During the winter of 20007/08 while living in Yarnell, Arizona I applied for seasonal Park Ranger jobs at several western National Parks even though I could return to Oregon Caves National Monument.
.jpg "Pin Cushion Cactus flowers AZ")
Pin Cushion Cactus blooms
As spring approached I was offered a seasonal Park Ranger position at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. A dream comes true. I had actually turned down the South Rim two previous summers because they couldn’t accommodate my RV home.
.jpg "Snow along SR67 Kaibab NF AZ")
Highway 67 to the North Rim
So towards the end of April I hitched up to the 5th-wheel and headed north, a 360 mile drive up to 8,200 feet.
.jpg "Entering GRCA NP sign AZ")
The North Rim of Grand Canyon was still closed and there was a locked gate into the Kaibab National Forest just south of Jacob Lake. Fortunately a National Park Service (NPS) employee was coming out and then locked the gate behind me.
.jpg "Snow around entrance station NR GRCA NP AZ")
Closed entrance station
It was still a 30 mile drive just to the park boundary.
.jpg "RV home NR GRCA NP AZ")
Home for the summer
Then another 13 miles to the end of the road. I set up the 5th-wheel in a park-like Ponderosa Pine forest amongst other RV employees.
.jpg "1949 Grand Lodge sing-away NR GRCA NP AZ")
1949 North Rim “Sing-away” by Lodge staff – NPS archive
I easily walked less than a mile to the developed area at the end of the road where the Grand Canyon Lodge sits perched on the edge of the canyon.
.jpg "Grand Lodge NR GRCA NP AZ")
Canyon side of Grand Canyon Lodge
This version of the lodge was completed in 1938 replacing the original 1928 version after a kitchen fire. There are also about 100 cabins available for visitors to rent. Call a year in advance for reservations.
.jpg "Bright Angel Point trail NR GRCA NP AZ")
Bright Angel Point trail
From the lodge I walked ¼ mile out to Bright Angel Point.
.jpg "Looking south from NR GRCA NP AZ")
My first view of the canyon from the North Rim in almost 35 years
It’s only 10 miles as the raven flies to Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim; by road the same destination is more than 200 miles away. By trail the distance is 23 miles.
+-+Copy.jpg "Looking south from NR GRCA NP AZ")
And so I began a dream come true at Grand Canyon.
.jpg "Pin Cushion Cactus flowers AZ")
Pin Cushion Cactus blooms
As spring approached I was offered a seasonal Park Ranger position at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. A dream comes true. I had actually turned down the South Rim two previous summers because they couldn’t accommodate my RV home.
.jpg "Snow along SR67 Kaibab NF AZ")
Highway 67 to the North Rim
So towards the end of April I hitched up to the 5th-wheel and headed north, a 360 mile drive up to 8,200 feet.
.jpg "Entering GRCA NP sign AZ")
The North Rim of Grand Canyon was still closed and there was a locked gate into the Kaibab National Forest just south of Jacob Lake. Fortunately a National Park Service (NPS) employee was coming out and then locked the gate behind me.
.jpg "Snow around entrance station NR GRCA NP AZ")
Closed entrance station
It was still a 30 mile drive just to the park boundary.
.jpg "RV home NR GRCA NP AZ")
Home for the summer
Then another 13 miles to the end of the road. I set up the 5th-wheel in a park-like Ponderosa Pine forest amongst other RV employees.
.jpg "1949 Grand Lodge sing-away NR GRCA NP AZ")
1949 North Rim “Sing-away” by Lodge staff – NPS archive
I easily walked less than a mile to the developed area at the end of the road where the Grand Canyon Lodge sits perched on the edge of the canyon.
.jpg "Grand Lodge NR GRCA NP AZ")
Canyon side of Grand Canyon Lodge
This version of the lodge was completed in 1938 replacing the original 1928 version after a kitchen fire. There are also about 100 cabins available for visitors to rent. Call a year in advance for reservations.
.jpg "Bright Angel Point trail NR GRCA NP AZ")
Bright Angel Point trail
From the lodge I walked ¼ mile out to Bright Angel Point.
.jpg "Looking south from NR GRCA NP AZ")
My first view of the canyon from the North Rim in almost 35 years
It’s only 10 miles as the raven flies to Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim; by road the same destination is more than 200 miles away. By trail the distance is 23 miles.
+-+Copy.jpg "Looking south from NR GRCA NP AZ")
And so I began a dream come true at Grand Canyon.
