Grand Canyon - North Rim part I

Grand Canyon – North Rim

Apologies for the delay in getting things posted. We're not usually this far out of sync with our actual location. Our Internet access has been very spotty and slow practically every where we've been, so we're piecing it together as best we can. 

Also, if you haven't noticed, a map of all our stops is now available under a separate tab at the top of the blog. We'll keep it updated with map pins as best we can. When we get a chance we'll fill in the roads along the route we've taken.

Thursday, June 13 - On the way in to the park we were greeted by what appeared to be a herd of buffalo, but we learned from the park newspaper that they are “beefalo”, and of course, not native to the area. They are being “managed” by the park service, but still overgrazing, so they’re working on solutions for that.

It’s taken us a long time to get to the North Rim. After several visits to the South Rim, and saying how much we wanted to visit this side, we’ve finally done it! It’s definitely worth the trip. The entire atmosphere on this side of the rim is different. This part of the park is very laid back, less crowded, with several hiking trails. The campground host says he loves working here as the campers a tidy, quiet, and there’s never any problem. . . .as opposed to the other side, which is busier, hotter, and much more fast paced. 

After reading several posts online Steve was worried that the campground would be small and cramped. Not so! We found very few spaces that wouldn’t accommodate our 32 ft. trailer and truck. We were assigned space 53, at the end of a row, and were pleasantly surprised at the amount of space we have. Shiner had plenty of room to roam around (on her cable) and admire the squirrels that teased her. We had filtered sun, and we thoroughly enjoyed the cool shade after the hot days we had spent at lower elevations.

The park offers all the amenities you could want. You can fill RV water tanks at the dump station, and there is water available at sites through out the campground at interesting little rock walled enclosures, with the spigot on the outside.

Steve inquired as to the purpose of the structures and it seems that in years past, when the forest service had money to build things of this type, and to give away fire wood, the little enclosures served as fire wood storage bins. Now they sit empty, filling up with wildflowers and shrubs.

There's a nice little laundry room near the park entrance, a little general store with wi-fi available, and a gas station too. 

Thursday was getting organized day. We set up, walked a couple of loops around the campground so Shiner could get her bearings, shopped in the General Store, and planned what to do in the four days we’ll be here.