October 10, 2021 – The North Rim

THE THOMS SUNDAY TRAVEL SECTION.

WHERE TO?                       TASTE.                        SEE.

From Las Vegas, you can drive to the Grand Canyon’s west side in around two hours.

Or to the South Rim’s Grand Canyon Village in around four hours.

Those who do not have the patience or time for that can go by helicopter or small plane.

But that is all they see.

I am not poo-pooing the canyon; after all, it is grand.

But there is so much more to see around the canyon in addition.

A few hours isn’t enough to see the canyon, so why not add a few days?

The Canyon’s North Rim. 

It will take you over four hours to drive from Las Vegas to the North Rim Visitor’s Center.

Even though it is approximately the same distance from Las Vegas as the South Rim, it is less popular.

In July and August, it will not seem that way as you stand in an endless sea of bodies.

However, the South Rim has better marketing, thanks to the Santa Fe Pacific Railroad and the Grand Canyon Railroad.

Since the late 1800s, they have been touting the benefits of seeing the South Rim via their railroads.

Another strike is the north rim is only open seasonally from May 15 to October 15.

There is only one lodge, the Grand Canyon Lodge, and it has no guest rooms. However, the 1936 lodge houses the main dining room and reception.

Guests stay in 23 deluxe or 91 standard cabins within walking distance of the lodge. The lodge is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Some may see all of these as strikes. However, I see them as an even better reason to visit the North Rim.

The North Rim is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing Grand Canyon National Park.

For experienced hikers, there is a 24-mile hike over the river and through the canyon to the South Rim.

The drive to the South Rim’s Grand Canyon Village is four hours for the rest of us.

North Rim Detours.

Valley of Fire State Park.

Less than an hour’s drive from the Strip is this incredible park of colorful landscapes. Over 40,000 acres of red Aztec sandstone contrasts next to gray and tan limestone, You can see petrified trees and more than 2000-year-old petroglyphs.

Lost City Museum.

Exit out the back of Valley of Fire and visit Overton, only 10 miles away. Here circa 1935, The National Park Service creates a museum. With the building of the Hoover Dam, many local prehistoric archaeological sites will be underwater. Members from the Civilian Conservation Corps. build the adobe brick museum building. Today, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. It contains artifacts from prehistoric Ancestral Puebloans. Outside are reconstructions of pueblos and a Native American pit house.

An hour east of Overton along Interstate 15, you will leave the Mojave Desert. You are now in Arizona and starting to climb through the Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness area.

Next, you will pass through the scenic Virgin River Canyon.

Another 30 miles east brings you to St George, just over the Utah state line. A little further brings you to State Route 9 east.

#9 runs for approximately 50 miles east until it meets Highway 89.

Zion National Park.

Utah has several great National Parks, and Zion is undoubtedly one of them. State Route 9 runs through the park. Activities range from driving along the “Floor of the Valley Road” (Zion Canyon Scenic Drive) or checking into the Zion Lodge.

Using the lodge as a base, you can explore many of the 146,000 acres of hiking trails and scenic lookouts. Zion (a place of peace and refuge) lodge dates from 1925 and is by architect Gilbert Underwood. He is the designer of the Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim. Union Pacific Railroad builds the lodge as a “destination” for its Salt Lake City to Los Angeles route. The lodge has rooms and cabins and is open year-round.

The Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel.

Heading east on State Route 9 from the Zion Valley, the road climbs to this tunnel, over one mile long.

On the east end, you enter a Mars-like terrain on either side of the road. This area is the east end of Zion Park. The road twists and turns for another seven miles to the park’s east entrance. The speed limit is 35 miles an hour, and you do not want to go faster so you can soak in the scenery.

Another twelve miles brings you to U.S. Route 89 and a T in the road.

If you go south (right), you will reach Kanab, Utah, and eventually the North Rim of the Canyon. I suggest you go left.

Away From the North Rim.

Bryce Canyon National Park.

About an hour’s drive north is another impressive Utah National Park. Here, you can find more Hoodoos than you can shake a stick at. A hoo what? A hoodoo is an irregular column of rock. Big deal, you can find those on every continent. True, but not in the concentration you see them in Bryce. It is the largest concentration on Earth.

Sitting on the western edge of the 1.8 million-acre Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, Bryce is a must-see. The lodge, another Gilbert Underwood structure, is open from March through April and has rooms and cabins.

Near the North Rim.

Kanab Utah.

Ninety minutes south of Bryce Canyon is this delightful little town. Kanab is also 90 minutes north of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Highway 89A, the only highway connecting to AZ-67 (The Grand Canyon Highway), starts in Kanab.

There are two good reasons to base yourself in Kanab.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Pipe Spring National Monument, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and Zion National Park are even closer to Kanab.

A third reason is Kanab itself. The town dates from 1870, when ten families of the Latter-day Saint church settled along the creek.

Starting in 1935, the area around Kanab became a shooting location for Hollywood movies, predominantly westerns.

