North Rim Grand Canyon access

[Makalu1]

Someone once posted a couple of shots of their smb parked on the edge of the north rim of the Grand Canyon. My guess is that it was towards the west end of the canyon but I could be wrong. It's a spot my wife and I were hoping to find one day when we got a van. The time has come! If this rings a bell with anyone, please let us know.

We're planning on headed to the North Rim vicinity in mid-October with the van (4x4) and a dog. I've checked the literature on dogs in the actual park and north rim area, and it is not very dog-friendly (I get that), so we are hoping to be able to find an area where we can still enjoy the canyon rim area without the hassles. Most National Forests and BLM lands fit the bill but I'm having trouble finding good maps and useful info online. We're thinking about just a few days of hiking and camping.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also, my computer that stored years of smb pics crashed and I lost a ton of data. If anyone recognizes my description of the rim pics with the smb, please come forward!
Thanks,
Scott

[daveb]

Toroweap? There are a few trip reports.

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...trip-8147.html

https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/tuweep.htm

[Gooseberry]

Could have been Kelly point when a small group made it all the way to the point. It took us a easy 10 hours to go 30 miles after went entered the park.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[larrie]

Look at this thread over on Expo, 60 Gallons of the Arizona Strip - Expedition Portal. It may be of help.

[pjpvi]

My trip report that includes going out to Kelley Point. Was a great trip and beautiful views from the point!

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...ment-9246.html

[deserteagle56]

As far as taking your van out to Kelly Point - beware! Not a place to take a vehicle unless you have others along...and a pick and a shovel and maybe even a chainsaw! Very, very rough - as they said above, took 10 hours to go 30 miles. Been there twice but I camped at Oak Grove and rode the dirt bike from there.

You might try Kanab Point instead. Much easier to get to - only about the last 4 miles is a bit rocky and overgrown with trees. (Why is it that once you cross into a National Park all road maintenance ceases???) To my mind, the views are much better than from Kelly Point anyway. You'll need to get a back country permit to camp there and remember, this area is ~ 6,000 in elevation so in October beware of the weather. Snow is entirely possible and rain can make the roads impassable. But you can camp right on the point overlooking the junction of Kanab Creek and the Colorado River which is visible below. Here's some shots from last year.

My rig parked on Kanab Point:


Some of the views from the point:








Zooming in on a set of rapids on the Colorado below:


Looking up Kanab Creek Canyon at sunset:


Kanab Point at sunrise. Mt Sinyella upper left.


The road to access Kanab Point starts just east of Pipe Springs National Monument and for ~ 30 miles is a good graded road (except for some washboards in places). Then it gets a bit more primitive but not bad until you reach the National Park boundary. If you have a good GPS unit like a Montana that will load tracks I can sent you the track of how to get to the Point.

[JoeH]

Originally Posted by deserteagle56

As far as taking your van out to Kelly Point - beware! Not a place to take a vehicle unless you have others along...and a pick and a shovel and maybe even a chainsaw! Very, very rough - as they said above, took 10 hours to go 30 miles. Been there twice but I camped at Oak Grove and rode the dirt bike from there.

You might try Kanab Point instead. Much easier to get to - only about the last 4 miles is a bit rocky and overgrown with trees. (Why is it that once you cross into a National Park all road maintenance ceases???) To my mind, the views are much better than from Kelly Point anyway. You'll need to get a back country permit to camp there and remember, this area is ~ 6,000 in elevation so in October beware of the weather. Snow is entirely possible and rain can make the roads impassable. But you can camp right on the point overlooking the junction of Kanab Creek and the Colorado River which is visible below. Here's some shots from last year.

Zooming in on a set of rapids on the Colorado below:



The road to access Kanab Point starts just east of Pipe Springs National Monument and for ~ 30 miles is a good graded road (except for some washboards in places). Then it gets a bit more primitive but not bad until you reach the National Park boundary. If you have a good GPS unit like a Montana that will load tracks I can sent you the track of how to get to the Point.

The rapid is at Olo Canyon. The sandbar just upstream is one of my study sites. I run the sandbar/campsite monitoring project for the USGS. Never seen the view from Kanab Pt. Thanks for sharing.

[vandiesel]

I would love to get your tracks if possible for my Montana. Thx

[deserteagle56]

Originally Posted by vandiesel

I would love to get your tracks if possible for my Montana. Thx

Not a problem. PM sent.

[brushogger]

Toroweap is an amazing site. IIRC, there are 8 or 9 campsites. Don't try the road in from the highway if it's been raining much. When it gets pretty wet it turns to $&@?. I've seen a few pics of built trucks in mud up to the frame in the middle of the road