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Grand Canyon - North Rim "The sights and vistas were unforgettable and although we were far away from civilization and communication I felt that everything we really needed was there."Dennis Creter, July 2008 |
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Description & Itinerary In addition to sections of the Arizona Trail, our route on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon includes a visit to Grand Canyon National Park and the highly acclaimed Rainbow Rim Trail.This trail in the North Kaibab National Forest is one of our all time favorites. The construction techniques the rangers used to build this trail are the best we have found in the West. Because the grade rarely exceeds 9%, everybody feels like a hero. The climbs are gentle and consistent and the descents are smooth and flowing. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is at a higher elevation than that of the South Rim. So our route on this side of the canyon is a bit more challenging than that on the South Rim. This is a great trip for those of varying skills, with some options for longer or shorter rides. More questions? Call us at 800-845-2453. Our guides will give you all the details. |
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This tour will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn, 850 South Bluff, St. George, Utah, 435-628-4235. After loading up we will drive up to the Kaibab National Forest where we will begin our ride. The shuttle ride is about 3 hours. You will need to spend the night in St. George because none of the shuttle services from Las Vegas or Salt Lake run early enough.
After our meeting in St. George, we will shuttle to the Kaibab National Forest, about three hours. Our ride begins south of Jacob Lake where we will start out with a good warm up on forest service roads. The van will meet us in a beautiful meadow along the way for lunch. After lunch we will pick up the Arizona Trail for an afternoon of fine singletrack riding. This trail will eventually run the length of the state and this section winds up and down through the Ponderosa forest, finally popping out right along the East Rim Viewpoint. From this point, we will get a dramatic view of the upper sedimentary rock layers of the canyon: the Kaibab and Toroweap Limestones, Coconino Sandstone, Hermit Shale, the Supai Formation and Redwall Limestone. These layers are exposed because of millions of years of erosion. Our camp for tonight and tomorrow night includes a natural terrace which is a great sunset viewing spot.
Today we will do an out and back ride from camp on the Arizona Trail. After a short warm up on the dirt road, we pick up the fun singletrack and start pedaling through both aspens and ponderosas. There are lots of short climbs and descents in and out of beautiful meadows as we make our way north. There is a shorter option today where you can turn around at "the meadow" and a longer option where you can ride all the way to the corral. We pack a lunch today so you have the flexibility to fuel when necessary! Back at camp we relax with views of Marble Canyon far below us. John Wesley Powell, the first person to run the length of the Colorado River, named this part of the canyon for the polished rock exposed at river level which reminded him of marble. It is actually Redwall Limestone. This limestone is about 360 million years old and it was deposited when most of the continent was under marine waters.
After packing up camp, we will shuttle into Grand Canyon National Park. We will spend the morning hiking on one of the park trails which will give us a chance to really explore the incredible sedimentary rock layers which make up the canyon walls. We will find many fossils along the way, evidence of the 250 million year old seabed. The trail follows the rim with expansive views of the canyon. Next we will visit the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. The lodge is one of two remaining historic lodges from the Grand Circle tourist route of the 1930's. Constructed from giant timbers, the porch suspends visitors over the walls of the canyon. We will shuttle back to the Kaibab Forest and ride a series of aspen lined forest roads to our camp at Locust or Fence Point. This evening's views are classic Grand Canyon and our first real look at its vast complexity. Below us lies almost two billion years of geology, from the younger Permian layers to the metamorphic and igneous basement rocks that comprise the Inner Gorge of the Grand Canyon. These are some of the oldest rocks exposed in the world.
The singletrack we ride today, the Rainbow Rim Trail, is one of the highlights of our trip. Recently constructed, it was designed and flagged by Ranger John Kneeling of the North Kaibab Ranger District. It took him three months to flag out the route and he made sure the trail never rose or fell by more than nine degrees. This means that the climbs are all very ridable and the descents are some of the most fun on any trip we do. The trail is 18 miles in length and we are camped at about the middle. Today we ride it as an out and back to the north, planning to have lunch at the northern most point, called Parissawampitts. We will pack a lunch and enjoy it trailside studying the amazing strata of the canyon. Of course you have the option for a shorter day and can turn around at any time. No matter what, we know you will love riding the Rainbow Rim Trail.
Today we will ride more of the Rainbow Rim Trail, through the Ponderosa Pines to the south. This part of the trail is fast and smooth and still continues to wow with stunning views of the canyon. There are a few good climbs to wear out your legs on the last day, and an equal amount of swooping downhill to bring out a giggle or two. After our ride we will have a final lunch near the rim and load up for the shuttle back to St. George.
We will return to St. George between 4:00-5:00 pm on the last day. You will have time to catch a shuttle back to Las Vegas, but not to Salt Lake.
Riding Surface: Variable; dirt roads, singletrack trails. |
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May 24 - May 28, 2010
Mountain Bike |
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 Western Spirit Cycling Adventures Toll Free: 800-845-2453 Local: 435-259-8732 More Contact Info
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