Our Retirement Journey: Views from the North Rim's Grand Canyon Lodge

The Grand Canyon North Rim is seen by a small fraction of the total visitors to the Grand Canyon. The North Rim offers a serene and enthralling experience because it is more remote and less developed. Many think its viewpoints are the most spectacular since they are located at a higher elevation.

At an elevation of 8,000 to 8,800 feet above sea level, the North Rim is 1,000 feet higher than the more popular South Rim. This higher elevation results in heavy winter snows and a shorter summer growing season.

The North Rim officially opens on May 15th of each year and closes October 15th because of the snow. We saw a little snow at one spot only.

The Grand Canyon is 10 miles wide at this point and the Colorado River is 9 miles away, but it is a 210 mile drive if you want to reach the South Rim by car.

California Condors are abundant here. I saw many birds soaring, but have no idea if there were condors.

The two canyons immediately by the lodge are Roaring Springs Canyon and The Transept.

The previous pictures were taken from the two viewing stands that you see in this picture. The first one is at the top of the white rocks on the right. If you look carefully you can see people out there. The second viewing spot is much more obvious in the lower middle of the picture.

The lodge was built in the 1920's but burned down a few years later. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1937. The lodge itself isn't huge, but there are many beautiful log cabins on the grounds with porches open to the views. A handful of these cabins are right on the edge of the canyon. That's where I would want to be!

The circular room jutting out in front is the Sun Room. The next picture shows the interior. There is a dining room off to the left which also has stunning views.