A trip to the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona is a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience. Over the course of 5 to 6 million years, the Colorado River has carved a 277-mile path through layer upon layer of geology creating a gorge that’s a mile deep. Luckily for us, our forefathers were wise enough to preserve 1.2 million acres as Grand Canyon National Park.

Alan and I visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on a fall national park road trip that took us from Arizona to the Canadian Rockies. Driving across the Kaibab Plateau (elevation 8,000 to 9,000 ft), fall foliage in Kaibab National Forest accompanied our national park trip, something we didn’t expect to see on an approach to the Grand Canyon.

North Rim or South Rim, which is better?

As the crow flies, only 10 miles separate the North and South Rims of Grand Canyon National Park (official website). However they are worlds apart when it comes to climate and travel experience.

I prefer the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for a less-crowded, more relaxed national park trip. Due to the North Rim’s higher elevation, 1,300 ft higher than the South Rim, you’ll also experience cooler temperatures.

In the summer, temperatures are 5 to 10 degrees lower than the South Rim. On those triple digit days of an Arizona summer, I consider that a big bonus.

However my choice is to visit either (or both) rims of the Grand Canyon in the fall. The South Rim will be somewhat less crowded than summer but you’ll feel as if you have the North Rim to yourself.

During our fall road trip to the North Rim, golden leaves of quaking aspen trees shimmered in the light breeze on a crisp, autumn day. And we saw plenty of wildlife, like turkey and mule deer, playing in the 10-mile long meadow, De Motte Park, on the west side of Kaibab Plateau-North Rim Parkway (the only paved access to the North Rim).

What a wonderful visual treat to travel next to meadows bordered by ponderosa pine forests that continue to the very edge of the Grand Canyon. It gives this side of the canyon a totally different feel.

Of course if this is your first visit to the Grand Canyon, you’ll definitely want to explore the more commercial South Rim. Everyone should see the South Rim at least once in their lives.

But be aware that you’ll be joining many visitors as you admire viewpoints like Mather Point, Yavapai Point or hike beneath the rim on portions of Bright Angel or South Kaibab trails. Some visitors prefer the South Rim because it is more developed offering many lodging and dining options.

Although South Rim viewpoints are spectacular, most don’t allow you to see to the bottom of the canyon. If your goal is to see the Colorado River shining from the depths of the canyon surrounded by striated walls colored olive, rust and beige, visit the North Rim.

For those boomer travelers, like me, who enjoy a more off-the-beaten-path travel experience with fewer visitors, the North Rim is your best choice.