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Category: South Rim

26 July 2023

No bad views of Grand Canyon

Wotons Throne & Cape Royal Desert View SR GRCA NP AZ

view S Cape Royal NR GRCA NP AZMultiple views of Grand Canyon, Wotan’s Throne from South Rim and North Rim

When I was a Park Ranger visitors frequently asked which side is better, there’s no bad views of Grand Canyon, so visit both sides.  And that’s what I did.

trees canyon CO R clouds Navajo Pt SR GRCA NP AZ

light in canyon Navajo Pt SR GRCA NP AZOn this summer journey, I planned to enjoy views of Grand Canyon from both sides, starting with the South Rim.  So after my wonderful loop drive from Sunset Crater to Wupatki national monuments I continued north on SR89 to Cameron and entered the park from the east side, so much less crowded than the main Village area.

orange Globe Mallow flowers canyon CO R clouds Navajo Pt SR GRCA NP AZ

Desert View Tower Navajo Pt SR GRCA NP AZI stopped at Navajo Point and under cloudy skies enjoyed the views of Grand Canyon including a distant look at the Desert View Watch Tower.

truckcamper Kaibab NF AZThen I continued to my forest camp only one mile of rough and rutted dirt road to boondock for the night with a gentle rain.  Not overcrowded, this Kaibab National Forest location is along the way to the Grandview Fire Tower, where I camped last summer.

west view Moran Pt SR GRCA NP AZ

temple pk Moran Pt SR GRCA NP AZThe next day I met a Ranger friend at Moran Point and we spent the day catching up, reminiscing, and enjoying views of Grand Canyon.  I am always amazed that the average park visitor doesn’t spend more than two minutes at an overlook.

 late light Ponderosa Pine needles FR310 Kaibab NF AZ

Ponderosa Pine flower FR310 Kaibab NF AZ

pine pollen puddle reflection FR310 Kaibaba NF AZPine pollen on puddle

pine pollen on windshield S Kaibab NF AZPollen on truck

It rained intermittently over the next several days so I was glad to have a great signal and worked on the next video about Arivaca Creek and the Cruz Ranch and a blog post about my visit to Bisbee during early June.  Yes, I’m that far behind.  The rain helped clear the air of Pine pollen.

CO R Desert View SR GRCA NP AZ

Desert View Watchtower SR GRCA NP AZAfter five nights in this forest location it was time to hit the road for some new views of Grand Canyon.  First stop at Desert View Watch Tower, the furthest east overlook with some of my favorite South Rim views of Grand Canyon.

blue Larkspur flowers FR310 Kaibab NF AZMoth on orange Globe Mallow flower Desert View SR GRCA NP AZ

                           Larkspur                                                                                Globe Mallow

I parked in the oversized vehicle lot and walked due west to the rim following a social trail towards the tower with lots of flowers along the way.

Desert View Watchtower SR GRCA NP AZ

GRCA stickers & hat pinThe only reason I went inside the tower was to add another sticker and hat pin to my collections.

SR89 N AZ

Echo Cliffs Navajo Rez SR89 N AZOnce back to SR89 I headed north across the amazing Navajo Reservation desert landscape.

Echo & Vermilion Cliffs SR89A W AZ

menu Cliff Dwellers SR89A Hatch AZStopped for lunch at Cliff Dwellers then climbed up onto the Kaibab Plateau and much cooler temperatures at 7,000 feet.

cookies Jacob Lake Inn AZOf course I had to get desert at Jacob Lake Inn.

truckcamper Jacob Lake AZThen opted to camp nearby.

cows person Crane Lk snow Kaibab NF AZIn the morning I drove south across the Kaibab National Forest surprised at how full the lakes were in the meadows.  Guess I should have expected that because of the record breaking snow fall.

light on Aspen Kaibab NF AZStopped at the entrance station and said hello to a known Ranger then continued to the end of the road.

Grand Lodge verandah NR GRCA NP AZParking wasn’t a problem because the Lodge wasn’t open yet for food service or overnight accommodations.  All that snow followed by melt took out a huge section of both the water pipe and North Kaibab trail so they were under water restrictions.

view from lodge NR GRCA NP AZNo Rangers in the visitor center as it’s now all sales space for the history association.

Mt Hayden Pt Imperial NR GRCA NP AZ

Saddle Mt Marble Canyon Vermilion Cliffs clouds Pt Imperial NR GRCA NP AZEnough of that, I wanted more views of Grand Canyon.  So I drove the scenic road with the first stop at Point Imperial.  I actually had the overlook entirely to myself for a measurable amount of time.

