the arduous 21-mile-long two-day journey. A few hours later, the evening’s entertainment in the dining room began. A huge thunderstorm rolled in and put on an unforgettable display of heavy black clouds lumbering across the sky while lightning flashed into the gigantic abyss. What a moment. But the greatest allure of Grand Canyon is discovered amid its exotic landscapes where there are many trails and overlooks to enjoy. Grand Canyon Lodge is the starting point for a spectacular and easy paved path that goes a half mile out to Bright Angel Point. This trail traverses steeply rolling terrain along a sharp ridge running down the center of a long peninsula that juts out into the canyon. It’s a perfect starting point for exploring the North Rim. There are a myriad of stunning photo ops on either side of the trail and dozens of quiet places to stop and savor the view with a picnic lunch. Little alcoves between the boulders and lofty perches along the trail are popular spots to watch the sunrise and sunset. For our sunset view, we headed back to the lodge and took a place alongside a line of tourists seated in big wooden Adirondack chairs on the edge of the patio facing the canyon. From morning coffee until evening cocktails, this elegant deck is always full of people kicking back and chatting with whoever’s in the next chair while taking in the wondrous view. Although the lodge’s short trail to Bright Angel Point packs the biggest punch of breathtaking vistas per step, nearby Transept Trail offers a pretty 1.5-mile hike from the lodge out to the North Rim Campground (RVs less than 30 feet). Hugging the edge of the rim, this trail wanders between tall shady pines with glimpses of the canyon’s sheer walls beyond.
Fortunately, sitting inside the lodge also gives you incredible vistas.
Grand Canyon Lodge burned down in 1932 and was redesigned when it was rebuilt in 1937. However, that astonishing initial view of the Canyon through the windows in the Sun Room and in the adjacent dining room was retained and inspires and surprises newly arriving visitors to this day. Oozing historic elegance and warmth, this building transports today’s tourists to a simpler and more gracious era of national parks’ hospitality nearly a century ago. For decades, college students on summer break worked at Grand Canyon Lodge, and they greeted visitors arriving on buses by singing to them as they walked into the lodge and saw that spectacular view through the windows. A few days later, as the guests were leaving, the students would line up and sing for them once again. What a wonderful experience for the guests, and what a fabulous summer job that must have been! We sat down on one of the sofas in the Sun Room to take it all in and noticed a few exhausted hikers sprawled out on sofas nearby. They had just arrived via the Bright Angel Trail on a rim-to-rim hike from the South Rim to the North Rim! They were relaxing and heaving sighs of relief after successfully completing
The trail to Bright Angel Point surrounds you with spectacular views.
GRAND CANYON NORTH RIM
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2024 | 12
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