The parking area is on the east side of AZ 67, 41 miles south of Jacob Lake and 2.3 miles north of Grand Canyon Lodge. The trailhead is at the south end of the parking lot.
Northern Access Point: Kaibab National Forest boundary
From Jacob Lake, drive south on AZ 67 for 26 miles and turn left (east) onto FR 611 (4.5 miles north of the Grand Canyon National Park entrance station and 1 mile south of Kaibab Lodge). Drive 1.1 miles and turn right (east) onto FR 610. Wind south and then east 5.1 miles to a pullout on the north side of the road, near a brown AZT post.
Trail Route Description
Passage 39 begins at the North Kaibab Trailhead and traverses the seldom-used north side of Grand Canyon National Park. The North Rim attracts only 10% of the Grand Canyon’s annual visitors, resulting in a serene and solitary environment. Before heading north on this section, take a short walk to the rim and catch one more glimpse, through pine trees and fir, into the vast red limestone of Roaring Springs Canyon.
The trail follows a mix of dirt roads and singletrack across a gentle terrain, with some short, steep sections through rolling, forested hills and lush meadows. This mixed conifer forest is home to aspen, spruce, fir and pines.
This passage meanders above 8,000 feet of elevation, which causes cooler temperatures and the possibility for snow through the spring season and sometimes into early summer.
Water sources are scarce and unreliable on the Kaibab Plateau. Check the online Arizona Trail Water Report for current information at https://aztrail.org/explore/water-sources/.
Notes/Warnings
All water along this passage should be purified prior to use.
The Arizona Trail is marked with brown fiberglass posts with a Kaibab Plateau Trail decal near the top.
North Rim facilities are closed from mid-October to mid-May.
When the AZT is buried under snow in the springtime, hikers are allowed to walk on Hwy 67 before the road opens, typically on May 15. Mountain bikers are not allowed to ride the road and must follow the trail. Hikers walking the plowed and paved road should be aware of vehicles and snowplows; this means no camping, campfires, or full spread meals in the middle of the road.
East Greenwich News (January 31, 2021) by Jonathan Malone It was hot, it was dry, and I was afraid that I was running out of water. I had been hiking through the high plateau desert in Arizona for three days and I had seen only a handful of people, lots of cows, and a few horses. I had heard elk and coyotes, but had not yet seen any of them. I was deep in the wilderness, there were few people, and my water supply was worrisome. I chose to be in this place. In September I backpacked for approximately 100 miles of the wilderness of Arizona. Hiking and backpacking are things I love to do, and I have gone on many solo and group trips in the Adirondack Mountains in New York and the White Mountains in New Hampshire as well as other areas of the Northeast. I love taking time to be in the forest, by the streams and lakes, and surrounded by the mountains. This year I opted for something completely new to me; I decided to hike one small portion of the 800-mile Arizona Trail. I started just north of Flagstaff and headed to the North Rim of the...
Grand Canyon National Park has officially confirmed that walk-up backcountry permits will be available for spring thru-hikers in 2025 with the following date ranges: April 1 - May 14: Sites will only be available at Cottonwood Campground May 15 - June 11: Sites will also be made available at Bright Angel Campground If you are arriving before or after these dates, still stop at the Backcountry Information Center (BIC) to inquire, but expect less availability. These campsites are for thru-hikers only, not section-hikers. Major thanks goes out to the NPS for working to provide this opportunity for Arizona Trail users given the current constraints of the Transcanyon Waterline construction and the current reduction in staff. AZTers, make sure to thank BIC rangers when you arrive! And be prepared to be flexible with your itinerary as these spots are limited.
Grand Canyon National Park has confirmed that hikers are allowed to walk on the paved road to avoid the snowy AZT during the spring season before the road opens, typically on May 15. Mountain bikers are not allowed to ride the road and must follow the trail. The Park reiterated that hikers walking the plowed and paved North Rim Road should be aware of vehicles and snowplows; this means no camping, campfires, or full spread meals in the middle of the road. Bicyclists are technically grouped in with motor vehicles so they are not allowed to use the paved/plowed road and should stick to the AZT during early-season conditions.
Williams-Grand Canyon News (August 3, 2022) Over the weekend of July 16-17, Arizona Trail Association (ATA) volunteers and staff partnered with NPS Trails and Backcountry Information Center staff to remove fallen trees and clear the Arizona Trail corridor between the Widforss Trailhead and the North Rim Entrance Station. Each of the four saw teams were captained by an experienced and certified sawyer, and volunteers and participants practiced the basics of evaluating and executing a variety of cuts. At the end of the first day, only a few trees remained on the AZT. Volunteers requested more work for the second day and while one sawyer team finished on the AZT, the remainder of the team cleared another 28 downed trees and restored tread on approximately .75 miles of the Francois Matthes Trail. In total, 100 trees were cleared from North Rim trails. Grand Canyon National Park would like to thank NPS staff who helped make the project successful: Michael Barhmasel, Forest Agee, Joseph Zelman, Steve Bridgehouse, Cindy Donaldson, Dan Schweitzer and Adam Gibson. To read the article online, click here.
East Greenwich News (January 31, 2021) by Jonathan Malone It was hot, it was dry, and I was afraid that I was running out of water. I had been hiking through the high plateau desert in Arizona for three days and I had seen only a handful of people, lots of cows, and a few horses. I had heard elk and coyotes, but had not yet seen any of them. I was deep in the wilderness, there were few people, and my water supply was worrisome. I chose to be in this place. In September I backpacked for approximately 100 miles of the wilderness of Arizona. Hiking and backpacking are things I love to do, and I have gone on many solo and group trips in the Adirondack Mountains in New York and the White Mountains in New Hampshire as well as other areas of the Northeast. I love taking time to be in the forest, by the streams and lakes, and surrounded by the mountains. This year I opted for something completely new to me; I decided to hike one small portion of the 800-mile Arizona Trail. I started just north of Flagstaff and headed to the North Rim of the...
Grand Canyon National Park has officially confirmed that walk-up backcountry permits will be available for spring thru-hikers in 2025 with the following date ranges: April 1 - May 14: Sites will only be available at Cottonwood Campground May 15 - June 11: Sites will also be made available at Bright Angel Campground If you are arriving before or after these dates, still stop at the Backcountry Information Center (BIC) to inquire, but expect less availability. These campsites are for thru-hikers only, not section-hikers. Major thanks goes out to the NPS for working to provide this opportunity for Arizona Trail users given the current constraints of the Transcanyon Waterline construction and the current reduction in staff. AZTers, make sure to thank BIC rangers when you arrive! And be prepared to be flexible with your itinerary as these spots are limited.
