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North Rim to close facilities for the season

Autumn colors on the North Rim are coming into their peak, not only in the trees but also in the meadows and fields.

Golden quaking aspen, mountain ash, Gambel oak and late summer wildflowers provide a diversity of color not found on the South Rim.

"The fall bloom is spectacular," said park plant biologist Lori Makarick. "It's amazing. In general, across the southwest, this is one of the best seasons ever."

Contributing to the panorama of color are globe mallows, lupin and paintbrush.

There are only a few more weeks to enjoy the North Rim's peaking color show along with services in the park. Normally facilities close in mid-October but that was extended to Oct. 21 because of last spring's late opening. The Grand Canyon Association bookstore and visitor center might be open as late as the end of October, depending on available staffing.

The park remains open to visitors on a day-use basis until snow closes Highway 67 until spring.

The North Rim Campground will be converted to primitive camping on Oct. 21 with limited services (portable toilets), and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until snow closes Highway 67.

The North Rim Backcountry Office will be open through 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30. Hikers and cross-country skiers will be permitted to use the park's group campsites throughout the winter if they have obtained a permit through the park's South Rim Backcountry Office, or by going to the Visitor Center desk at Pipe Springs National Monument.

The South Rim Backcountry Office is open year-round and can be reached by calling 638-7875, Monday through Friday from 1-5 p.m. Permit requests can be faxed year-round to 638-2125. Permits are not considered earlier than the first of the month, four months prior to the proposed start date.

Overnight accommodations through the concessioner, the service station and related visitor services will close on Oct. 21.

The Country Store, located outside of the park boundary, will remain open until early November, and then will be closed until mid-May.

Highway 67 into the North Rim remains open to public travel through Nov. 1, but from Nov. 2 on, the road is subject on closure on short notice due to major storms and heavy snowfall. After Nov. 1, visitors are encouraged to call the park at 638-7888 in advance of their trip to check on the status of Highway 67.

Gas and diesel fuel will be available five miles north of the park at the Country Store through early November. Jacob Lake Inn, restaurant and gas station, 44 miles north of the park, remains open year-round.

For more information, visit www.nps.gov/grca or call the park at 638-7888.

If you don't want to take a five-hour trek to the North Rim to see some fall color, there are some good viewing places closer to home. The San Francisco Peaks around Flagstaff have begun a color show that will migrate to lower elevations in the coming weeks. The Kachina Peaks Wilderness north of Flagstaff offers hiking opportunities among Gambel oaks and Rocky Mountain maples. And later in the season, from late October to mid-November, the colors reach the lower elevation of Oak Creek Canyon providing a dazzling mosaic of foliage against the backdrop of the canyon's colorful walls.


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