Route In

We drove from Sandy, Utah, to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, leaving around 7:00 a.m. and arriving at about 1:30 p.m. Mountain Time. (Arizona is one hour different, on Pacific Time,  during the summer months.) We pulled our ten foot Coleman Santa Fe pop-up trailer. The weather was fine until we ran into some rain as we started the climb up to Jacob Lake from Fredonia, Arizona. There is a Forest Service/National Park Service information office right at the junction of highways 89A and 67. It's a good place to buy maps and gather information for your time along the north rim. Many overlook the great Forest Service trails in the area.

Campground

We had reserved a spot in the North Rim Campground. On this trip they gave us Site 74, an excellent spot for a small trailer, with water available right across the paved asphalt road. The cost is $15.00 per night. There are no hookups, but there is a dump station. Water is available throughout the campground, but there are no hookups for trailer or RV use.

The campground is well shaded by tall ponderosa and lodge pole pines, with lots of space between most camp sites, and an abundance of open areas to spread out, play a little frisbee, or just watch the birds, squirrels, and other wildlife. It is a very pleasant campground, even at mid-day. There is the usual ranger lead evening campfire talk at the amphitheater.

The restrooms are generally clean, but not close to many sites, unless you don't mind walking through someone else's camp. There is a small general store with basic supplies, a wide variety of soft drinks, and a selection of essential food stuff. They also have ice, firewood, and a public pay telephone. There is a small laundromat and public showers, available for $1.25 (in quarters) for about five to seven minutes. So don't dawdle. If you are short of quarters, visit the general store first. They are always glad to make change. There is also a commercial gas station nearby, along the road into the campground.

Nature Viewing

Throughout our stay we saw many ravens surveying the campground for opportunities to score bright shiny treasures. There were also the common Steller's Jays, some small birds that tapped on the tree branches like woodpeckers, but weren't. Perhaps they were some variety of Nuthatch. We also saw several of the black Kaibab squirrels, with their striking white tails. I also saw a hummingbird trying to find nectar in the red lettering on the side of our trailer. Although we didn't see many hummingbirds on this trip, we could hear them whistling around us.

Transept Trail

We hiked the Transept Trail from the North Rim Campground to the Lodge. The trailhead is between sites 15 and 16 along the west end of the campground, and it is well marked. At the trailhead you can turn right and walk a short distance to the General Store, or go to the left and hike to the Lodge. In that direction the trail is 1.2 miles one way, is well defined, has mostly good footing, but does have loose rock in some areas. Much of the trail passes through pine and other local vegetation, including some lush looking ferns. The route is mostly shady. We would rate this an easy trail, though there are some short climbs.

The trail ends at the base of the Lodge. You must either climb the long flight of stairs to the west patio, or walk along the foundation to the east side, where there is a shorter climb up a trail to the east patio, or up into the cabin area.

The trail passes along the rim with many spectacular views of Transept Canyon and other regions of the Grand Canyon. There is a bench at one exposed point that would make a great place to watch the sunset. The trail also passes a small, marked, archaeological site, and the employees softball field.

We've always enjoyed eating at the Lodge, with its rustic stone and timber elegance and fantastic views across the canyons. So, without hesitation, we made reservations for dinner. And, as usual, most of the time slots were filled. We accepted the 5:00 p.m. opening instead of the 9:45 spot.

While in the area we visited the new Visitor Center, then walked back to camp, where we relaxed under the trees for a few minutes, changed clothes, and then drove back to the Lodge for our meal. After dinner we sat out on the west patio of the Lodge and watched the spectacle of the sun setting across the depths of the canyons.

Widforss Trail

We saw a doe and two young deer, maybe yearlings, as we approached the parking area near the trailhead. Just after we began hiking we came upon two more does and two young fawns who still had their spots. They held their positions, for the most part, as we walked by.

There is a nature guide available at the trailhead for 25 cents, and there are corresponding numbered posts at several places along the way which describe what you see.

The Widforss Trail is an easy to moderate 10 miles, round trip. Most of the trail is in great condition, but there are a few places that have loose rock, making it treacherous for short distances. Over its course the trail is mostly flat, or with a gentle slope, but there are a few steeper climbs along the way. On any trail that dead-ends at some point, you should remember that when you go down a slope going in, that same slope will be a climb on the way out. However, on this trail, the slopes are mostly gradual and generally not long climbs.

Widforss has its share of the usual spectacular views associated with the Grand Canyon, but these are views that most people don't see. Across the canyon to your left, as you are hiking in, you will spot several of the buildings associated with the Park Service, the Lodge, and their employees.