How cool is that! My kind of life!
Cheers, Klaus
This reminded me I kinda turned down a park ranger job too.
What a beautiful place. I loved seeing the cactus in bloom.
I LOVE the North Rim. We went there in 2003 and have had it on the list to take a whole vacation there someday. The South Rim is nice, but there is just something so much more wonderful to me about the North Rim. And we’ve never been down. I can hardly wait until next week!
(Definitely a dream come true!)
Beautiful. I actually prefer the North Rim (which I’ve been to once) to the South (which I’ve been to twice). 😉
I’m sure am enjoying this tour of the North Rim. Even though I live in Arizona I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon. Looking forward to next week’s tour!
Is that lodge on the north rim? I know I’ve been to the south rim twice and I’ve seen the lodge twice.
Oh, I do love the Grand Canyon and the North Rim! Your photos brought back such lovely memories! Such a gorgeous place. Thanks for sharing these, a part of all of our world!!
Fantastic photos, your part of the world is full of wonder.
Your photos are wonderfully enticing!
What a wonderful place to live and work. Great photos.
Nebraska Birding
I saw some show (Bay Area Backroads?) and they interviewed a guy who has been operating the water pump house with his family near the north rim. He seemed really friendly always entertaining travelers from around the world. Like you, you both tell wonderful stories of life and how one can truly live.
Ah, this is great, a personal tour of the Grand Canyon by our very own MY WORLD park ranger!
I’ve been wildreness camping and hiking in the Grand Canyon, always entering from the North Rim. A friend and I visited last spring and saw the condors flying at sunset. Thanks for bringing back these memories of a beautiful landscape!
As a travel agent in Arizona, I sent hundreds of people to the Grand Canyon, but I myself never made it to the North Rim. One of these days… Doesn’t being surrounded by all that beauty every day just make you happy all the time?
A place I’ve always wanted to experience first hand it is so spectacular. Fantastic post, images and words.
I worked there last year, and that is where I met my friend, Gaelyn. We’ll be back up there soon, living the dream.
Now you have stirred up old memories for me and my heart is aching. These bring back lots of wonderful memories for me of fantastic times gone by when my husband, son and I visited there.
A beautiful post Gaelyn with fantastic pictures. I just wish myself back in time to my visit there. The Grand Canyon will always have a special place in my heart.
Beautiful pictures. I’ve been on the Bright Angel trail, and hiked the canyon from the north and south rims. It’s one of the world’s most wonderful wonders.
Breathtaking photos! I’m looking forward to next week’s post already.
The Grand Canyon is a magical place. I have been to both the north and south rims. Unfortunatly the visit to the north rim was a bit of a bust. We got to the park LATE at night, and no vacancy, so we ended up spending the night in the car on the side of the road, and then the next morning when we made it into the park, there was a wildfire, so we couldnt even see into the canyon because of all the smoke.
I will have to go back one of these days so I can experience that perspective!
That looks like a fun area to have a job.
I have heard that the Grand Canyon is very busy and commercialized, at least in parts. This area looks idyllic, and cold! Beautiful pictures.
A dream of mine is to visit this place before I start forgetting things. 🙂
What a job to have!!
so that is how you came to arizona. obviously it agrees with you or you wouldn’t stay on?
as always a most insightful post and so enjoyed the pictures.
have a great evening my friend.
hugs to you;
How wonderful to have your dream life come true, and it does look idyllic, would suit me too. Very pretty cactus flowers in first photo.
I’ve been to the south but not the north rim. I went there on my honeymoon and stayed in the El Tovar Hotel. The helicopter ride over the canyon was exciting. But my most fond memories were camping there over the years. – Margy
When we visited Grand Canyon, our son was eight months old. We really wanted to get to the bottom of the canyon, so we set off down the path – with our son in his stroller. We rounded the first bend, looked all the way down and saw what we were in for! Needless to say, we backtracked in a hurry!
Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope you come back soon!
What a wonderful place to work. I think I would be willing to pay to be able to work there. Thanks for the beautiful pictures.
Wow, does everyone envy your life? How tempting just to jettison a landlocked house and hit the road! The park looks beautiful. If is half as nice as the federal parks here in Jamestown and Yorktown, it must be awesome. We hope to visit the west some day. Your pictures are beautiful.
Darryl & Ruth
I’m really enjoy this thread. The first thing I thought of was how you reminded me in some ways of Anna Pigeon. 🙂