths rose directly upward from the roadside.  As we slowly climbed the switchbacks, the entire Zion valley began to spread out below.  I looked forward to driving through the famous tunnel, and even though there wasn't much to see, it was still very cool.  It was a mile of darkness punctuated by an occasional window offering quick glimpses to the outside world.

Can you see the mountain sheep?

On the east side of the tunnel I spotted a large pullout, providing access to the East Rim Trail.  Of course I wanted to hike it, and since today's journey was a short one, we had time.

Still a few puddles to trek through

According to the trailhead sign, it was supposedly a half mile to the viewpoint.  Roger and I headed out first traversing a steep, slippery sandstone hill and then following Pine Creek Canyon's scenic rim.

White sandstone peaks gleam in the light

The East Rim was a fun trail.  I enjoyed winding through the rocky outcrops and climbing over sandstone boulders.  Around every turn, the scenery kept getting better until we arrived at the designated viewpoint at trail's end.

Overlook photo op

Oh my what a fabulous sight!  The entire lower Zion valley opened up before us.  We spotted the white sandstone cliffs of Bridge Mountain, Streaked Wall, and East Temple.

Can you see the twisty road below?

And far, far below we could see the sharp switchbacks of the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway.  Such an amazing panoramic view!

Scrambling across the rock

What can I say, lots of photo-taking ensued!  Roger and I lingered awhile at this fabulous place, soaking in our last great views of Zion National Park.

Row of sandstone pillars

Then we reluctantly retraced our steps back down the trail.  The return trip also had some nice surprises.  One of the other hikers spotted a herd of mountain sheep high on the cliff and we had fun watching them.

Roger looking for the tarantula

Then another hiker warned us of a tarantula on the trail ahead.  He said it was on a rock wall "about head height."  Ugh!  I let Roger go first....I didn't want to come face to face with a huge spider!

Almost done!

Of course, Roger thought seeing another tarantula would be cool and eagerly searched the rocky walls as we passed by.  I lagged behind, hoping that spider would just crawl away.

Red rock close-up

But, Roger found the creepy crawly thing, sitting on a nearby rock ledge.  Although I took a few camera shots, (again, thank goodness for zoom lenses!) I don't think anyone really wants to see another tarantula photo.  You'll just have to take my word for it.

Fantastic layered sandstone formations

Back at the car, we continued our drive through the remainder of Zion National Park.  I'd expected a quick trip, but the scenery was so wonderful I made Roger stop for more photo ops.

Fall color just starting

Large sandstone monoliths rose high in the sky.  Colorful rock layers made interesting patterns on the hillsides.  And along the narrow river valley, trees were just beginning to change into their fall colors.

Cool rock patterns

It was such an enjoyable drive, I was disappointed when we finally passed by the Park's east entrance.  Goodbye Zion!

Rock layers encircle this butte

But more good stuff awaited us a couple of hours down the road.  Passing the Utah-Arizona state line, I reveled in the fact that I was finally going to give Arizona a proper visit.  (The only western state I'd yet to set foot in.)  And I was finally going to see the Grand Canyon, a place long on my bucket list.

We made it!

The drive to North Rim was a long, boring one.  There's not much to see between the Utah state line and Jacob Lake, a tiny resort town 40 miles north of the Grand Canyon.  But slowly, the sagebrush-dotted plains transitioned to lovely forest, and I felt a surge of excitement as the park sign came into view.

Hello Grand Canyon!

Be sure not to miss my next series of posts all about this wonderful National park.


And if you've missed any of my Zion National Park posts, here's a list:

Zion National Park - The Adventure Begins
The Emerald Pools
A Stormy Night
Angels Landing
Zion's Hidden Canyon

Sharing with:  Through My Lens and Our World Tuesday

Zion's Hidden Canyon

(Continuing the recap of my mid-October trip to southern Utah...)

