Widforss Trail: North Rim's Best Forest Walk to a Canyon Viewpoint

Most Grand Canyon hikes take you down into the canyon. The Widforss Trail does something different. It stays on the rim, wanders through old-growth ponderosa and spruce-fir forest, and delivers you to a peninsula viewpoint with 270-degree views of the inner canyon. No steep descent. No heat-soaked redwall exposure. Just a long forest walk that ends at one of the quietest canyon viewpoints on either rim.

The North Rim experience is categorically different from the South Rim, and the Widforss Trail shows you why.

Trail Overview

The Widforss Trail runs 4.8 miles one way from the trailhead to Widforss Point, a rocky promontory extending out above the canyon. The round trip is 9.6 miles total. Elevation change is about 1,000 feet spread across gradual ups and downs along the rim, nothing like the sustained 4,000-foot descent on Bright Angel or South Kaibab.

The trail is named after Gunnar Widforss, a Swedish-American painter who spent years at the Grand Canyon in the 1920s and 1930s. His watercolors captured the canyon’s light and depth better than most, and the Park Service named the trail for him after his death in 1934. He painted in the forest along this same route.

The North Rim sits at 8,244 feet. That’s nearly 1,400 feet higher than the South Rim. The result is a forest that looks nothing like anything on the south side. You’re walking through ponderosa pines and quaking aspens, then transitioning into Engelmann spruce and white fir as the trail dips toward the canyon’s edge. The canopy provides real shade for most of the hike. Midday hiking in July on the Widforss Trail is manageable in a way that midday hiking on any South Rim trail simply is not.

The trail is well-maintained and follows the rim’s edge closely enough to offer periodic canyon views through the trees. At mile 2 and mile 3.5, the forest opens onto rocky viewpoints above the canyon. None of these are as dramatic as the final point, but they reward you with progress markers as you move through the trees.

Widforss Point itself has a bench, a few large flat rocks to spread gear on, and an unobstructed view into the central canyon. You can see the Colorado River in the gorge below. The point has a drop-off on three sides. Watch your footing near the edge.

Getting There

The North Rim is only accessible from May 15 through mid-November. Plan around that window.

From Jacob Lake, take AZ-67 south for 44 miles to the North Rim. Once you pass through the park entrance station (Grand Canyon National Park entrance fee, $35/vehicle, or America the Beautiful pass), continue south toward the main North Rim developed area.

The Widforss Trailhead is 1 mile south of the Cape Royal Road junction. Look for a signed pullout on the west side of the main road. An unsigned dirt road leads a short distance to a small parking area with a trailhead sign.

Do not try to navigate to this trailhead with GPS alone. The junction is easy to miss and mapping apps often route incorrectly. Use the Cape Royal Road junction as your reference point and count 1 mile south from there.

The North Rim has no cell service. Download offline maps before you leave Jacob Lake.

Trail Description

The first mile of the Widforss Trail moves through open ponderosa forest with soft needle duff underfoot. The trail surface is well-defined but not paved. Sections of exposed root and rock appear occasionally. Trekking poles are useful for the minor elevation changes but not required.

At roughly mile 1.5, the trail angles toward the canyon’s edge and you get your first unobstructed view into the gorge. The scale of what you’re looking at takes a moment to register. The canyon below the North Rim is about 5,700 feet deep at this point, which is roughly the height of a commercial flight cruising altitude cut into the earth.

The forest transitions around mile 2. Aspens appear in small groves, especially on north-facing slopes. In late September and early October, these groves turn gold. If you’re visiting in fall, the aspen color on this trail rivals anything in the Southwest.

The trail dips and rises gently through miles 2-4. There are several spots where the forest opens onto rocky rim outcrops. These make good rest stops and photo spots. Mule deer are particularly common in this middle section of the trail. They often stand and watch rather than bolt, which gives you time to look at them properly.

Mile 4.5 to the point is a gentle final approach through thinning trees. The vegetation opens up and the canyon view expands on both sides. Widforss Point is at mile 4.8. The bench is on the northeast edge of the point. The full 270-degree view includes canyon walls in all directions, with the Colorado River visible as a silver thread in the gorge.

Return the same way you came.

What to Bring

Carry at least 2 liters of water per person. There is no water on the trail. Fill up at the Grand Canyon Lodge or North Rim Visitor Center before driving to the trailhead. On hot summer days, carry 3 liters.

Food: Pack lunch. Widforss Point is an excellent place to eat. The distance alone justifies a real meal break at the point.

Sun protection matters even in this forested trail. The open sections at Widforss Point get full sun. Bring a hat, sunscreen, and a sun hoodie if you run hot.

Layers: The North Rim at 8,244 feet can be 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix on the same day. Afternoon thunderstorms are common July through September. A light rain jacket weighs almost nothing and matters a lot if the weather shifts.

Footwear: Trail runners work fine on this trail. The surface is consistent and never technical. If you own hiking boots, they’re fine too. The flat sections stay dry except immediately after rain.

Dogs are allowed on a 6-foot leash. Bring enough water for them too.

Photo Spots

The Widforss Trail has four spots worth stopping for a camera.

The first is the mile 1.5 viewpoint, where the trail first angles to the rim edge. Morning light hits the south-facing canyon walls directly. This spot is best from 8-10am.

The aspen groves between miles 2 and 3 are worth photographing in late September. The combination of white aspen trunks and gold leaves against the canyon walls in the background is the most underrated photo opportunity on either rim.

The mile 3.5 rim outcrop offers a wider canyon view than the 1.5 viewpoint. Midday light here is actually acceptable because you’re shooting across the canyon rather than straight down into shadow.

Widforss Point at mile 4.8 is the main event. The Colorado River is visible from here. The best light is in the afternoon, from around 3pm to sunset. The sun moves to a position that illuminates the canyon walls on the north side of the point.

Safety Notes

The North Rim closes mid-November. If you’re visiting in October, check the NPS website for current closure dates. The road can close on short notice if early snowfall makes it impassable.

There is no cell service anywhere on the North Rim, including the trailhead and Widforss Point. Download your maps offline. Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to return.

Afternoon thunderstorms are common from July through September. They move fast at this elevation. Watch the sky from mile 2 onward. If you see cumulonimbus building to the west, turn around. Lightning on the exposed point or the rim outcrops is a real hazard.

The canyon edge at Widforss Point has no guardrails. The drops are sheer and fatal. Stay back from the edge, especially if you have children or dogs with you.

Kaibab squirrels will approach you for food. Don’t feed them. Squirrel bites transmit plague in the Southwest. This is not theoretical. Keep food in your pack, not in your hands at rest stops.

The trail can have snow patches in May and late October. This doesn’t require special gear but watch your footing on north-facing sections where snow persists longer.

Related Trails

The Cape Royal Trail on the North Rim is a 0.6-mile round trip to one of the most dramatic viewpoints in the park. It’s accessible from the Cape Royal parking area at the end of Cape Royal Road. Combine it with a Widforss morning for a full North Rim day.

The North Kaibab Trail is the only maintained rim-to-river trail on the North Rim. Day hikers can descend to the Supai Tunnel (4 miles round trip) or Roaring Springs (9.4 miles round trip) for a completely different canyon experience. The descent is significant. Plan water accordingly.