What makes Kanab such a good place for westerns? Certainly, the landscape where seldom is heard a discouraging word. Or the sound of airplanes, trucks, and other modern conveniences not in the old west.

But the real reason is the doings of three brothers.

The Parry Brothers.

Chauncey, Gronway, and Whit Parry are operating Hiway Tourist Park and Company. The company operates bus tours to the Grand Canyon’s north rim, Zion, Bryce, and other parks.

Then Tom Mix and his co-star, Tony The Wonder Horse, came to Kanab to film “Deadwood Coach” in 1924. The movie company uses the Parry’s for transportation.

An idea is born. A year later, with profits from the movie, they purchase the Jepson house on the south end of town. They turn it into a cafeteria for their tour buses only.

By 1927, Union Pacific Railroad strong arms them into selling the tour company and the cafeteria. Now they have the money to put their plan in motion.

They buy the Johnson property right in the middle of town. They proceed to expand the house into a hotel and restaurant.

At the same time, they partner with the town’s people. Rancher “Cowhide” Adams will handle hundreds of cattle and horses.  Locals jump at the chance to be in a moving picture. Unfortunately, the Screen Actors Guild authority did not reach as far as Utah. So neither did their salaries.

Then the Parrys begin approaching Hollywood studios with the following offer. They supply the dramatic scenery, livestock, and townspeople for a western. In addition, they have nice accommodations for the stars and their horses. It’s a one-stop-shop for the studios that do not have to import animals or extras.

The following year, the film “In Old Arizona,” the first talking film to be shot outdoors, uses locations around Kanab. It receives five 1929 Acadamy Award nominations, including Best Cinematography.

Six movies will film in the Kanab area over the next eight years.

Kanab Hits Gold.

The Parry Brothers hit the motherload in 1938 when director John Ford came to town. With him, he brings a 30-year-old actor named John Wayne to play Ringo Kid.

The same year, Cecille B Demille films Union Pacific in nearby Iron Springs.

Almost every year for the next 30 years, there is at least one movie or T.V. show filming around Kanab. Many years there are four or five. Locals put the crews up in their houses.

Unfortunately, very little remains today.

Little Hollywood Land Museum.

The site is a little touristy, but don’t you expect that when it involves Hollywood? The collection includes several items from movies, and what few sets are still in one piece. Unfortunately, they did not build them to last. Unfortunately, the 2020-21 economy has not been good for the museum. As of 2021, it is struggling to stay open and is up for sale.

The Kanab Lodge.

Around the corner from the museum is the building that Union Pacific bought from The Parry Brothers. Today it is a Mexican restaurant retaining very little if any of its history. However, you can still see the original homestead, and the structure is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Parry Lodge. 

The main building from 1892 still fronts onto Highway 89. The pool appears to be the same one Frank Sinatra paid to put in after his stay in 1961. (Sergeants Three with the Rat Pack.) The theater building out back was originally the stables for the stars’ horses. Trigger, Silver, and Scout all appear in the guest book. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Johnson Canyon Movie Set.

On Johnson Canyon Road, a western town set was standing approximately 10 miles east of town. Dating from the 1930s, it was the setting for many movies and several episodes from T.V. westerns. In addition, Gunsmoke would use it for neighboring towns in more than 20 episodes. Unfortunately, on my last visit in 2019, time, weather, and arsonists had taken their toll on it.

Kanab Canyon Movie Set.

Set in Angel Canyon just north of town, it would be the last location in Kanab for a major movie. So when Walt Dinsey’s “The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again” wraps filming in 1978, Kanab’s film history comes to an end, But something good rises from the ashes in Angel Canyon.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

In 1984, few people were looking to buy crumbling movie sets. However, a group of animal lovers is looking for a space for an animal sanctuary. They need space for housing in addition to offices for staff finding homes for the pets. They were also advocating the importance of no-kill. Today, it is not unusual to find more than 1600 animals at the sanctuary.

Many species, including cats, dogs, and horses, have their separate building. In addition, there are various tours available of the sanctuary. It is effortless to spend a few hours here and well worth it.

North Rim Summary.

Did you know the North Rim had so many things to offer besides the canyon?

From Kanab, it is just over an hour east to Page, Arizona. Page is at the beginning of the Grand Canyon.

From Page, it is 2.5 hours drive to the Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim if the east entrance is open.

Or keep driving east from Page, and in two hours, you are in the middle of Monument Valley.

It was another popular place for filming westerns.

Whichever way you go, there is a lot to see and do near the North Rim.

Would you please scroll down to the “Hey Explorer, what are your thoughts” section below?

Then, please comment or tell me your thoughts on: 

“Did you know the Grand Canyon had another side? Does it intrigue you?” 

Would you mind helping me spread the news by rating, commenting, and sharing this blog below? – THANKS!

“See the World” Continued on Page T3. “Taste the World” Continued on T11.