“This would be a cool place to bring a group”, my son said as we were relaxing in our cabin on the North Rim of The Grand Canyon. It was a proud “dad moment” for me. I enjoy (my wife claims I “obsess” about) planning group trips AND The Grand Canyon is one of my all-time favorite places to be. Hearing my son thinking like I would think – put a smile on my face and warmed my heart.
On that June day last year, my then 18-year-old son and I had spent the previous two nights sleeping in a tent — the first night at the bottom of the canyon, and the second night halfway up our ascent to the North Rim. Over the course of three days, we hiked more than 20 miles of trails, descending several thousand feet from the South Rim, crossing the Colorado River via a footbridge, and then climbing back up several thousand feet to reach the North Rim. People from all over the world travel to The Grand Canyon to hike across the canyon. Hiking through the canyon is an experience that truly is special. We were having an incredible experience.
We were spending the night in a cabin that was part of the Grand Canyon Lodge; perched on the North Rim of The Grand Canyon. Early the next morning we would be heading back down the canyon for 4 days of hiking back to the South Rim.
Our rustic, very basic cabin had 2 beds, a very small desk, rickety wooden chair, toilet AND very importantly a shower. There was a door that connected to a cabin, I assume was a mirror image of ours. The door connecting us to the other half of the cabin I believe is one of the reasons my son Zachary was thinking about how great it would be to bring a group.
Our cabin was one of the most basic cabins referred to as “Frontier Cabins”. The cabin did not have a TV, no Wi-Fi, and cell reception was spotty at best. But we were happy to have a shower and a bed for the night.
While we were there, we walked around the grounds thinking about how cool it would be to come back and spend a few days in one of the cabins that are literally on the rim like the one pictured below.
The main building built in 1937 had a grand dining hall where you could eat at tables besides large windows with a view of the canyon.
The lobby of the Grand Canyon Lodge was a simple elegant open area with huge windows where you could gaze out at the canyon in any weather.
Next door to the Grand Canyon Lodge was a more casual eatery where we ate the best pizza ever while chatting with others about our hike through the canyon.
We had been to the Grand Canyon Lodge once before back in 2018. We stayed 2 nights in a tent in the campground, a short hike from the lodge. We spent most of an afternoon and evening at the lodge and surrounding area. Adjacent to the lodge were trails that included one that took you out to a viewing spot – perfectly perched to give you a taste of just how awesome The Grand Canyon is.
That evening an astronomy club set up large telescopes out on the back patio of the lodge.
One of the great things about that area is just how remote it is. With no lights from cities for hundreds of miles the stars are incredibly brilliant. “The Milky Way” – essentially a view of our galaxy from the edge looking in – is an awe-inspiring show in these dark skies. With the help of the astronomy club members, we looked through their telescopes at planets. Way cool.
In the early morning hours of Sunday July 13, 2025, The Grand Canyon Lodge became a casualty of an out-of-control wildfire.
My heart sank when I opened a message a colleague sent me of a photo of the lodge in flames. She had worked at The Grand Canyon years ago; a former coworker had shared this photo with her.
Later as I looked at photos of the burned down building and surrounding structures, I felt empty. This was a special place not just for me but for countless others.
The wildfire that started on July 4th and is still raging now a month later has already consumed much of the area around the Grand Canyon Lodge including the water treatment plant, many of the cabins, and lodging for those who worked there and the forest along the North Rim. The North Kaibab Trail – one of the most incredible trails I have hiked – now is closed for the foreseeable future – the top section of the trail was heavily forested – the fire has consumed those trees. The North Kaibab Trail is the only maintained trail down to the river from the North Rim – until it is opened again there will be no rim to rim hikes across The Grand Canyon.
I have been planning to launch a new series of Health Matters articles focused on being physically active, not just in the gym but in our daily lives. I encourage everyone to invest in a fitness center membership or home exercise equipment to ensure you can stay active regardless of the weather. That said, I believe getting outside and being active is a fantastic idea.
I am fortunate to have discovered outdoor activities that I genuinely enjoy, which motivate me to maintain my fitness. My son and wife share my passion for scuba diving, and I look forward to discussing our diving adventures in future articles.
Another activity I have grown fond of is hiking, a pleasant surprise for me. After my first scuba travel experience in 2001, I thought every vacation would revolve around scuba diving. However, that changed the first time I hiked into the Grand Canyon in 2015.
Since then, I’ve crossed the Colorado River five times via a suspension footbridge at the canyon’s base. At 56, I summited my first mountain, the tallest peak in Colorado. I’ve hiked through rainforests in Belize. On a Hawaiian island I hiked up and across a mountain ridge with panoramic views of the ocean, and densely forested valleys below – it was like a scene from a movie. On the other end of the island we hiked up to a waterfall through a forest of tall bamboo – with each gust of wind the stalks of plants would knock together in a low hollow sound – the most incredible wind chimes I have ever heard. On that same island; in stark comparison to these hikes full of lush vegetation; I hiked over 11 miles through what at times seemed like a Martian landscape going from one lip of the eroded crater of a volcano to the other.
I have enjoyed great hikes in Arkansas, Iowa, Washington, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, South Dakota, as well as Hawaii. Here in Nebraska, I completed a hike that has been the longest single day hike I have done as well as a hike that resulted in an ankle fracture.
In this series of articles I will discuss hiking and other activities including some thoughts on how to be safe – and not break your ankle, or suffer heat exhaustion, or lose a toenail, or run out of metabolic gas, or get caught in a lightning storm, or …
I am still grieving the loss of the Grand Canyon Lodge. But I am glad we got to experience the Grand Canyon Lodge, and we are better for that experience. I hope that the lodge gets rebuilt soon and the North Kaibab Trail opens back up to allow others to experience the awe of a rim to rim trek through The Grand Canyon
Russ
As of 8-4-2025 the wildfire started by lightning on 7-4-2025 is still raging, consuming more forest and threatening other structures north of the rim of The Grand Canyon. It has become the largest wildfire of 2025. For an update see here.
Three days after the Grand Canyon Lodge burned down, the Grand Canyon Historical Society invited those who had visited the North Rim to share their memories. They received more than 500 submissions. These videos (part 1, part 2) share a few of these touching recollections.
Grand Canyon Lodge (1937-2025): The Story of its Creation
Check out this page for a listing of a few of my favorite hikes.
Thanks for this article, Russ. Of course, we knew about your hikes with Zach in the Grand Canyon. It is great to see some of the amazing views you had and the cabins and the north rim lodge. We enjoyed staying on the rim of the south rim and visiting that area too. It is so sad and devastating about the damage and loss of the North rim lodge with the wildfire this year. I hope that they can repair the damage and rebuild the lodge.
Love, Aunt Rita
Thanks for this article, Russ. Of course, we knew about your hikes with Zach in the Grand Canyon. It is great to see some of the amazing views you had and the cabins and the north rim lodge. We enjoyed staying on the rim of the south rim and visiting that area too. It is so sad and devastating about the damage and loss of the North rim lodge with the wildfire this year. I hope that they can repair the damage and rebuild the lodge.
Love, Aunt Rita