Holy Fuckin'
W, bruh.
If you're worried about summer temps, take the detour up to the North Rim, one of the most remote locations in the entire country. My god, take it regardless if you've already made it this far. It's over 1000 feet higher than the South, at least 10 degrees cooler, and has 10% of the annual visitation. It adheres to everything Teddy wanted a national park experience to be, and TR thought a lot about the GC. I hiked right by one of his exact camping spots on the Cliff Spring trail last month.
"The Grand Canyon fills me with awe. It is beyond comparison—beyond description; absolutely unparalleled throughout the wide world... Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is. Do nothing to mar its grandeur, sublimity, and loveliness. You cannot improve on it. But you can keep it for your children, your children's children, and all who come after you, as the one great sight which every American should see." -- Theodore Roosevelt
I still can't believe I get to call it my 'local' national park, lol. It's straight up fucking ridiculous in terms of sheer size, scale, and scenic beauty yes; but you're also looking directly at two billion years of geological history exposed and on display along its horizontal strata. There are five of North America's seven life zones represented within the park's boundaries, and the North Rim is the only place in the USA that you can catch a glimpse of the continent's largest land mammal (American Bison) and bird species (California Condor) in the same place.
(^ The "wait" to get in on the 4th of July this year!)
You also get this as an added bonus.
Travel through the Kaibab Plateau's meadows and forests of dense ponderosa pine and mixed conifer to the brink of the spectacular north rim of the Grand Canyon, 1,000 feet higher than the south rim. Watch for the abundant wildlife and experience breathtaking views of the canyon.
nsbfoundation.com
Arizona State Highway 67 provides access to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The drive from Jacob Lake to the North Rim has been described as “the most pleasant 44 miles in America”. The highway is (also) a designated National Forest Scenic Byway and a State Scenic Parkway. The Byway starts on State Highway 67 (SR-67) and continues to the end of Grand Canyon National Park on the North Rim. As the route passes through the Kaibab National Forest, visitors can view beautiful high elevation mixed conifer forests, subalpine meadows, montane grasslands, ponds, and limestone outcrops. Wildlife is abundant along this highway, watch for mule deer and meandering buffalo!
