Grand Canyon

I already wrote about the Grand Canyon National Park, which we visited on our first trip to the USA.
We were then on the South Rim of the canyon...
Usually, all the tourists go there, who want to see the Grand Canyon for the first time.
*Grand Canyon*
*South Rim*

And this is the right decision...
First, the South Rim is closer to a civilization;
Secondly, it is open to visitors an all year round;
Thirdly, there is an excellent infrastructure (a tourist village, buses, wide asphalt roads).
Arrived, drove through the viewing areas, looked and ... remembered for life.

But you must not forget that just like the river has two shores, so the Grand Canyon has the South Rim and the North Rim.
There is also the West Rim, which is located on the land of the Indian tribe and is not included in the Grand Canyon National Park.
So, how does the North Rim look and how does it differ from the South Rim?
*Grand Canyon - North Rim*

We asked this question to each other when we woke up at the motel "Super 8" in the small town of Cedar City, Utah, next the HWY 15.
There were 3 hours drive to the North Rim of the canyon and we had to hurry, because tonight on Monday, June 29, 2015, we had to be in Las Vegas.

We moved to the Grand Canyon National Park along the road 67.
GPS-coordinates: 36°11'58.4"N, 112°03'09.0"W

And here is the entrance to the park.

Here, there is less service than on the South Rim and fewer visitors.
And the parking is located right in the forest.
It was a real thick forest, not stunted trees, as on the South Rim.

The whole slope was overgrown with huge pine trees, among which were houses for tourists.

We walked to the cliff edge along a narrow path...

Hello, Grand Canyon!
We came back!

The length of the canyon is 446 km.
The width is from 6 km to 29 km.
A depth - up to 1.8 km.

The North Rim of the canyon is higher than the South Rim.

It affects to the weather and to the nature...
A more precipitation falls on the North Rim and is not so hot as on the South Rim.

Vacationers woke up at the lodges at about 11 am.
There were many people with young children and there were also elderly people.

As I said, a service was simpler on the North Rim than on the South Rim, but the conditions were very comfortable.
An everyone rests as he likes...
Someone are riding a bicycles on a pine forest, someone are walking along the trails near the cliffs and are stopping on the observation areas.

There are many the viewing points here...

The most of them are protected by a grille for safety.

But the trail runs along the edge of the cliff and you need to be careful.

Sometimes, tourists take risks, when they walk and take photos on the edge of the cliff.

Many of the viewing points have the names.
One of them is "Bright Angel Point", where we went.
*Bright Angel Point *

The route is short (1.2 km round trip) but very beautiful...
The trail begins at the lodges.

The "Bright Angel Point" - it was the first observation area, which was open to visitors of the North Rim of the National Park.

This viewpoint is popular among park visitors for the beautiful views of the canyon.

The viewpoint is located 300 meters higher than the South Rim of the canyon and the views are really wonderful.
The canyon, that was formed almost 6 million years ago, lies before you.
You can study it history on the geological layers of the cliffs.

If you want more higher - you can climb to the stone...

We were going back to the car and were silent, we were thinking about the Grand Canyon.
The canyon was next to us, behind the trees...

No, we should not compare the North Rim and the South Rim of the canyon.
The both Rims are a fantastic creation of nature.

You can admire the canyon from the South Rim and from the North Rim...
And even from the West part, where we have not yet been.

It all depends on us!
Usually, tourists have a little free time and you will not be mistaken if you visit to the South Rim...
But if you are ready to spend a few days in a silence, alone with the canyon, then your road will be to the North Rim...

Good-bye, Grand Canyon!
It is here, on the North Rim, in the Grand Canyon National Park, that we were completing the our journey...
The motel in Las Vegas and a plane in Los Angeles were already waiting for us...