gHost, Tell Me About The North Rim

Hey gHost, or anyone else that knows, tell me about the Grand Canyon North Rim. tWife and I are kicking around the idea of hiking around there for a vacation this year. I hear it's kind of a bitch to get to.

What time of year is best to go? Where should we fly into? Are there shuttle services you can use to get in there? Help!

A) asap
B) best to fly into Raqqa, Syria
C) there are shuttles. To hail one, you just have to wander the busiest street you find shouting "Muhammed is not a God."

Best of luck Pylon! Love love!

I remember not having kids. That was nice.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:A) asap
B) best to fly into Raqqa, Syria
C) there are shuttles. To hail one, you just have to wander the busiest street you find shouting "Muhammed is not a God."

Best of luck Pylon! Love love!

I drew a picture of me pushing you off a cliff. Hang it on your fridge.

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:A) asap
B) best to fly into Raqqa, Syria
C) there are shuttles. To hail one, you just have to wander the busiest street you find shouting "Muhammed is not a God."

Best of luck Pylon! Love love!

I drew a picture of me pushing you off a cliff. Hang it on your fridge.

Nice glasses four eyes Lololollolll

Is it bad I think that the bottom cloud and grass kind of look like a dick? I might need therapy.

Below is a response from gHost. I believe that he's not able to post on the board from work, so e-mailed me the below and asked that I post it. Pylon, he said you can text him if you have further questions...I'll PM you his number in a moment.

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The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is one of the most beautiful places in Arizona. As you mentioned, it’s out of the way but worth every extra mile you drive (from the South Rim). If you’re driving from Phoenix, you would go straight up the I-17 until Flagstaff, and then proceed north on 89 to Alt 89 from Marble Canyon to Jacob Lake, then south to the North Rim. The North Rim is only open from mid-May to the end of October, then closed for the winter. But you’ll be hard-pressed to find a cabin or a room at the North Rim during the peak season, which is spring and autumn, when most of the people who are staying there are preparing for a Rim to Rim hiking trip. http://www.grandcanyonforever.com/lodging

Jacob Lake is pretty cool and there’s a great little motel/café there with awesome baked goods and ice cream: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g31252-d115866-Reviews-Jacob_Lake_Inn-Jacob_Lake_Arizona.html You may find a room at the motel there during the peak season and then you can simply drive to the North Rim. The North Rim Lodge is pretty awesome – you can sit outside overlooking the vast Canyon below, sipping wine or having a beer. The cabins are somewhat comfortable but I always have a hard time sleeping at the North Rim I think in part because of the elevation and also because I’m amped up for the all day Rim to Rim hike the next day.

Keep in mind, North Rim is at 8,200 feet so it’s cool there in summer. My recommendation would be to go during the summer when you’ll be able to get a cabin. There are a lot of hiking trails from the North Rim and it won’t be nearly as hot as it is in Phoenix, unless you decide to hike down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and you can expect temperatures to increase substantially. Last year when we did Rim to Rim the first weekend in June the temps at the North Rim were around 39 degrees at the start of our hike and the heat index was 117 degrees on River Trail, which is on the other side of the bridge just past Phantom Ranch. Unless you’re acclimated to the extreme heat then you’ll most likely end up dead if you venture for too long in the extreme heat. So be cautious.

But that shouldn’t deter you from hiking down North Kaibab Trail to say, Roaring Springs – or even a little further. North Kaibab has water on the trail so you won’t need to carry a lot of water. So long as you hike smart, take a lot of breaks, drink a shit load of water, you’ll be fine. Two years ago when I did Rim to Rim I drank at least 18 liters of water in less than 12 hours. It was more than that, but I lost count on the hike out. You literally just pound a liter of water in like 1 minute and then refill.

But there are other hikes, too, although I have no experience hiking those other trails.

Any trip to the North Rim should be combined with another trip. If you really want a great Grand Canyon experience then you could rent a car and drive up to the South Rim, do the helicopter ride, hike down Bright Angel Trail (once again, water is available on the trail and get out there before sunrise), walk the South Rim. Then, you could either drive to the North Rim or take the shuttle up and back. It’s about $80 each way. https://www.trans-canyonshuttle.com/

I like TransCanyon but they don’t stop at the Jacob Lake Inn which is a huge bummer. Instead, they stop at this shitty gas station on the Navajo Reservation in Marble Canyon.

The helicopter ride at the South Rim is essential. IMO, you can’t experience true Grand Canyon until you’ve seen it from the air. It gives an incredible perspective to the Canyon. The chopper rides are expensive, but you really can’t put a price tag on the experience. If you do the helicopter tour then I highly, highly recommend the full hour long, not the 30 minute tour. It’s worth the extra money: http://www.papillon.com/?s_kwcid=TC-9431-2876909762-b-306428000

You may also want to consider taking your wife down to Havasu Falls. Depending on how long you want to spend in Grand Canyon/Arizona, you could hike down to Havasu Falls and spend 2 nights there at the lodge. http://www.havasuwaterfalls.net/lodge.html

Havasu Falls is a few hours drive from the South Rim. It’s located in a very remote part of the Havasuapai Indian Reservation which is on the south rim of the Canyon. The nearest down is Peach Springs, which is on the Hualapai Indian Reservation.

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

I liked the Joshua tree Forrest and the walkout on the west rim.

gHost Spartan wrote:

DWags wrote:I liked the Joshua tree Forrest and the walkout on the west rim.

FWags did you go to Grand Canyon West and visit the Skywalk?

Yep. Right when it opened. Read about it in time magazine told the wife pack the kids we're seeing it. Left that weekend. Off the bucket list.

Nothing much else to do there when I went. All they had was a tent and the skywalk. Fed us a meal out of the tent sat on a picnic table ate beans and chicken. Walked out on the skywalk with the yellow things on our feet. Wife froze stiff and freaked out. Kids were young and jumping up and down. She started screaming at them to stop. I was laughing. Guide grabbed her and walked her to the edge where it's opaque. She walked off and threw up.

Guide was an OSU grad. Said he actually slept on itat night. Said the use cheer leaders were out the month before for the opening and a couple were doing flips on it. It was ok. Loved the Joshua trees going there. Got a ticket going back that night doing the day speed at night. That's fucked up.

USC cheerleaders.

DWags wrote:

gHost Spartan wrote:
FWags did you go to Grand Canyon West and visit the Skywalk?

Yep. Right when it opened.  Read about it in time magazine told the wife pack the kids we're seeing it.  Left that weekend. Off the bucket list.

My old company supplied the glass for the skywalk. Shit, I forgot about that until you mentioned it. Might have to try to hit that thing up one day too.