Kaibab Plateau-North Rim Parkway
Bicycle/Pedestrian Facilities

Bicycles are not yet available for rent in the Grand Canyon. If you plan to bring a bicycle, be aware that in Arizona bicycles are subject to the same traffic rules as automobiles. Use extreme caution when riding on park roads! Shoulders are narrow and vehicle traffic is heavy. Bicyclists are permitted on all paved and unpaved park roads open to automobile traffic and must obey all traffic regulations. Always ride with the flow of the traffic.

Bicyclist Warning: Bicycles are prohibited on park trails. Also, see and be seen -- wear bright colors and a helmet.

Along the byway:

There are 11 paved pullouts along the byway, and three of these offer "off-road" experiences such as nature walking and a chance to climb a historic lookout tower. There is a trail that parallels the byway all the way into the park. This is "The Arizona Trail," and it starts south of Jacob Lake at the Utah Border on Hwy 89 and follows Hwy 67 to the boundary of the Grand Canyon. The Kaibab National Forest is working on developing the trail further through the park.

Near the byway:

There are also many hiking trails within the Grand Canyon itself. The National Park Service information desk in the lobby of the Grand Canyon Lodge offers information on hiking and exploring the North Rim. For overnight backcountry use permits in the Grand Canyon, contact the Backcountry Office at 520-638-7875. Request forms are available online. Forms must be printed and faxed or mailed in. Last-minute permits may be obtained by visiting the Backcountry Office in the Maswik Transportation Center in Grand Canyon Village, open 8 am-12 pm and 1-5 pm, and also from the Tuweep, Meadview, and Lee's Ferry ranger stations. There is a fee charged for permits. The numerous outdoor opportunities arise from the great number of trails throughout the Kaibab National Forest. For more information, contact the North Kaibab Ranger District at 520-643-7395 or the Kaibab National Forest at 520-635-8200.

South Rim:

This road is open to bicycles throughout the year, but be aware that during the summer months there is heavy bus traffic. South Rim is narrow and bicyclists should pull to the right shoulder of the road and dismount when large vehicles are attempting to pass. Never hang on to a shuttle bus while riding.

Arizona Trail: (hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, cross-country skiing)

This is the southern segment of the Kaibab Plateau Trail from the crossing at Forest Road (FR) 241 near Telephone Hill to the Grand Canyon National Park/Kaibab National Forest boundary. The trail is intended for non-motorized use. Along this segment, the trail winds through spruce, fir, pine, and aspen forest, interspersed with meadows. The East Rim View overlooks House Rock Valley and Marble Canyon. The DeMotte burn area displays forest regeneration after a large fire in 1977. Future trail development to the south will connect with the Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim Entrance Station, and the North Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon. At this time, the trail does not go into Grand Canyon National Park. The central and southern segments of the Kaibab Plateau Trail total 37.3 miles. The northern segment, from the US 89A trailhead to the Arizona/Utah border is yet to be built. Some parts of the trail were originally used for logging. Several logging trails still join or cross the trail, so users must be attentive to the route. Trail signs are brown, fiberglass posts with a decal near the top denoting the Arizona Trail, Kaibab Plateau. Bring your own water, as water along the route is undrinkable for humans. Camping is primitive and is not permitted within a quarter mile of stock tanks, ponds, or springs. It is strongly recommended that users acquire a North Kaibab Ranger District, Kaibab National Forest map. Be alert for motor vehicle traffic on back roads.

Arizona Trail Description:

The total distance of this route is 20.6 miles; from FR 241 near Telephone Hill to East Rim View the route is 13.3 miles. The trail crosses FR 241 less than 0.1 miles east of AZ 67, about 13 miles south of Jacob Lake. South of the road, it winds through mixed conifer forest and meets and old road along the edge of Telephone Hill. Shortly after crossing through a gated fence, the trail steadily descends to a meadow. It then goes over a ridge before passing east of Crane Lake. Just south of here, the trail goes through a wooden corral. This is 3.0 miles from FR 241. It then winds through small parks and forested ridges as it rises to an overlook of Little Pleasant Valley. The valley bottom is 3.3 miles from the wooden corral. The trail then climbs a ridge and enters the DeMotte burn area. It crosses FR 213 1.8 miles from Little Pleasant Valley. From FR 213 the route leads into Tater Canyon, and 2.8 miles from FR 213 the trail leaves the old roadbed and climbs to the east. A series of steep switchbacks lead 0.4 miles to a crossing of FR 610. It is another 1.6 miles to FR 611, and 0.4 miles further to East Rim View. From the East Rim View to FR 610 and the Grand Canyon National Park/Kaibab National Forest boundary is 7.3 miles. The trail heads south along the rim 1.7 miles to a junction with North Canyon Trail #4. From here, it travels south 0.6 miles to Crystal Spring. The trail then follows the gravel road south 0.9 miles. The trail turns southeast up a wooded slope 0.4 miles and crosses another road and logging trail. Sourdough Well is 1.5 miles from this road. From the well, continue up the drainage for 1.9 miles to FR 610. The Grand Canyon National Park/Kaibab National Forest boundary is 0.3 miles further.

