Grand Canyon - North Rim

I thought the South Rim of the Grand Canyon was spectacular, but the North Rim was even better.  Fewer crowds, accomodations right on the rim, and some wonderful hiking.  The drive, however, was also amazing.  The scenery during the drive was almost as spectacular as the canyon itself. 

We were lucky to get 2 nights at the Grand Canyon Lodge at the North rim, which was well worth the stay.  It's a beautiful old lodge right on the rim, so we were able to hang out on the porch and enjoy the scenery, as well as the stars at night.  The first night they had an astronomy talk and a telescope so we were able to see Saturn and it's rings.  It is dark enough that the stars are really great and you can see the milky way.  We did another hike on the Kaibab trail which goes down into the canyon -- we only went as far as the first water stop, about 2 miles, but the boys did really well, despite all the mule droppings and dust.

We had some wonderful meals at the lodge and did a cook-out at the campground which was fun for the kids.  I also got up early Sunday morning (5:15am) to catch the sunrise.

We really loved the North Rim and can't wait to head to Zion National Park.  On the way to Zion, we stopped at Navajo Bridge and will also make quick stops at Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam.