3 Rims
A couple of months ago, I visited the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It was my first time visiting the most popular US national park and while I was excited, the Grand Canyon was not exactly high up on my lists of must visits. In fact, I contemplated skipping it in favor of doing a lot of other activities in the state. I had actually had a similar moment in 2020 when I visited Zion National Park but was fed up with the overly crowded park. At that time, I thought about driving three hours south to visit the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon but instead decided to visit Cedar Breaks National Monument instead. But since I was already in the state, I thought “what the hell, mine as well go.”
Naturally, there was not much planning for this park when I was mapping out my week in Arizona. I was focused on a number of other things in my life and figured I would just wing it when I finally arrived. I only had a handful of places picked out which I knew I had to visit. The first place on that list was Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona. From there, I figured me and my girlfriend would drive to the Southern Rim of the Grand Canyon.
At that time, I knew there were two rims. The Southern and the Northern Rim. My plan was to drive to the Southern Rim because everyone told me it had the best views and the best hikes. So we left early that morning, headed towards the southern entrance — a trip that should have taken no more than about two hours according to my phone’s GPS.
Along the way, we made a few stops so I could take some pictures and enjoy the beautiful red rocks. Unfortunately, when we got back in to the Jeep to continue on the journey, the GPS directed us to a different location — the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon. I have consistently had an issue with my phone GPS and that is how it turns off once your vehicle does. Now it isn’t a huge issue if you are in an area with great cellphone coverage but when you aren’t, it can make it difficult to find your destination again. So when we began driving again, I did not notice I was being directed in the opposite direction of where I intended to go.
Now, we eventually figured it out…about 2 hours later when I arrived in the Kaibab National Forest and stopped off at a ranger station. I noticed the road signs indicating the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was less than 60 miles away which did not seem quite right. A quick conversation with an attendendant confirmed my suspicions — I had just driven 2 hours in the wrong direction and would need to turn around and drive another 3 to get to my intended destination.
After this experience, I did a bit more research and found out there is actually a 3rd Grand Canyon location. So here is the breakdown.
Southern Rim
The southern rim of the Grand Canyon is the most popular and frequently visited due to it’s proximity to some larger towns like Flag Staff. This was the location we decided to visit based off the word of many others who spoke about the great views. The views did not disappoint and the hikes were outstanding. There were also a fairly large number of services. The Southern Rim is generally regarded as the one to visit if you want the quintessential Grand Canyon experience.
Northern Rim
The northern rim is most easily accessible from southern Utah and northern areas of Arizona. This was the rim we found ourselves about 45 outside from before realizing we were routed incorrectly. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is closed during the winter months of the year. An advantage of this location is you will not have to deal with nearly the crowd as you would have if you decide to go to the South Rim.
I still hope to visit this rim solely to photograph the buffalo which roam certain portions of the park.
Western Rim
Now the West Rim is the least popular of these locations and I was completely unaware of it prior to getting lost. This rim is an anomaly when it comes to the rest of the Grand Canyon. It is off the beaten path, not operated by the National Park Systems and located on Hualapai Tribal territory. The location also boasts an very interesting looking glass bridge that extends over the Grand Canyon floor. Not sure how excited I would be to go on this bridge due to my fear of heights, but it does appear to be a nice feature.
So if you plan to head out to the Grand Canyon, just be aware there are multiple rims that can be visited. I had a great time at the South Rim but would definitely like to explore the others on my next visit.