South Canyon Trail #6: (hiking only)

This scenic trail, located within the Saddle Mountain Wilderness, provides glimpses of Marble Canyon as it leads through side hills of fern, aspen, mixed conifer, and rock outcroppings. Because of the steep sides and narrow pathways on this trail, riders should use only experienced trail horses. Starting at the upper trailhead, Trail #6 descends steeply into South Canyon and then follows the canyon bottom. This trail is not maintained, and the elevation is 8,800 feet. The difficulty level is moderate, and use is light. The trail is five miles one-way. There are no facilities available on the trail, and no motor vehicles or motorized equipment may be operated in Saddle Mountain Wilderness.

South Canyon Trail #6 Access:

A 73-mile round trip -- go south on AZ 67 (a paved road) 27.5 miles from the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center (0.6 miles beyond DeMotte Campground entrance) and turn left onto Forest Development Road (FDR) 611. Go 1.4 miles and turn right onto FDR 610, then follow FDR 610 for 7.5 miles to the trailhead. Both FDR 611 and 610 are suitable for passenger cars.

A 92-mile round trip -- from Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center go east on US 89A (a paved road) for about 20 miles to FDR 8910. Turn right and go 23 miles to the junction of FDR 211. Turn right and follow FDR 211 to the trailhead. FDR 8910 is suitable for passenger cars, while FDR 211 is recommended for high clearance vehicles.

Saddle Mountain Trail #31: (hiking only)

Saddle Mountain Trail is located within the Saddle Mountain Wilderness. It offers a panoramic view of House Rock Valley with Marble Canyon, the Vermilion Cliffs, and the Kaibab Plateau as a backdrop. The trail travels along a bench of pinyon-juniper woodland, and although it ends about one mile before reaching the edge of Marble Canyon, there is easy access to the edge. The view of the Colorado River is well worth the hike. It is also worthwhile to note that this trail is in a remote area, with limited water and high summer temperatures. There are no user facilities, so please bring your own drinking water. The length of the trail one-way is five miles. The elevation is 6,560 feet. Travel is recommended from spring to early summer and from fall to early winter. No motorized equipment may be operated in the area. This is a difficult trail to hike and has moderate use.

Saddle Mountain Trail #31 Access:

A 95-mile round trip -- from the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center go east on US 89A (a paved road) about 20 miles to Forest Development Road (FDR) 8910 (House Rock Wilderness Area). Turn right and go 23.5 miles to where FDR 8910 forks and take the right fork, then go another 4 miles to the trailhead. FDR 8910 is suitable for passenger cars.

Nankoweap Trail #57: (hiking only)

The Kaibab Ranger District's part of this trail is located within the Saddle Mountain Wilderness, and the rest of the trail is located within the Grand Canyon National Park. In 1881, J.W. Powell and C.D. Walcott blazed a horse trail into the Nankoweap basin by following an old Indian path. Trail #57, located just off Forest Development Road (FDR) 8910, climbs to Nankoweap Saddle, passing through ponderosa pine, red and white cliffs, and steep canyons. At the saddle, hikers can view a multitude of jagged buttes and the drainages of Marble Canyon. They can then enter the Grand Canyon National Park or continue to the upper trailhead on the forest. As a result of the 1960 Saddle Mountain fire, locust and aspen have invaded the first mile of the trail off of FDR 610, leaving this section in poor condition. Because of the steep terrain and narrow pathway, riders should use only experienced trail horses. There are no user facilities along this trail, so please bring your own drinking water. The elevation is 8,800 to 6,480 feet, and recommended seasons for travel are from spring to early summer and from fall to early winter. No vehicles or motorized equipment may be operated in the Saddle Mountain Wilderness. This trail is difficult to travel, and it is heavily used in the fall and spring by hikers accessing the Grand Canyon National Park's Nankoweap Trail. The trail length one-way is four miles.

Nankoweap Trail #57 Access:

An 82.4-mile round trip -- from the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center go south on AZ 67 (a paved road) for 27.5 miles (0.6 miles beyond DeMotte Park Campground entrance) and turn left onto FDR 611. In about 1.4 miles, turn right onto FDR 610 and go 12.3 miles to the end of the road and the trailhead. FDRs 611 and 610 are both suitable for passenger cars.

A 95-mile round trip -- from the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center go east on US 89A (a paved road) about 20 miles to FDR 8910 (House Rock Wildlife Area). Turn right and go 23.5 miles to where FDR 8910 forks and take the right fork and then go another four miles to the trailhead. Then you need to hike about one mile on South Canyon Trail #31 to the junction of Trail #57. FDR 8910 is suitable for passenger cars.

