Trumbull region of the Arizona Strip.Ī whole 1,000′ higher in elevation than the South Rim, the North Rim is quite pleasant even in the hottest summer months. You won’t find many cacti here, but the views are expansive: Powell Plateau, Steamboat Mountain, Tapeats Amphitheater, and Great Thumb Mesas, as well as the Mt. It is wooded with massive ponderosa pines, aspen stands, and duffy soil. Topping out at 8,000′, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona is not like the state’s southern Sonoran Desert. Humans have long associated themselves with this stunning formation, including a total of 11 indigenous tribes, which are still very present today and continue to live in and visit the Grand Canyon for ceremonial reasons. Even the youngest rock layer, the Kaibab Formation, is 270 million years old, still much older than the canyon itself. While geologic time includes the present, the current canyon is much younger than the rocks through which it has slowly eroded over millions of years. Over time, the river slowly cut and continues to cut through the stacked sedimentary layers. The Colorado River has been carving away the Grand Canyon deposition for the past five to six million years, in a process known as downcutting. These layers created the base for the eventual Colorado Plateau uplift events - when the crust tilts for various reasons - then downcutting, and finally, erosion by the mighty Colorado River. Deposition refers to the two-billion-year-long process of sedimentary rocks being stacked atop a foundation of igneous and metamorphic rocks. DUDE! Discussing a complicated subject like how the Grand Canyon was formed ain’t easy, but I always loved that acronym.

I love how our National Parks Service is so colorful with its description. The letters stand for: Deposition, Uplift, Down cutting and Erosion.” – National Parks Service All you have to remember are the letters D U D E or dude. “Have you ever wondered how the Grand Canyon was formed and why it is found here in Northern Arizona? To understand the formation of the canyon, there is a simple way to remember how it was shaped over time.

It was edging on being too hot to tour our original route, so we looked to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and found a true gem of a ride, perfect for a weekend of sleeping out under the monsoon skies… Our trip kept getting pushed back into the summer months. Pulling together this project was quite the undertaking with supply chain issues still running rampant.

Once we had samples of our Radavist Edition Mosaic GT-2X bikes, I wanted to put them to the test and do a proper shake-down overnighter somewhere memorable and beautiful. While the AZT might not be for everyone, there’s another trail system on the rim of the Grand Canyon that is perfect for those looking for a truly unique and characteristically Arizona experience via a quick overnighter or even a day ride. That’s part of the appeal of the mighty Arizona Trail, right? To see the state in its entirety from top to bottom. From saguaro-covered mountains to forests of ponderosa pine, the ecotonal shift across the state’s expansive footprint is only bested by the geologically awesome Grand Canyon. Arizona is one of the most remarkable states in the lower 48.

Rainbow rangers