Which is your preferred rim and why??? Do you have one hike or viewpoint you like better than another? Is camping better on one side or the other??
As beautiful as the South Rim is, the North Rim is equally beautiful in a different way (you are 1,000 feet higher in altitude). I love the North Rim for camping because there are so many options- NPS campground, Forest Service campground, dispersed, and hike in camping. You can easily take a trail to the bottom of the canyon or just hike the many trails up top, including the Arizona Trail that runs along the rim for a good ways. There are some really unique species of animals in the Kaibab Plateau that you can’t see anywhere else, too (the Kaibab squirrel has a white tail!).
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I have visited all three rims and my favorite is North. I think its just as gorgeous and way way less people and traffic. Keep in mind though it gets really cold. Our first camping trip we were not prepared and froze. Get off the ground and no air mattresses. We are from Florida and were very clueless back then!
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I haven’t been to the North, but the South Rim was so overrun with visitors that it really freaked me out haha. It’s more like disneyland than I anticipated. There’s an HR department on site, and the bus driver was giving a canned speech about which cafe was his favorite to buy a sandwhich at. I’m excited to see the Northside when I do the Arizona Trail (eventually).
I hiked down and up the South Rim and spent 2 nights at Phantom Ranch. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life! Here’s my review of it: https://thedyrt.com/camping/arizona/phantom-ranch/review/16418