I have been to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon before, but never the North Rim. Since we were going to be going to so many hot and busy locations, I thought the cooler, less visited North Rim would be a great stop for us.
After driving past a large herd of bison, we went directly to the Visitors Center to get our passport book stamped and get our Junior Ranger books. The views we were greeted with even in the parking lot were amazing! We took a long time walking back to our car from the Visitors Center because the lot follows the rim of the canyon.
Because we were coming back again tomorrow morning for a lovely mule ride, we went to the farthest out point to get our Grand Canyon views. We drove the 23 miles out to Cape Royal. The scenic drive road ends at this point, and you can then do the 0.8 mile round trip hike to Cape Royal. It was amazing. We were the only ones at this stop (despite there being many other cars in the large parking lot). The views were amazing, the hike was super easy, and you really couldn’t ask for a better spot to enjoy the North Rim. In fact, one blog I read before we came here said there was a 270 degree view of the canyon around you, and I would have to agree with her assessment. You just don’t get that full immersion on the South Rim.
Along this path, you can stop to walk out on the Angels Window, and there was another path that brought you to a rock perch without a railing. That view took my breath away. In fact, Hubby wasn’t keen on doing it. I went out to check it out and photograph the view, but it was so amazing, I helped the girls to come out and see it (they were seriously twitching at wanting to get out there to see it). The view was so great that I managed to coax Hubby out, too, and I think he thought it was worth overcoming his fear of heights for a brief bit. We didn’t get anywhere near the edge, but you didn’t need to be hanging off of this point to feel the canyon all the way around you. I’d share a picture from here, but the panorama picture I took doesn’t translate well in this blog.
We decided to head back to the hotel (which was a stage coach stop!), since we had to be up pretty early for our MULE RIDE in the morning. We got dinner at a Navajo Fry Taco truck in Jacobs Lake, and then headed back down.
The next morning, we drove back up to the North Rim, and said good morning to our buffalo friends again.
It was time for our mule ride. We checked in at the Grand Canyon Lodge and waited for our shuttle to take us to the trailhead. There was a hilarious man from Oklahoma who was going on the mule ride with his daughter. He kept talking about how Wormy and Squid were going to show him up on their mules. When we got off the shuttle, we arrived at the holding area for the mules. We got introduced to the mule we would be riding – the cowboys asked us how much horse riding experience we had and then paired us up with a mule appropriate for our level of skill. Wormy got a sweet little mule called Pumpkin, Squid’s was named Leslie, I got Bill, and I can’t remember what Hubby’s mule was named. It wasn’t long before we were off. For those reading this and trying to figure out whether it is a good idea for them, know that the mule does this thousands of times a year, and does it all without any help from you. Worry’s mule had a rope, and the lead cowboy held her rope the whole time, so no worries if you have little kids. They took great care of her.
The rules for mule riding were to keep your mule close to the one in front of you and not to let them snack. Well, I learned I stink at mule riding, because good ‘ole Bill was not in the mood to keep up with the tour. The funny Oklahoma guy was behind me, and I swear his mule was honking at me & Bill to get moving. However, I will say listening to Mr. Oklahoma’s southern accent made me feel like I was in a Wild West movie. Oh, and did I mention that Bill likes to snack more than I do?!? I didn’t know that was possible…it was like we were in the Mule Taco Bell line or something. Regardless of this, I may not have been the worst mule rider of the group, as there was another young girl on the tour with us who lost her shoe while riding her mule. I don’t know how that happens – Bill was snacking at the time while I begged him to follow the rules. We took the 1-hour mule trip, thinking this would be great for us first-timers, and it was perfect. Our butts were a little sore afterwards, but we had a lot of fun. We mainly went through the first area, but we definitely had glimpses of the canyon at a few stops as well. I had read about how people who take mules into the canyon sometimes get nervous because they feel like they will fall off the path or the mule, and we didn’t have much of that to worry about on our tour.
After our mule ride, we were going to eat lunch at the Grand Canyon Lodge, as the views were awesome there (floor to ceiling windows facing the canyon), but they weren’t open until dinner. Instead we sat in the dining room and looked out, and then hiked out the path from the lodge patio that leads to Bright Angel Point. The North Rim was such a different experience from what I had experienced at the South Rim. I had read that only 10% of all people who visit the Grand Canyon make it to the North Rim. If you are ever able to do it, I highly recommend the North Rim – so relaxing and peaceful compared to its southern lay neighbor. I also read that to hike the North Rim to the South Rim, it is only 21 miles, but to drive it is 220 miles (4.5 hours, in case you are curious).
Car Full of Harmony 