North Rim of Grand Canyon is now open for 2025. Here's everything you can do there

Show Caption

Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this article had an incorrect phone number for Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim.

The arrival of summer in Arizona means the more remote side of the Grand Canyon is about to reopen.

The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, less crowded than the South Rim but a longer drive from metro Phoenix, will open on May 15, 2025, including Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim and Grand Canyon Trail Rides. New for 2025 will be an interpretative bus tour.

Most North Rim amenities and services will remain open from May 15 through Oct. 15, and the park will remain open for day use through Nov. 30 or whenever winter conditions force its closure.

Here's what travelers to the North Rim of Grand Canyon should know for 2025.

Is the North Rim of Grand Canyon open?

The Grand Canyon North Rim opens for the 2025 season at 6 a.m. Wednesday, May 15, and closes on Oct. 15.

Here's what will be open starting May 15:

• Visitor services, including the North Rim Campground, general store, laundry and gas station.
• Grand Canyon Conservancy bookstore.
• Backcountry Information Center.
• Daily park ranger programs at the Roaring Springs Overlook Kiosk.
• Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim.
• Grand Canyon Trail Rides offers one-hour and half-day mule rides. Call 435-679-8665 or visit canyonrides.com.

What’s new at North Rim of Grand Canyon for 2025?

New at the North Rim for 2025 is an interpretive bus tour that takes visitors to scenic viewpoints such as Cape Royal and Point Imperial, said Rob Knowlton, Midwest District Manager with Aramark, the concessionaire that operates Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim and other amenities in the North Rim.

Tours leave at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Each tour has a capacity of 15 to 20 people and costs $55 per person. Reservations can be made at grandcanyonnorth.com.

The dining room at Grand Canyon Lodge has some new menu items for 2025, including Sonoran shrimp ceviche, a charcuterie plate, Canyon Cut Choice Beef (which can be ordered as a 14-ounce ribeye or 8-ounce filet mignon), House Rock Salmon and a vegan specialty, the Transept Trail Bowl, which includes black beans, rice, quinoa, onions, corn, pico de gallo and green chile sauce.

Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim

Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim is the only hotel inside the park at the North Rim. It offers motel rooms with one queen bed and a private bathroom, and four types of cabins that accommodate two to six guests.

Cabins and motel rooms fill quickly and some early spring and late fall dates are already sold out. Knowlton recommends booking one year in advance; May 2026 rooms are available for booking now.

Make reservations at grandcanyonnorth.com or by calling 866-499-2574.

Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim has three dining options:

Grand Canyon Lodge Dining Room: Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menu items include omelets and pancakes at breakfast, burgers and sandwiches at lunch, and steak and seafood at dinner. Reservations are required for dinner.

Deli in the Pines: Offers grab-and-go sandwiches and salads, made-to-order hot and cold sandwiches, pizza by the pie or slice, soup and chili. Food can be ordered for takeout or taken to the dining room at lunch hours.

Roughrider Saloon: Offers coffee, pastries and breakfast burritos in the morning and snacks and beverages during lunch and dinner hours.

Hotels near North Rim Grand Canyon

The nearest lodgings outside the North Rim entrance are Kaibab Lodge and Jacob Lake Inn. Here’s what they offer:

Kaibab Lodge: This property 17 miles north of the park entrance has 35 cabins plus a lodge with a restaurant, gathering room, fireplace and stone patio with a fire pit. The lodge completed three new cabins in time for this year's North Rim season. Visit kaibablodge.com.

Jacob Lake Inn: This property 45 miles north of the park entrance has hotel and motel rooms, cabins, restaurant, bakery, gift shop and gas station. Visit jacoblake.com.

Grand Canyon North Rim camping

North Rim campers have three campground options:

• North Rim Campground inside the park.
• DeMotte Campground about 7 miles north of the park entrance in Kaibab National Forest.
• Jacob Lake Campground about 45 miles north of the park entrance in Kaibab National Forest near Jacob Lake Inn.

Sites at all three campgrounds cost $30 per night.

North Rim Campground sites have a picnic table, fire ring and grill. Drinking water, restrooms, showers and laundry are available. The campground is close to the North Rim General Store, which has basic grocery items, snacks and a counter offering breakfast, coffee and ice cream; and the North Rim Service Station, the only gas station in the park. No RV hookups. Reservations can be made at recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777.

DeMotte Campground sites have a picnic table and grill. Water is available; RV hookups are not. Reservations can be made at recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777.

Jacob Lake Campground sites have a picnic table and grill. Water is available; RV hookups are not. Reservations can be made at recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777.

North Rim Grand Canyon cabins

Visitors can rent cabins at Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim inside the park as well as Kaibab Lodge and Jacob Lake Inn outside the park.

Get weekend plans. Sign up for our Things to Do newsletter. 

Grand Canyon North Rim scenic drive

Cape Royal Road is a 20-mile scenic drive along the North Rim that provides access to several dramatic viewpoints and hiking trails. Allow 45 minutes of driving each way, according to the National Park Service.

Here's what guests can see and do along the way:

Point Imperial: The North Rim's highest point at 8,803 feet overlooks the Painted Desert and the Grand Canyon's eastern end.

Roosevelt Point: This pullout spot has a short trail through overgrowth that leads to a scenic viewpoint.

Vista Encantada: A picnic area with a canyon view, located near Roosevelt Point.

Cape Final Trailhead: This four-mile roundtrip hike leads to panoramic views of the Grand Canyon as it bends.

Walhalla Overlook/Walhalla Glades Pueblo: The Walhalla Overlook has a view of the canyon down to the Unkar Delta and the Colorado River. A short walk away is the Walhalla Glades Pueblo, the remains of a 1,000-year-old Native American dwelling. 

Cliff Springs Trail: This short hike not far from Cape Royal leads to archeological sites down to a small spring.

Cape Royal: This popular scenic viewpoint offers panoramic views up, down and across the Grand Canyon, including the point where the Colorado River turns framed through the natural arch of Angels Window. Those who look close enough may be able to spot a landmark of the South Rim across the viewpoint, the Desert View Watchtower.

North Rim Grand Canyon hikes

Here are some of the best hikes at the North Rim of Grand Canyon:

Bright Angel Point: The paved, quarter-mile trail leads from the patio behind Grand Canyon Lodge out along a finger of rock to a magnificent overlook.

Transept Trail: The 1.5-mile-long route snakes along the canyon's rim northwest of the lodge to North Rim Campground and provides fine views of a side canyon known as the Transept.

Cape Final: About 2 miles before the end of the road to Cape Royal is the Cape Final Trailhead. The 4-mile round-trip hike through woods is mostly flat and takes you to several overlooks.

Uncle Jim Trail: This 5-mile round trip starts at the North Kaibab Trailhead and follows the Ken Patrick Trail for ¾ mile. At a well-marked junction, turn south on the Uncle Jim Trail, which loops through a forested area to Uncle Jim Point, looking into the canyon

Widforss Trail: A 10-mile round trip through the forest to a remote viewpoint. Much of the first half skirts the rim of Transept Canyon. The latter half ducks into the woods before emerging at a splendid canyon overlook.

Ken Patrick Trail: This trail meanders 10 miles one way through forest from the North Kaibab Trailhead parking area to Point Imperial. You may want to arrange a shuttle or have someone pick you up at the other end. Some segments are sketchy, so bring a map and compass.

Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.