Archive All Issues August 2022

HEADING NORTH FOR THE SUMMER

Of the 6 million people who visit Grand Canyon National Park every year, the majority set foot on the South Rim. But there''s another world on the North Rim, which is surrounded by the alpine forests, lakes and meadows of the Kaibab Plateau. It''s beautiful up there, and the low summer temperatures make it even more so.

Featured in the August 2022 Issue of Arizona Highways

BY: Jeff Kida

PRECEDING PANEL: Multicolored wildflowers blanket a meadow ringed by aspens and evergreens near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. In contrast to the spring wildflowers found in Arizona's warmer and lower-elevation regions, blooms on the North Rim often wait until summer to appear. TOM BEAN LEFT: North Rim ferns thrive amid aspen trunks in an intimate view of the forest floor. The North Rim averages nearly 26 inches of moisture per year, allowing plants such as these to proliferate. PHILLIP NOLL ABOVE: Rock outcroppings punctuate a view of mature aspens on the Kaibab Plateau. Aspens are among the region's most visible tree species, particularly along State Route 67 (the North Rim Parkway). LARRY ULRICH

PRECEDING PANEL: A view of a mixed forest on the Kaibab Plateau shows the region's biodiversity. Aspens, ponderosa pines, Douglas-firs, Engelmann spruce, blue spruce, oaks, piñon pines and junipers can all be found here. ADAM SCHALLAU

Delicate wildflowers grow beneath tall aspens in an afternoon view of a small lake on the North Rim. Such bodies of water attract a variety of wildlife, including pronghorns, raccoons and even a herd of non-native bison. BYRON NESLEN