The connectivity at the Grand Canyon North Rim was so bad that I’m combining two Grand Canyon etc. trip days into one post.
Day 9: Drive to Grand Canyon
Yesterday we left Moab and drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. On the way out of Moab, we stopped to see one more arch: Wilson Arch.
We then continued on, stopping for lunch at a Burger King in Navajo Nation. This a Burger King is known for its collection of Navajo code talker memorabilia.
From there, the drive got more desolate. The road winded down bluffs to a large flat area with a visible canyon in the middle. We finally crossed this canyon on what I think is the Navajo Bridge. The vermillion cliffs loomed beautifully to our right as we followed the canyon on the far side now.
We had sporadic cell service throughout this area, and even sparser gas stations. As we drove up the Kaibab Plateau, our expected miles to-go on our gas tank plummeted. By the time we reached Jacob Lake we had gone from expecting to make it with 100 miles to spare to maybe not making it to the North Rim at all. Thankfully Jacob Lake had gas, but the price reflected our predicament. We probably could have made it to the cheaper gas at the campground if we had known.
We finally made it to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon after perhaps our longest drive yet. We settled into our primitive cabins and took a short hike on the Transept Trail before cleaning up and enjoying dinner at the Grand Canyon Lodge.
Day 10: Hikes, Mule Ride, and Drive to Page, AZ
Today we went for a couple of hikes, took a mule ride into the canyon, and then drove to Page, AZ.
Hikes
We hiked the Roosevelt Point and Cape Royal Trails this morning. These are both located off of Cape Royal Road, outside of the main part of them North Rim. They were both short hikes with great views into the Grand Canyon. We did an optional spur to what we think is Roosevelt point off of the Roosevelt Point trail.
Mule Ride
After the hikes we quickly packed up and checked out of our cabins. Then, a little after noon, we took a shuttle from the lodge to the North Kaibab Trailhead. There we were assigned mules (mine was named Flex) and took a two-ish mile ride to the Supai Tunnel on the North Kaibab Trail.
Riding the mules was a lot of fun. I expected them to look more like donkeys, but they really looked more like small horses. They were incredible at picking their way down (and then back up) the trail. This became the top activity of the trip for several of the family.
Drive to Page, AZ
After the mule ride, we got some ice cream as an adventure treat and made our way to the city of Page, Arizona. Page is one of the biggest cities we’ve visited!