Grand Canyon Pt. 2
We left the Grand Canyon Village and drove east along Desert View Road stopping at lookouts along the way. It gave us a different perspective of the canyon in an area where it is wider and not as deep. More of the river could be seen.
We then left the park and drove onto Navajo lands. The elevation dropped off to around 3,500 feet compared to 6,800 feet at the canyon rim where we stayed. The land was very dry and the wind blew like mad. There were however, some pretty impressive cliffs too.
A little further on we could see the Vermillon Cliffs in the distance.
Just before the Vermillon Cliffs are the upper reaches of the Grand Canyon (technically it begins at Lee's Ferry). We crossed the river at the Navajo Bridge that was built in 1927 (the old bridge has been replaced by a wider one).
Getting out of the RV here was quite an experience. The wind was still stiff and the temperature was around 96 degrees! It felt like walking into a blast furnace. The lower elevation made a huge difference.
Walking out onto the bridge we could see rafters and dory boaters floating down the river.
From here we drove along the Vermillion Cliffs then up onto a plateau and the Kaibab National Forest to nearly Jacob Lake. Here we found a campsite off a forest service road and boondocked (otherwise known as dry camping meaning no hookups) for one night. It maybe the best campsite we have had so far.
No other RVs or campers in sight, no lights, no traffic sounds and no fees! They Forest Service calls it "distributed camping". Basically you are allowed to camp along any forest service road as long as you don't block the road and use a place that has been established as a campsite in the past. You also have to follow common sense like don't leave trash, don't start a wildfire etc.
We then left the park and drove onto Navajo lands. The elevation dropped off to around 3,500 feet compared to 6,800 feet at the canyon rim where we stayed. The land was very dry and the wind blew like mad. There were however, some pretty impressive cliffs too.
A little further on we could see the Vermillon Cliffs in the distance.
Just before the Vermillon Cliffs are the upper reaches of the Grand Canyon (technically it begins at Lee's Ferry). We crossed the river at the Navajo Bridge that was built in 1927 (the old bridge has been replaced by a wider one).
Getting out of the RV here was quite an experience. The wind was still stiff and the temperature was around 96 degrees! It felt like walking into a blast furnace. The lower elevation made a huge difference.
Walking out onto the bridge we could see rafters and dory boaters floating down the river.
From here we drove along the Vermillion Cliffs then up onto a plateau and the Kaibab National Forest to nearly Jacob Lake. Here we found a campsite off a forest service road and boondocked (otherwise known as dry camping meaning no hookups) for one night. It maybe the best campsite we have had so far.
No other RVs or campers in sight, no lights, no traffic sounds and no fees! They Forest Service calls it "distributed camping". Basically you are allowed to camp along any forest service road as long as you don't block the road and use a place that has been established as a campsite in the past. You also have to follow common sense like don't leave trash, don't start a wildfire etc.
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