At the North Rim of the National Park itself, there is a gift shop at the lodge that focuses mostly on books, t-shirts, postcards, etc but does have a few other more pratical items like granola bars and sunscreen - but certaily not enough to prepare whole meals (there is a dininghall and snackbar there too).
About an hour north of the park at the crossroads of Jacob Lake, you will find a combination lodge, cafe, store and gas station (Jacob Lake Inn). The store has a couple rows of the most essential food items and supplies - about what you would find in a typical Circle-K or 7-11 convenience store. Although their stock of supplies are limited, their homemade cookies are some of the best in the country and worth stopping for.
The nearest _real store_ to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon would be in the twin communities of Fredonia, Arizona and Kanab, Utah which straddle either side of Arizona-Utah border about an hour further north of Jacob Lake. The last time I was there (about 2 years ago), Fredonia had a small family-run store and the somewhat larger Kanab had the area_s only true full-size, full-service grocery store (Jubilee Foods Store). Kanab is also the closest place to the North Rim where you will find a variety (although limited) of hotels and restuarants. The Rocking V Cafe is excellent.
Beyond Jacob Lake and Fredonia-Kanab, the two next closest good-sized towns (and the last ones that most people are likely to pass through on their way to the North Rim) is Page, Arizona (near Lake Powell) and Saint George, UT. These are both have a wide range of stores, services and facilities.
One final note... due to its lesser visitation and cold snowy winters (the North Rim is at an elevation of 8,000 feet) most of the facilities at the North Rim of the Park (including the store, lodge and visitor center) shut down for the winter in mid-October.
No comments:
Post a Comment