California 2015, California to Silver City, June 25th to 28th.

Our California travels are over and we're heading home. We leave Grandview Campground in the White Mountains and take the White Mountain Road back to Highway 168 and head east. The obstacle is crossing Nevada in the triple digit summer heat. We select secondary highways to take us by the most direct route to St. George, Utah. It was about 435 miles and took almost 8 hours.

We transition from Nevada Highway 319 to Utah 56 at Devil's Gap. Before we get to Cedar City we head south on 18 to St. George. Our destination for the night is Snow Canyon State Park just north of St. George. It's called Snow Canyon because some of the sandstone is white.

The campground is in a wide sandstone canyon. There's a visitor center, flush toilet, free showers, dump and water. 14 full-hookup sites are crowded side by side at the visitor center and many nice no-hookup sites scattered along the canyon walls and out in the open chaparral. We paid a $6 entry fee at the self pay station at the park entrance and at the visitor center we registered for $16 for a no-hookup site. We may not have had to pay the entry fee since we were camping there but the attendant had gone off duty and there was no one to ask. There are no federal agency discounts.

It was our first really hot day on this trip and the night didn't cool down much.

A view from our campsite in the late afternoon with the temps over 100.

A look down Snow Canyon from our campsite as the sun sets.

Our campsite in the evening. Plenty of space and nice views.

Our next destination is the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We leave Snow Canyon and intersect with I-15 in St. George. North of St. George we take Highway 9 through Zion National Park then US 89 to Kanab.

On Highway 9 through Zion National Park, always picture perfect.

Angels Landing, Zion National Park.

Highway 9 going east out of Zion.

At Kanab we take 89A to Fredonia, Arizona and on to Jacob Lake on the Colorado Plateau. Jacob Lake has two nice campgrounds and this is where most everyone stays and then drives to the North Rim. There is also camping at the North Rim but the sites are often reserved well in advance.

From Jacob Lake it's 45 miles on Highway 76 through some of the prettiest forests and meadows in Arizona on the North Rim. There are lots of forest roads and opportunities for boon docking if you have the right size rig. This is were we're really at home and what our Sprinter was designed for.

A little forest road through the Aspens leads to a nice camp site all to ourselves.

We'll boon dock for 2 night in the Coconino National Forest half way between Jacob Lake and the Rim so we can ride our bikes to the Rim. We select a nice forest road wandering off into the Aspens and firs that leads to a near-perfect place to camp. 

This is one of our best campsites on this trip. The temps are comfortable and it's quiet and peaceful. There's a morning and evening symphony of bird song by Robins, Hermit Thrush, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Chickadee's and Woodpeckers. This is camping at it's best. There are no facilities, the camping is free and the value is priceless.

Our boon dock site in the Coconino National Forest.

Aspen trees and afternoon sunlight along the forest road.

Aspen trees near our camp.

It's wildflower season on the plateau.

The next day we take a bucket-list bike ride on 67 to the North Rim. The highway curves  through meadows and forests and is the most beautiful road in Arizona. The pavement is smooth with a good shoulder if a knot of traffic comes along. For the most part traffic is light.

Highway 67 passes through the De Motte Park meadow on the way to the North Rim.

The road curves through the forest. Most of the time there's no traffic.

On a bike we can really appreciate the beauty this highway.

The North Rim isn't as visited as the South Rim so there are fewer facilities and crowds. The views aren't as dramatic because the river is further from the North Rim so from the South Rim you get the best view of all the long colorful canyons that descend from the North Rim to the river. It's still a must see destination.

The facilities at the North Rim include the Grand Canyon Lodge and cabins, North Rim Campground, restaurant and snack bar.

We walk out to Bright Angel Point and the views stir up a lot of memories. Over the years we've done 10 back country backpacks in the Canyon, most of them 9 days long and most of them from the trail heads along the North Rim. Unlike the popular Bright Angel and Kaibab Trails, the back country trails are more rugged, often unmaintained, and were endurance, experience and route finding are necessary. Packing in the back country is hard and some trails put you right along cliff ledges which can be a little unnerving. There are great rewards for the effort it takes to go down there that only a backpacker can know. There's a solitude like no place else. Our last backpack was in 2010 and standing here on the rim we feel the canyon calling us again.

Views along the trail to Bright Angel Point with the South Rim on the horizon.

Looking toward the South Rim.

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After our visit to the North Rim we bicycle back to camp. At De Mott Park we see the resident buffalo herd. I only took this one photo and noticed later most of them had their tails up. Ops, should have given them a moment.

The North Rim buffalo herd lounging in the sun and doing buffalo things.

Well, this ends our trip and we're heading home. We'll spend one night at the Grants-Cibola Sands KOA at Grants, New Mexico visiting our friends who own the campground. If you're ever traveling I-40 west of Albuquerque it's a nice place to stay with friendly people and great personal food service to your rig for the weary traveler. Say hi to Keith and Susanne for us.

Happy travels.
Jackie