cape royal drive

The scenic drive to Cape Royal, is no longer than 36.7km, which is about one hour from the Grand Canyon Lodge. The Cape Royal Road is memorable for a few reasons, one being its picturesque views on both sides, alternating between steep rock, green forests and faraway canyon sights. There are a few well-placed picnic sites on the way as well as the main viewing points such as Point Imperial, the highest vantage point in the park, Roosevelt Point and Walhalla Overlook. From the end of the road, a 0.6-mile walk on a paved path to the Cape Royal itself will reward you with an absolutely spectacular panoramic view of the canyon.

There are many places to stop and view the canyon or take a short hike to a wonderful view...a trip out this road is great for sunrises or sunsets! Take your time and enjoy...

This drive is a must when visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The drive takes about 2 hours along some very curvy roads with steep drop offs. Make sure to stop at all the key look outs. The fall foliage with the predominate yellow aspens accents the colors of the canyon. I would recommend taking this drive early to avoid the crowds and drive carefully!

Gorgeous drive with several opportunities to stop and walk. If visiting in the autumn the leaves are amazing. Highly recommended.

We drove out to Cape Royal the third week of September. The aspens were absolutely raging with bright yellow and green. At one area, it was like a solid blanked of mostly yellow. It has to do with which direction that are of the mountain is facing. The cutoff is 42 miles from Jacob Lake and maybe 12 miles in but so worth the drive. Be sure to take the two short walks in and check out Angels Window as reported prior to this report. Happy Trails and God Bless America

We did the drive and stopped at all observation points. They all have great views and we enjoyed several hikes along this drive. We had a wonderful day! Definitely a must-do experience when you are at the North Rim.

The road in from the visitor center and north rim lodge is about 15-18 miles. It is paved and narrow at some points but after about 10 miles it has been repaved and improved. Take your time, watch for others on the curves and hike to the point for spectacular photo opportunities.

We really enjoyed the trees and wildflowers along the drive, and whenever we stopped at observation points we had spectacular canyon views. This is an experience not to be missed!

Drive is well worth it - but a little scary. They need to enforce the no long trailers on that road. The views were great - many pictures were taken.

we rode out on our motorcycle it was lovely there are a few rough patches but for the most part the road is good. The walk out to Cape Royal is amazing with lots of opportunities to view the canyon

Provides a different perspective of the Canyon. Goes through an area of old forest fire that is just coming back to life. Winding road.

this will take you to some amazing vistas! don't miss it!!easy access from your car.Scenic drivesAnother great thing about the North Rim is that you don’t have to be a seasoned Canyon hiker to enjoy some of its best aspects.Cape Royal: From Grand Canyon Lodge, go north on Arizona 67. To the right (east) about a mile beyond the well-signed North Kaibab Trailhead is the road that crosses the Walhalla Plateau to Cape Royal and Point Imperial, two don’t-miss viewpoints. Follow it about 5 miles to a “T” intersection. Turn south and go about 14 miles to Cape Royal, one of the Canyon’s premier viewpoints. A fairly short, flat, easy trail begins on the southeastern side of the parking area and leads out over Angel’s Window, a huge natural arch that juts into the Canyon.Point Imperial: Point Imperial is just 3 miles north of the “T” intersection. At more than 8,800 feet, it is the highest point on either rim and offers unrivaled views, especially of Mount Hayden and Saddle Mountain. An easy, 2-mile trail leads north from Point Imperial through an area burned by the Outlet Fire in 2000. The trail officially ends at the park boundary, but you can continue on to the Nankoweap Trail and Saddle Mountain area.Vista Encantada: This overlook, several miles south of the “T” junction, offers impressive views of the Painted Desert to the east.Walhalla Glades Ruins: These prehistoric ruins, believed to be almost 1,000 years old, are on the west side of the road a mile or so north of Cape Royal.Go in autumnIf school schedules don’t force you to take vacation in summer, visit in September or October

Great scenic drive to Cape Royal with few fantastic overlook. Absolutely a must while hiking North Rim. Try to plan reaching Cape Royal before sunset, because pictures taken in bright sun are not so beautiful.

Don't skip this drive if you make it to the north rim of the grand canyon. It is a nice winding road with a lot of scenery. Once you get up on top the rim the scenery gets even better with some nice pull outs and places to see the canyon. It may take a while to drive it but it is completely worth the time and a beautiful drive that takes you to two incredible overlooks. Don't miss it...

We absolutely were stunned by the many vista points and high alpine forests, meadows and wildflowers on this drive. Give yourself at least 4-6 hours to enjoy if you're just driving, and more if you take any longer trails. This is the Walhalla Plateau and most of the views are to the east and north, incredible distant vistas from the highest points on either rim. Be sure to go all the way to the end and see Angel's window down at Cape royal, and walk out on top of it. We started at Point Imperial, the highest viewpoint in the whole GC and worked out way down. In between viewpoints, you drive through beautiful forests and meadows. Make sure to take water, lunch and plenty of snacks as there's not much service up there, just the occasional drinking fountain. Also, this is high altitude and a dry climate, so pace yourself and enjoy! You definitely don't want to go all the way to the North Rim and miss this drive, it's wonderful!!