Grand Canyon North Rim

Grand Canyon North Rim

How can a single place have two totally different sides? Is the Grand Canyon's "split personality" partly responsible for its being a natural wonder? Was Mother Nature experimenting when She created the Grand Canyon North Rim and South Rim?

Taking a trip to the canyon and opting to go to its South Rim is a typical scenario. It accounts for 90% of all the Grand Canyon guests. But just because the North Rim has a lesser share of visitors does not mean that it does not have anything as spectacular to offer.

Often referred to as the "other" canyon, the Grand Canyon North Rim takes you on a completely different kind of scenery, climate, plants, animals, and even people. Rains pour more often in the Grand Canyon North Rim than in the South, and winters are way more severe as well. Plant life also favors the wetter climate, which is why huge conifers are the prevailing tree species.

One of the reasons why the Grand Canyon North Rim is considered as the "road less traveled" is because it was only explored by the Europeans more than 200 years after they did the South Rim. The year 1776 marked the first visit to the north rim, in the person of Father Escalante.

Some people believed that another reason why the Grand Canyon North Rim remained secluded for a long time was because of ownership disputes until the 20th century. Both states, Utah and Arizona claim the north rim as part of each of their territories. However, Arizona was finally given its statehood in 1912, ending the argument. The Arizona Strip continued to be isolated and aside from some Mormon settlements, there were mostly just herds of animals. Hunting became quite popular then, and one passionate hunter was US President, Teddy Roosevelt, who later on talked Congress into proclaiming it as a national park in 1919.

The Grand Canyon North Rim has three scenic viewpoints, all of which offer fantastic views of the canyon's vastness more than it does into the canyon's depths. The South Rim can provide a better look at the Colorado River, as the north's view of it is quite rare and far. However, the Grand Canyon North Rim's highest point, Point Imperial, has a height of 8,803 feet, and provides an amazing view of the Painted Desert.

People won't know what they're missing until they have seen for themselves what the "other" side of the canyon has to offer. Till then, everything remains to be a mystery except to the people who were brave enough to explore.