Angels Landing conquered, my hubby and I had most of the afternoon to fill.  Wanting to see as much of Zion National Park as possible, we discussed our options for the next destination.

Hidden Canyon trail begins

While on Scout Lookout, I'd struck up a conversation with a man from Connecticut.  A frequent park visitor, one of the hikes he'd recommended was Hidden Canyon.  Although more climbing was involved, it was described as a short hike with big rewards.

Sharp switchback (but not Walter's Wiggles!)

Good enough for Roger and I!  From Angels Landing, we took the park shuttle one stop to the Weeping Rock Trailhead, which also doubled as the starting point for Hidden Canyon.

The higher we climbed, the better the views

The trailhead sign noted the round-trip distance to Hidden Canyon as two miles.  Perfect!  My hubby and I began climbing up a steep, rough dirt path.

The entire valley opened up

It didn't take long for tremendous views of the Virgin River Valley to open up below.

Remnants from yesterday's hailstorm

After a short distance, I began to notice a white mound at the corner of a switchback.  It looked like a snowdrift.  Moving closer, I realized the white stuff was a pile of hailstones, remnants from yesterday's storm.  Located in a shady spot, these little ice balls had been slow to melt.

Hmm...good to eat?

Of course, we had to get a couple of photos of this unusual sight.  And, no I wasn't that hungry!  (I'd have to be really desperate to eat one of those dirty hailstones.)

The trail became narrow

We climbed steeply, rounded a switchback and climbed some more.  As time and distance wore on, it seemed to me I'd already traveled at least a mile.  That canyon had to be around here somewhere!

Lovely patterns on the rock

But we'd round another switchback, and the trail still rose upward.

Trees growing out of the rock!

Finally, we topped out on a ridge.  Was this it?  Nooo.....the trail contoured across a narrow gully, and then traversed up the the opposite side.

Park road and bus waayyyy down below!

The "path" climbed up the side of a cliff face.  This narrow route hugged the steep wall, with only a chain for hikers to hang onto.  Oh, I didn't like the looks of that at all!

Virgin River Valley

I know for sure we'd traveled much farther than one mile.  And by the looks of it, we still had at least another half mile to reach our destination.  After climbing Angels Landing that morning, I was tired and footsore.  I told Roger I'd had enough.  We agreed to turn around and hike back down.

Close up of these cool rock formations

Although we didn't reach the famed Hidden Canyon, the fantastic views from this trail alone were worth the climb.  We could see the main park road wayyy down below!  The Virgin River wound in between some impressive rock formations.  And the weather cooperated, keeping things dry the entire time.

Tree-lined trail

Back at the trailhead sign, Roger and I both agreed it had to be wrong.  We'd traveled way farther than the 2 miles that was stated.

Dependable Zion shuttle buses

But it was time to board another shuttle for one final destination.  Chased off by the previous day's big thunderstorm we didn't get to visit the Human History Museum.  Behind the museum was a stunning view of a group of sandstone formations called the Towers of the Virgin.  I didn't want to leave Zion without a photo of these huge monoliths. 

The Towers of the Virgin

Then we happily headed into the nearby town of Springdale and checked into a local motel.  Knowing we'd likely need to shower and charge electronics, I'd booked us indoor accommodations for the third night.

Another view of the Towers

Oh it was so wonderful to be in a dry, heated indoor room!  With showers!  After three days without bathing, my hubby and I were both mighty ripe (Yeah...I think people on that last shuttle were giving us a wide berth)  We laid out all our wet camping gear to dry and it looked like a sporting goods store had exploded in our room.

Sunset view from our motel room

But the best was yet to come.  The back patio off our motel room had the most wonderful view of more colorful sandstone cliffs.  As we sat outside, enjoying a beer, the setting sun colored these rocky pillars the most vibrant shade of red.  People popped out of their rooms and stared in awe.  Cameras clicked.  Truly a perfect way to end our stay in Zion National Park.

Tomorrow we would bid Zion goodbye, and head to our next destination - the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.