We opted for the less commonly visited North Rim because Renaud had already been to the South and we figured it would be more enjoyable with less people. We drove through 3 states to get there, passing through Las Vegas twice, astounded by the opulence of this giant city in the middle of the desert. And the traffic jams, pollution, wastefulness and excessive billboard adds that go with it.

We only had a day in the Park so didn’t have time to walk down into the Canyon via the Kaibab trail. Also much to my surprise, it was really cold (being higher in altitude than the South Rim), and there was a lot of vegetation. Our highlight has to be the 4 mile evening walk to ‘Cape Final’ viewpoint (and overhanging bolders). Timed almost to perfection to arrive at sunset, the whole canyon bathed in gold, purple and blue. We could see the South Rim opposite, as flat as a table, and beyond that, all the way across the Arizona desert. And we were the only ones there. Walking back through the forest after nightfall was a bit Blairwitch Project, but we made it back to the car in one piece and on a high from the overdose of breathtaking beauty!