Scott Craven

The Republic | azcentral.com

The North Rim gets 500,000 visitors a year, compared to 5 million at the South Rim

The North Rim closes from mid-October through mid-May

If Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim is sold out, the nearest lodging is 25 miles away

The North Rim opens May 15

A narrow two-lane road dips and weaves through verdant forests, grassy meadows and postcard views. It brushes past the scars of a decade-old fire, life bursting amid the charred, barren poles that once were trees.

From the Jacob Lake Inn to a small ranger station, drivers encounter little besides glimpses of wildlife and a few other motorists.

And the only sign that you’re on the road to a natural wonder is the one that says “Grand Canyon 25 miles.”

Location defines the history and the look of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Just 10 miles away as the crow flies, the South Rim boasts four hotels, a mass-transit system and a year-round population of roughly 3,000 people.

The North Rim has one hotel, a single road in and out and a winter population of a handful of people there to maintain, repair and keep an eye on things while the park is closed from Oct. 15 to May 14.

Far from civilization, the smaller and less accessible northern half of Grand Canyon National Park could be considered the South Rim’s spurned stepchild. Yet those who make the journey to the North Rim — one person for every 10 who visit the southern rim — will find nature’s Cinderella, an underrated beauty whose depth and texture mesmerizes.

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A different world

Anyone who has visited the South Rim will notice the North Rim’s difference at the front gate.

More often than not, a single ranger occupies the station, swiping credit cards and handing out maps. He or she are happy to answer questions, even if as many as five or six cars wait in line.

Looking for the campground? Drive straight ahead, you can’t miss it. Looking for the lodge? Drive straight ahead, you can’t miss it. Looking for one of the most scenic overlooks? Drive straight ahead, you can’t miss it.

Compare that to the South Rim’s main entrance on a busy day. With 10 lanes and traffic backing up to nearby Tusayan, it can resemble a border crossing.

Once past the small, plain cabin that serves as the North Rim's gate (and doubles as an emergency shelter in winter), the road narrows even further as if trying to tread as gingerly as possible on park land.

The thin strip of blacktop excuses and pardons itself past pines and aspen, easing to and fro as it follows the terrain. It wanders more than leads, knowing the journey is as important as the destination.

Even before the asphalt dead-ends, a deep tapestry of buttes and cliffs peeks through trees, tempting travelers to stop if only there were a place to do so safely.

And if it isn’t obvious by now, those familiar with the South Rim will know the North Rim is a different animal when they encounter the visitor parking lot.

That’s right. Visitor parking lot. Singular. As in one. And far more often than not, it is ample. Breathe a pine-scented sigh of relief that your first 20 minutes on the rim will not be devoted to finding a spot for your vehicle.

A short walk brings you to what passes as the North Rim’s commercial hub, a U-shaped plaza with visitor center, gift shop, deli and coffeehouse/saloon.

It’s overseen by the looming structure that forms its base. The Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim, a stolid building crafted from stone, welcomes visitors with an arched entry that includes a tantalizing hint of why people come here in the first place.

The eyes is immediately drawn to the picture windows opposite the front doors. The glass captures a vista stunning and endless, a view that silences the voice at the back of your head asking, “Is it worth a long drive to see the same canyon from a different angle?”

The answer could be no more clear.

Even the most famished travelers weighed down with luggage stride quickly past the check-in desk and restaurant to press their foreheads against the window, swallowed by the view.

Like no hotel on the opposite rim, the North Rim lodge perches precariously on the edge as if preparing to fly. Buttressed by patios on either side of the lobby, connected by a path that dips below, the unparalleled sight is matched only by overlooks a few miles away. All are well worth visiting.

Just not yet.

Those who prop themselves against the window feel as if they are floating above the chasm. Cliffs reach out on either side in formations that resemble wedding cakes. Deeper into the canyon, other buttes rise like castles.

Thanks to various geological forces, the North Rim has a depth and texture not seen on the South Rim. The northern plateau is 1,000 feet higher than the southern plateau, offering erosion much more to work with when creating its masterpiece.

A half-mile walk from the lodge to Bright Angel Point reveals even more detail, including a view into the depths that nearly reveals the springs from which the rim’s water supply originates. If it's quiet, and it often is, you can hear the whisper of rushing water.

Yet the very best of the North Rim is 45 minutes away, so get back in your vehicle (remember, no mass transit here) and follow the signs to Cape Royal.

The three-quarter-mile walk from parking lot to point passes Angel Window, an outcropping with a large hole carved near the top. A paved, fenced path leads to the formation’s edge and a sheer drop of thousands of feet.

Some of the best views await at Cape Royal, a towering peninsula from which you not only see the canyon unfold, but also the gentle rise of the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff.

Stand on Cape Royal’s edge, which appears as if a ship’s prow. Lean (slightly) against the railing, thrust your arms out as if trying to fly. Make sure a friend takes the kind of photo that will show Leonardo DiCaprio and “Titanic” fans what it really looks like to be king (or queen) of the world.

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Plenty of room for magic

A few years ago, Jessica Pope was making the rounds in an area that, after five years, she still couldn’t believe was her workplace.

The National Park Service ranger spotted a man sitting on a bench that afforded a view from Imperial Point. As she approached, she noticed three things:

• His thin, haggard look.

• His broad smile.

• The empty spot next to him.

She settled onto the bench and introduced herself. She shook his hand and listened, for surely he had a story to share.

He did.

The man had been ill for a long time, and his most recent diagnosis gave him a week or so to live. Though travel took a toll, he told his family his last wish was to see his favorite place on Earth one more time.

On that particular day, he and family members made the drive from Salt Lake City. He asked them to drop him off at Imperial Point, where he could sit alone for a while.