North Canyon Trail #4: (hiking only)

This trail is the entrance to the northern part of the Saddle Mountain Wilderness. Beginning from Forest Development Road (FDR) 611, the trail descends through mixed conifer and oak thickets into North Canyon. The trail then leads back and forth across a small stream as it follows the canyon down to the lower trailhead at FDR 631. There is a perennial stream in the upper reaches of the canyon, with protected, native trout inhabiting some of the larger pools. Birds, flowers, and plants exist here that are not seen anywhere else on the plateau. Only experienced trail horses should attempt this trail due to steep drop offs and narrow passages. There are no user facilities available, and the elevation is 8,800 to 6,130 feet. Recommended seasons for travel are late spring to early fall. No motorized vehicles or motorized equipment may be operated in the Saddle Mountain Wilderness. This is mostly a difficult trail to travel and the use is light. Trail length one-way is seven miles.

North Canyon Trail #4 Access:

A 58.5-mile round trip -- from the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center go south on AZ 67 (a paved road) for 27.5 miles (0.6 miles beyond DeMotte Campground entrance) and turn left onto FDR 611. Continue 4.0 miles to the trailhead at East Rim Viewpoint. FDR 611 is suitable for passenger cars.

An 81-mile round trip -- from the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center go east on US 89A (a paved road) for about 20 miles to FDR 8910 (House Rock Wildlife Area). Turn right and go 17.5 miles to the junction of FDR 631. Turn right and go about 3 miles to the trailhead. FDR 8910 is suitable for passenger cars and FDR 631 is recommended for high clearance vehicles.

Great Western Trail #150: (primarily off-road vehicles)

The Great Western Trail is a 3,100-mile-long trail that extends across the United States from Canada to Mexico. It passes through the states of Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Arizona. Throughout much of its length it is actually a corridor of trails that parallel each other and accommodate a wide variety of both motorized and non-motorized users. On some sections of the trail these uses are separated, and on other sections they share the same pathway. The 800-mile portion of the Great Western Trail within the state of Arizona is primarily used as a motorized trail. Another trail, the Arizona Trail, also runs the length of the state, and this trail is designated solely for non-motorized use. The 30 miles of the trail on the North Kaibab Ranger District are made up of a number of existing dirt roads. The route runs from sagebrush/pinyon/juniper country to ponderosa pine and spruce/fir forest, then back down to pinyon/juniper and sagebrush lands. Fuel, supplies, food, and lodging in the proximity of the trail are located at Jacob Lake Inn, located 3 miles west of the trail where it crosses US 89A. The elevation ranges from 5,200 to 8,500 feet, and the recommended season for travel is late spring to fall. Use of the one-way, 30-mile trail is light, and the trail difficulty is not rated.

Great Western Trail #150 Access:

A high clearance vehicle is recommended on most portions of the trail. On Forest Development Roads (FDR) 284 and 284C, a 4-wheel-drive vehicle should be used. Since this route is on open roads, hiking or horse use is not recommended. If you decide to hike, horseback ride, or bike this route, please stay alert to vehicular traffic. The route for the Great Western Trail on the North Kaibab Ranger District is listed below:

• Northern Forest and BLM boundary on FDR 248A
• FDR 248A to FDR 248 - 1.5 miles
• FDR 248 to FDR 247 - 2 miles
• FDR 247 to FDR 249 - 5.5 miles
• FDR 249 to FDR 257 - 0.5 miles
• FDR 257 to US 89A - 2.5 miles
• Cross US 89A to FDR 225
• FDR 225 to FDR 224 - 6 miles
• FDR 224 to FDR 284 - 2.5 miles
• FDR 284 to FDR 284C - 1.5 miles
• FDR 284C to Forest and BLM boundary - 8 miles

Buck Ridge Viewpoint: (mountain biking)

This ride is short and easy, but it nevertheless offers high rewards. The route starts from a point just four miles away from the Jacob Lake Campground near the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center and leads to an overlook where the views stretch all the way to Zion and Bryce National Parks in Utah. Buck Ridge Viewpoint is located on the western edge of the Kaibab Plateau. Stretching out from the base of the escarpment that drops off from the plateau, the high, wide, lonesome Arizona Strip is one of the most remote areas in the Southwest. The Strip is a place of cattle ranching and prospecting, of vast flatlands and marooned mountains, of deep, twisting canyons and distant escarpments. Serving as a backdrop for all of this scenery and history, the Vermilion Cliffs north of Fredonia, the buttes of Bryce, and the petrified dunes of Zion are all visible along the horizon. To the southwest, Kanab Creek and its tributaries nibble at the edge of the strip and create a tear in its fabric that hints that the Grand Canyon lies just out of sight around the corner. The road ends in a stand of pinyon juniper trees at an old abandoned mine site. This site is a good place for a picnic, and you can test your awareness of southwest geography by trying to name all the landmarks visible from this point. There are no facilities available on the five-mile, round-trip trail. The elevation reaches 7,700 feet, and travel is recommended April through November. The difficulty of the trail is easy, and trail use is moderate. Though the road is a primitive jeep track with a grassy median, its surface is good and is mostly hard-packed sand. There are a few soft spots, however, that can slow you down and make you work a bit to reach the road's end.

Buck Ridge Viewpoint Access:

A 9.5-mile round trip -- follow Hwy 67 south from the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center 0.3 miles to Forest Development Road (FDR) 461. Turn right onto the FDR.