Accessible Guide to Hiking and Backpacking the North Rim in Grand Canyon National Park

In June 2010, our family discovered that the Grand Canyon's quieter North Rim offered not only breathtaking scenery but also an unforgettable wilderness adventure that could include Kellisa every step of the way. While most visitors experience the canyon from busy overlooks, we combined spectacular accessible viewpoints with a memorable night camping in the backcountry, creating one of the most unique experiences of our travels.

The Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon National Park

March 2006

“In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. I want to ask you to keep this great wonder of nature as it now is. I hope you will not have a building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel or anything else, to mar the wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon. Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

Words cannot describe the Grand Canyon and photos, while beautiful, also do not do the views justice. The great expanse of the canyon surely leaves first time viewers speechless and we were no different when we first caught sight of this national treasure late one afternoon in March 2006. One last cliché, everyone should go to Grand Canyon National Park at least one in their lifetime.

Kellisa visited Everglades National Park in 2004 for the first time making the Grand Canyon the second national park checked off of her life list. As of March 2018, Kellisa has visited 29 national parks.

If I can't fully write about the beauty and pictures don't accurately capture the grandeur, then the following pictures probably don't say 1,000 words each, but hopefully they say a few hundred:

Red Rocks and Hungry Giraffes

Sedona, Arizona

March 2006

Shutterfly memories popped up in my emails to remind me that we were in Sedona, AZ exactly 12 years ago. Scrolling through the photos brought back many memories. The first thing that jumped out is Kellisa's very short hair. That's because she ended 2005 with three brain surgeries for her shunt. Next, I noticed that I could still carry Kellisa out on a trail even though she had the biggest and best baby jog stroller on the market. Lastly, while mentioned in our 2006 summary, I realized that this trip was never completely shared on the blog in words and pictures.

This was our first vacation since Kellisa was born where the purpose wasn't to visit family. In fact, the main goal of this trip was to witness and immerse ourselves in the great outdoors! Lisa and I also celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary in a cowboy themed restaurant in Sedona and the girls (Lisa and Kellisa) fed giraffes during our side trip to the Out of Africa Wildlife Park.

Historic Railroad Tunnels Trail

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Nevada

May 2013

Kellisa and I flew out to Las Vegas for Memorial Day weekend with Primo Matt. Our first hike was the Historic Railroad Tunnels Trail at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The sun was blazing and the temperature was soaring, but we didn't let that stop us from hiking 8.80 miles. After hiking through the five tunnels, we walked across Hoover Dam.

Hurrikains Collection:

Matt Buckingham Collection:

Four Corners

Four Corners

Arizona-Utah-Colorado-New Mexico

June 2007

4 wheels - 4 states

The only place in the United States where four states border each other. Besides standing in four states, you are also standing in the Navajo Nation.