This was the last day of our roadtrip to Arizona. We left Flagstaff, headed to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, to our seasonal jobs there. Though the North Rim doesn’t open until May 15th, Fabgrandpa has to start working on Sunday, so he wanted to get there a couple of days before that. The drive from Flagstaff to the North Rim has such diverse landscape. It is unbelievable how it changes so in just 195 miles.
We passed by snow covered mountains near Flagstaff.
Ponderosa Pines along the roadside north of Flagstaff on Hwy 89.
Just a few miles later you are driving through painted desert land.
You see some really different types of land formations along this road.
Then the landscape changes again to red cliffs.
The look of the cliffs changes again when you turn west on Hwy 89A into Marble Canyon.
The cliffs are near the road when you head into Marble Canyon at Navajo Bridge
Even though I have seen this place many times in the last five years, I still am amazed by it.
The landscape changes yet again as you begin the climb up the Kaibab Plateau. There begin to be trees again, this time scrub pines and desert plants.
Once you turn south on Hwy 67 towards the North Rim, you begin to see Ponderosa Pines, fir trees, and aspens. There are lots of meadows, too.
About ten miles south of Jacob Lake, you’ll drive through eleven miles of burned forest. This was the Warm Fire that was caused by a lightening strike in 2006 and burned about 60,000 acres.
As the elevation gets higher, the temperature gets colder. This frozen pond created by snow melt is about five miles from the entrance to the North Rim Grand Canyon.
The entrance station to the North Rim. The park doesn’t open until May 15th so the gate is locked until then. There was not as much snow this year as there have been in recent years.
You can see the difference in the amount of snow in this picture, that was taken in 2010 on about the same date as the one above.
This is about a mile south of the entrance station inside the park on Hwy 67. It looks like a lake right now but it’s just snow melt in the meadow.
We finally made it our campsite, within view of the canyon. I love my summer home!
It is a changing and amazing drive.
Glad you made it safe and sound.
Your eyes should be full of beauty for the next few months!
Arizona is a beautiful drive no matter which direction or what time of year. We just drove 60 east through Salt River Canyon, awesome views!