You will know when you are nearing the end of the trail when you see a picnic table off to your left. Shortly the trail will drop down slightly to an exposed rocky outcrop which overlooks the wide open canyon. The Village, on the south rim, is straight across. If the light is correct you should be able to see sections of the Bright Angel Trail above Indian Gardens, as it winds its way to the rim.

To the left a bit you should be able to pick out portions of the South Kaibab Trail, especially as it crosses the Tonto Platform. You will not be able to see the Colorado River from here, although you can pick out the San Francisco Peaks above Flagstaff.

From the end point you might notice a narrow trail that leads off to the left. We followed this path for a short distance, but turned back. Our impression was that although it paralleled the main trail, it eventually would turn to the east and then back around and out to the prominent point of rocks just to the east of the main trails end. Possibly Widforss Point.

Along the trail we saw several Steller's Jays and many small birds that we could not identify, including two large ground birds. We have been unable to identify them, but our guess is that they were some variety of grouse, but may have been sage hens or a type of chukar. They made little trilling sounds as they moved along through the brush. They had a brown sandy color, mottled across the breast, with a distinctive black stripe on their throat. From the rear they had two prominent, blackish, tail feathers that seemed to stand straight up in a "V" shape. Their butt displayed a prominent, solid white triangle as they slowly walked away. We also saw many tiny horned toads scurrying about. They were maybe an inch long.

The trail passes through aspen and tall Ponderosa Pine. There is underbrush in some places, but it is not thick. The area seems mostly open, yet the pine canopy high above provided shade for most of the hike.

On this day there were maybe eight other vehicles in the trailhead parking lot when we arrived. We met most of those people on our way in, and many more on our way out. One couple was accompanied by their two dogs, who were not leashed. No pets are allowed on any of the park's trails. When I mentioned this to the couple, the woman claimed that it was okay as long as they kept them leashed. As she spoke she held up both ends of the leash to show me. Her male companion held an unattached leash as well. All we could do was shake our heads. We warned them that the Rangers would not be sympathetic, and went on our way.

The sign at the trailhead clearly states that no pets are allowed on the trail. I guess this pair was "special," and the rules did not apply to them.

It took us two hours to hike from the trailhead to the point, and 1.5 hours to return. We stopped more often for photos on the way in.

Ken Patrick Trail

On the way in and out of the Point Imperial parking area we spotted a large flock of wild turkeys. Maybe close to two dozen birds. There were about six very large birds, while the rest were about half their size. Either these are males and females, receptively, or mature and immature birds. They didn't seem frightened by our presence at the roadside pullout along the meadow. They approached to within maybe thirty feet of us.

We hiked a portion of the Ken Patrick Trail from Imperial Point to the Cape Royale Road, three miles one way. We did it round trip. This is an easy to moderately difficult trail that passes along the rim with the usual spectacular views of the canyon, although these views are not typical. From these ledges you look toward the east, so the rims, mesas, spires, and canyons are much different, as is the play of light and shadow.

The trail is very flat and easy along most stretches, while it becomes rocky and steep along others, although the steep areas are usually short. In some places the surface is crumbly and makes for difficult walking, while in other areas the trail is difficult to follow. Look for foot prints, cairns, rows of rocks along an edge, or the growth pattern of the vegetation for clues to the path.

Much of the trail passes through burned areas from the Outlet Fire of 2000. Where once you would have passed over shaded ridges, you are now passing near blackened poles and charred remains. The under growth has come back already and there are amazing stands of fresh aspen covering many slopes. The aspen, at this time, seem to be about four feet tall; maybe six feet in some areas.

We spotted a large horned toad, and got its photo with the digital camera.

Along the trail we encountered many golden colored wasps, buzzing all over, and quite aggressive. At the junction with the Cape Royal Road they seemed to be swarming in greater numbers than elsewhere. One landed on my left leg and immediately began crawling up the leg of my shorts. When I brushed it away it bit me on the leg. The area became red and enlarged, much like a mosquito bite, but burned considerably, something like the scorpion sting I received at Cottonwood Campground down in the canyon in 1996. However, by the time we returned to the trailhead the swelling and redness had dissipated. The slight burning continued for an hour or two longer.

If you have a shuttle or two vehicles you can continue on with the Ken Patrick Trail through the forested area all the way to the North Kaibab trailhead, another 7 miles. The campground and the lodge are an easy one mile beyond that.

Route Out

We broke camp and left the campground at about 9:00 a.m. In the large meadows between the park entrance and Jacob Lake, we saw many flocks of wild turkeys, and a lone coyote. We ate breakfast at the Jacob Lake Inn, where the service can be slow, but the food is not usually too bad, but on this occasion some parts of our meal were cold.

The highways home were as crowded as we expected, especially once we got to the Provo area on I-15. We didn't get home until after 6:00 p.m.