Well, we've been back from our road trip for a couple of days, and before we leave on our next trip we thought we'd share a little more detailed information and our perceptions about the North Rim Campground at the Grand Canyon. We stayed there three nights, and in that short time it became our favorite campground of all time...no, our list of campground experiences may not be as extensive as others', but we've seen enough to know that this campground is the best we've ever camped in, and is likely to be high on any camper's list.
The beauty of this park begins before you even get into the park itself...you pass through the vast Kaibab Plateau which is a gorgeous meadow lined by pine trees. Once you enter the park, you wind along the main road, passing several trailheads, including the North Kaibab Trail that we hiked on our second day, and passing the administration and backcountry registration area. As you enter the campground the first thing you pass is the Sinclair gas station...you know, the one with the green dinosaur on the sign!
The next facility you pass on the right is the shower and laundromat...it seemed to be pretty busy, particularly in the afternoon...
At the T in the road is the General Store with a large covered porch...and inside they offer everything from camping equipment and supplies, to souvenir shirts and hats, and groceries. We saw alot of Bud Light going out of here on a warm afternoon...and some ice cream bars too...the porch was a nice place to hang out for a little while in the shade during the afternoon...and they had wi-fi!
And look! More of that endangered species...the Pay Phone...and these must be the pups of the adults we saw at the Grand Canyon Lodge...! I really wonder what's listed in those phone books...
As you turn into the campground loop area, you pass the campground hosts in their site at the head of the loop road...
And then you are into the campground, which is a large loop with a series of roads that cross the loop...our site was on the outside of the loop at the far end which really made for very little traffic and it was very quiet. There are several restroom buildings spread throughout the campground loops, and an amphitheater where they offer evening programs.
We liked the North Rim campground much better than the campground at Bryce Canyon for a number of reasons. First, the campground is situated on the Transept Canyon that connects into the Grand Canyon, so it is much more scenic from the camp sites. Second, it is quieter because it is laid out in a more dispersed manner, so you also have a little more elbow room. Finally, and most notably, the road in the North Rim campground is paved...the Sunset Campground at Bryce Canyon had some utility work done and they ripped up the road, and now they don't have the money to repave it. So the whole campground is dusty all the time, when the wind blows you get dusty, when a car drives by on the road you get dusty...when you go for a walk you get dusty. A little dust is to be expected when you camp, but there was way too much dust with the road gone.
Throughout our trip, we saw many, many rental RVs of all sizes, and it was great to see folks taking advantage of the natural beauty this country has to offer by getting on the road and camping. Here's the rental that pulled into the campsite next to us with a family of four in it...
Nice review!!
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