Greenland Lake NR GRCA NP AZ


light on Aspen leaves NR GRCA NP AZ

Made another stop at Greenland Lake, the fullest I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen it bone dry.  “Lakes” on the Kaibab are actually sinkholes in the limestone, not huge but good water sources for wildlife.

Wotons Throne Wedding Site NR GRCA NP AZ

yellow Desert Sunflower flowers in rock hole Cape Royal NR GRCA NP AZThen on to the end of the road to Cape Royal for my favorite views of Grand Canyon.

sunset Cape Royal NR GRCA NP AZ

sunset thru pines Cape Royal NR GRCA NP AZ

sunset Cape Royal NR GRCA NP AZ

Wotons Throne sunset clouds Cape Royal NR GRCA NP AZEspecially sunset.

Deer Lake Kaibab NF AZDeer Lake

view E Marble Plateau Vermilion Cliffs Navajo Mt Kaibab NF AZView east Vermilion & Echo Cliffs with Navajo Mt beyond

I could have stayed for days stopping at every overlook for many hours enjoying a variety of views of Grand Canyon.  However, I had other places to go and people to see.  So I headed back north with just a couple stops along the way.  Including Jacob Lake Inn once again for a dozen cookies to take as treats for the friends I’d visit in Kanab, Utah.

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Arizona, Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim, Places I've been, RV life, South Rim, United States national parks, Park Ranger, RV living, summer 2023 20 Comments
03 February 2011

SWF – Grand Canyon sunset

01 Sunset over canyon from Lippan Pt SR GRCA NP AZ pano (1024x490)

5:43pm

Our visit to the canyon shared with wonderful friends was highlighted Sunday night by a spectacular light show at Lippan Point.

02 Sunset over canyon from Lippan Pt SR GRCA NP AZ (1024x756) 5:49pm

03 Sunset over canyon from Lippan Pt SR GRCA NP AZ (1024x744) 5:49pm

04 Sunset over canyon from Lippan Pt SR GRCA NP AZ (1024x880) 5:50pm

05 Sunset over canyon from Lippan Pt SR GRCA NP AZ (1024x768) 5:55pm

06 Sunset over canyon from Lippan Pt SR GRCA NP AZ 2of2 (1024x731) 5:56pm

07 Sunset over canyon from Lippan Pt SR GRCA NP AZ pano (1024x361) 6:01pm

Goodnight Grand Canyon.

To view more skies from around the world, or to share your own, go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

skywatch friday image

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Grand Canyon National Park, Lippan Point, Sky Watch Friday meme, South Rim, sunset 23 Comments
26 June 2010

Park Ranger training South Rim Grand Canyon National Park – Day 3 Part 3

01 Mike Anderson historian, training, SR GRCA NP AZ (1024x753)

Mike Anderson, historian, took us on a journey back in time during a special shuttle ride west on the Hermit Road.

02 Canyon & river view from Pima Point, training, SR GRCA NP AZ pano (1024x876)

Lt. Joseph Christmas Ives traveled by steam boat 350 miles (563 km) up the Colorado River in the 1850s. After the boat was wrecked on rocks he and the crew hiked up to the South Rim. Ives’ report to the Army stated, “The region is of course altogether valueless. Ours has been the first, and will doubtless be the last, party of whites to visit this profitless locality."

John Wesley Powell journeyed down the Green and Colorado River in 1869 and again during 1871-72. He led the first known successful navigation and scientific exploration of the river.

03 SR GRCA Village from Maricopa Point, training AZ (1024x766)

El Tovar on far left and Kolb Studio on right

By 1905 the Santa Fe Railroad reached the South Rim, the Kolb brothers opened their photographic studio, and El Tovar Hotel and Verkamp’s Store opened.

President Theodore Roosevelt established Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908 and in 1919 Congress passed the bill making Grand Canyon a National Park.

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Arizona, Grand Canyon National Park, history, Park Ranger, South Rim, training 18 Comments
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Hi, I’m Gaelyn, the Geogypsy

I retired after 29 summer seasons as a Park Ranger, traveling solo for 40+ years. My passions include travel, connecting to nature, photography, and sharing stories.

I started exploring US National Parks in 1977 and 20 years later became a seasonal Park Ranger.  I’ve lived full-time in a RV for 30 years working summers and playing winters.  I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow old, other than grow up.

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