Overall Route Rating
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4.4 out of 5 Rider Rating 4.4
6 Reviews

Grand Canyon North Rim Parkway

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By Guest (0 McR Points) on Apr 14, 1998

Rider Reviews

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Guest
May 6, 2008
Ride is a lot of fun, don't go in the middle…
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Guest
May 30, 2010
What a great ride. We started out in Southern…
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Written Directions

The route starts in the town of Jacob Lake Arizona (click here for an online map to Jacob Lake). From here you simply take Rte 67 south towards the Grand Canyon.

Scenery

This route gives you a unique look at northern Arizona and the less visited North Rim of the Grand Canyon. You will be traveling at approximately 8,000 ft above sea level. The route travels through the 650,000 Kaibab National Forest offering plenty of hiking and camping. On this route you will travel through rich forests of ponderosa pines and mixed conifers. There is much wildlife to observe including mule deer and wild turkeys. When you finally reach the end of the route, you will be presented with a unique view of the Grand Canyon due to the north rim's 1,000 ft elevation advantage over the southern rim. Bring plenty of film on this route!!! The Grand Canyon view is indisputably a 5 in terms of scenery but the majority of your driving will not give you a view of the canyon so we decided to go with a conservative 4 star rating. Heading south you'll enjoy the wide sweeping curves through a mixture of old pine, aspen and oak trees set off the road behind rolling grass fields. I hit this in mid October, and the forest was exploding in color the entire way. You're at 8000', so fall hits earlier than lower elevations, along with colder weather. As you travel along Point Imperial and Cape Royal stop to take in the vantage points of the Grand Canyon with are breathtaking and unlike the typical views you see published from the South Rim.

Drive Enjoyment

The road is fairly smooth for the most part offering gentle turns and inclines/declines. Since the route is enclosed in a national forest you won't have towns to interrupt your traveling enjoyment. Keep your eyes out for wildlife though. Also, for those of you who think of Arizona as a dry desert and a place for year round motorcycle driving, this route is closed during the winter. At around 8,000 ft of elevation, northern Arizona becomes a winter wonderland in the winter months. Big sweeping curves along 67 welcome you with recent pavement and great forest views, but as you enter the Point Imperial and Cape Royal roads you'll have tight curves and elevation changes that will wake up the senses. Road surfaces off of 67 are a little rough, but very drivable.

Tourism Opportunities

Along this route you will find two campgrounds, hiking trails and picnic areas located in the beautiful Kaibab National Forest. The largest campground, Jacob Lake, is at the northernmost end of the route and offers campers approximately 50 well-equipped campsites. About way along the route you will find the Demotte Campground offering 20 sites. Keep in mind that camping is allowed outside of the designated camping areas for those who prefer to ruff it. The route ends at the north rim of the Grand Canyon and offers some breathtaking views that the more crowded south rim visitor center can't match. There is also the Grand Canyon lodge at the end of the route for those of you who prefer to sleep in something more comfortable then a tent. Make sure you gas up in one of the towns before the route such as Jacob Lake or Fredonia. The Lodge has two main restaurants, gift shop, sandwich house/deli and Teddy Roosevelt bar that doubles as the coffee house in the mornings. Accommodations are spartan in the cabins, but you need to book way in advance, and lodging is closed October-May for the winter.

Motorcycle Road Additional info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather . - Kaibab National Forest (520)635-2681 - Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center (520)643-7298 - Grand Canyon National Park (520)638-7888 - You're relatively close to Zion heading up 89A North which also has spectacular roads near the Virgin River back entrance, and exiting 89A South past the Vermillion Cliffs is an amazing vista as well.
 

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Guest
May 6, 2008
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Cruiser
Ride is a lot of fun, don't go in the middle of the summer, it is really hot, best time to go is either in the spring or the fall, cooler temperatures. Only bad part of the ride is going through the Indian Reservations, they aren't the friendliest people, and watch out for the Drunk Indian Drivers, I almost got hit by one.
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6 riders found this road review useful
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Guest
May 30, 2010
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Touring
What a great ride. We started out in Southern Utah (St. George) and made this loop. The North Rim is quite unique and so very different from the viewpoints on the south rim. The ride to the canyon was pleasant but we missed the weather forecast. We weren't as prepared as expected so we had to do the "dumb tourist" thing and buy jackets in the gift store (ouch). On the map the North Rim is near the Toroweep overlook, having been to Toroweep often (not a motorcycle trip) we assumed the climate would be similar. Boy were we wrong. Toroweep is in the desert and aprox 4200 ft elevation. The North Rim is considerably higher than that. So please plan ahead. Leather, leather, leather... Enjoy the trip and amazing views! Wade
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DgoMountie
July 16, 2016
33 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Cruiser
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1 riders found this road review useful