Hiking the Grand Canyon North Rim with Kids
Grand Canyon's lightly visited North Rim evokes times past when kids could explore and discover natural wonders without a schedule, a gadget, or a fear in the world. Towering pines, quaking aspens and expansive alpine meadows, not to mention spectacular views of the inner gorge, set the backdrop. Ranger talks and nature's noise provide atmosphere. Ten trails of varying length and difficulty round out the experience and make the North Rim of the Grand Canyon a hiker's paradise and an ideal destination for families wanting to stretch their legs and enjoy nature at its best. One of few such destinations in our shrinking world!... Read MoreCopyright © Denise Traver. All rights reserved. Denise Traver, author of the website Hit the Trail, has led more than 500 people on backcountry tours of the Grand Canyon first as backcountry ranger and later as a field instructor for the Grand Canyon Field Institute.
Mt. Hayden
Mike Quinn courtesy National Park Service
Hikers on North Rim
Denise Traver
Kaibab Suspension Bridge
Michael Anderson courtesy National Park Service
Bighorn Sheep
Mark Lellouch courtesy National Park Service
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Maps
Online maps are a great family travel planning resource and a great way to get the kids involved in a family trip. Use online maps to plot your route to the Grand Canyon and locate facilities as well as North Rim hiking trails and turn your family vacation into an adventure in the great outdoors. Teach the children how to read a map and use compass to before you depart and let them test their newfound skills on the trail. Geocaching - gps treasure hunts - is popular with kids and may provide the incentive needed to get them walking. Virtual caches on the North Rim provide an incentive to make the trip.
Grand Canyon & North Rim Maps
National Park Service Zion National Park Backcountry Trail Maps Top10GrandCanyon.com Finding your Way with a Map & Compass U.S. Geological Survey Geocaching WikiHow Books
Books are a great way to introduce younger children to a new adventure and get teens and tweens ready for a family trip. Find recommended reading lists for adults and kids and learn about the Grand Canyon through guidebooks, novels and historical fiction before you depart on a backcountry adventure or cultural holiday with kids.
Music & Sound
Natural sounds are a big part of any trip to the Grand Canyon. Listen to animals big and small. Discover the sound of wind, water and rain. Play each sound separately or more than one sound at a time. Find out why the Grand Canyon's natural noise is getting harder to hear.
News
Local newspapers provide insight to a family travel destination and can help identify upcoming events. Read state and local newspapers online. Brush up on local current events from politics to economics and from sports to entertainment. Find out what the locals are reading.
Kids' Stuff
Online resources make learning about the Grand Canyon lots of fun. Learn about the Grand Canyon's early explorers. Trace John Wesley Powell's expedition along the Colorado River. Find out which events happened first. Discover the Anasazi Indians and get fun facts about the people that made their home here 7,000 years ago. Find out how to earn a junior ranger badge before you depart on a Grand Canyon family adventure.
Lost in the Grand Canyon
PBS Anasazi & Pueblo Indians Scholastic.com Junior Rangers National Park Service Organizations
Associations and non-profit organizations can be a valuable resource as well as a means to get involved. Find out which local organizations are active in Grand Canyon related education and research.
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Recommended Reads for Family Hiking Holiday