Pope remembers him looking at her, that smile still on his face, even broader than before.

“This is what I want to remember,” he told her, turning again toward the view. “No matter what, it’s always made me happy.”

Pope will never forget the smile of a man she found herself so lucky to meet.

“Not that I need to be reminded how special this place is,” she says. “I’ve always said the second the view no longer takes your breath away, it’s time to leave. But that man, that smile, I’ll just never forget the magic that’s here.”

Certainly there is similar magic 10 miles across the canyon at the South Rim. But while Pope won’t come right out and say it, the hordes at the South Rim tend to dilute that magic.

“I’ve always said that the best thing about the South Rim is that you can see the North Rim,” Pope says.

More than 5 million people each year journey to the South Rim, thanks to its more accessible location (about four hours' drive from Phoenix) and relatively temperate climate that allows year-round access.

The North Rim, on the other hand, isn’t close to much of anything — about seven hours from Phoenix, 6½ hours from Salt Lake City, 4½ hours from Las Vegas — and is closed half the year due to cold and snow.

Given the circumstances, it’s understandable that those loyal to the North Rim might have self-esteem issues. If popularity is determined by numbers, math has reduced the north to a distant second in the rim rivalry.

Numbers, however, tell a fraction of the story.

The rangers, maintenance workers and hotel employees who call North Rim their (temporary) home — and there are a few hundred, living in apartments and cabins and trailers — are quick to admit that even if they’re not 100 percent satisfied with their jobs, there are few places they’d rather be.

And that includes the South Rim.

Pope notes the effort required to get to the North Rim. As a result, you’ve not going to attract too many people who park, take in the view for 30 minutes or so, and get back on the road.

“There are people at the South Rim who do that all the time,” Pope says. “That’s fine. You just don’t see it here.”

Longer visits are not just the product of expended effort. Insiders think the views from the north are superior.

Maintenance worker John McFarland has spent 23 years on the North Rim. An avid hiker, he is just as familiar with the South Rim.

The North Rim, he says, is preferable at every turn.

“There’s so much more to see from the North,” he said. “And far fewer people too. It’s easier to get away.”

Easily accessible overlooks along the South Rim rarely invite peace or quiet, and certainly not a man wearing an warm smile and sitting on a bench with room for one more.

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Shaped by wind, water and location

Just a few hours after the North Rim shut down for winter last October, the two rocking chairs on the porch of Room 306 were remarkable in that they were empty.

They faced an unfettered view of Grand Canyon, storm clouds rising to the south. The view from Room 306 is made possible by geology, history and migration patterns, all of which played a role in the North Rim as a less-popular tourist destination.

Nature forged the North Rim’s higher elevation, making it a formidable place in winters. Snow, ice and cold make it inhospitable five months of the year.

As pioneers made their way West in the early 19th century, the paths more easily traveled skirted south of Grand Canyon. Those paths evolved into railroad tracks by the late 19th century, opening up the South Rim to tourists.

By 1901, trains reached the South Rim and tourist-related concessions blossomed. The first tourist-related business on the North Rim opened 17 years later, catering to visitors undaunted by the difficult journey. (The nearest train station was 100 miles away in Cedar City, Utah.)

In 1928 the Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim opened, hewn of stone and timber to match the surroundings. Rather than build grand, sweeping wings to accommodate visitors, architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood opted for rustic cabins set in the forest.

As a result, the main lodge has had a minimal yet imposing footprint, even after it was rebuilt in 1937 following a fire that destroyed all but the stonework of the original. The cabins are also a natural fit for the landscape, leaving the wilderness feel largely intact.

In the weeks leading up to May 15, when the lodge reopens to welcome tourists for the next six months, workers have removed the plastic protecting mattresses and light fixtures. They’ve inspected each room in every cabin, evicting any winter visitors that found a way inside.

At the lodge, chairs and tables stacked carefully in the auditorium six months ago are back in their rightful places in the restaurant and lobby.

Trucks filled with meats, bread and produce have replenished the shelves of the restaurant, deli and general store. Non-perishables have been transferred from storage back to shelves.

Water again flows through pipes, filling the pair of 2-million-gallon tanks necessary to meet the North Rim’s needs.

And on the morning of Sunday, May 15, General Manager Mike Kidd will walk through the lodge one more time making sure everything is in place.

Satisfied that all is ready, he will ask that the doors be unlocked and thrown open, leaving the view to work its magic.

North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park

Drawing 500,000 visitors a year, a tenth of what the South Rim gets, the North Rim offers a much more intimate experience. Services are available May 15-Oct. 15, although the visitor center and campground often stay open to the end of October.

Getting there: From Phoenix, head north on Interstate 17. In Flagstaff, take U.S. 89 north to Bitter Springs, then U.S. 89A to Jacob Lake. Follow State Route 67 south to the North Rim. It's about a seven-hour drive from Phoenix.

Entrance fee: $30 per vehicle, good for seven days.

Accommodations: The only in-park hotel is the Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim. Visitors stay in cabins or motel rooms. The lodge itself holds the lobby, a restaurant and auditorium. Rates start at $130. Book early — rooms fill quickly.

Alternative accommodations: The Kaibab Lodge is 5 miles north of the park entrance. It's open seasonally. Jacob Lake Inn is 45 miles north from the North Rim and is open all year. The next closest lodgings are in Marble Canyon, about 45 miles away, and 80 miles away in Kanab, Utah.

Amenities: The lodge includes a restaurant, deli and saloon that doubles as coffee bar. The campground has a general store. There's a gas station inside the park.

Details: www.nps.gov/grca. For the Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim, visit www.grandcanyonforever.com.