Hike of the Month

HIKE OF THE MONTH If You're into Great Scenic Views, Try Transept Trail on the North Rim

I have what you might call "an attitude" as I set off to hike the one-and-a-half-mile Transept Trail on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It is the slightly haughty attitude of a veteran hiker: how could this pitifully short, virtually flat pipsqueak of a trail offer even a taste of the sensory feasts I've earned by walking untold long, demanding, and stunningly beautiful routes in the Grand Canyon and elsewhere in Arizona? Barely five minutes into the hike, my attitude undergoes a major adjustment. The cause is a display of scenery as exquisite, as expansive, and as captivating as I've seen anywhere - regardless of the miles hiked or the hardships endured. The Transept Trail, which traces the very lip of the Canyon as it wends from the North Rim Campground to Grand Canyon Lodge, is essentially one long vista point affording continuous unexcelled views of one of the world's most famous natural wonders. From the safe vantage point of the wide, well-maintained trail, a hiker's biggest challenge is finding a way to take in the goon-forever geologic masterwork without being overwhelmed by its sheer immensity. My eye is drawn first into the dizzying depths of the Transept, a sheer-walled gorge plunging 3,000 feet below its namesake trail. Rocks of a hundred hues cut elegant forms and build to the climax of 8,052-foot Oza Butte, far across The Transept southwest of the trail. The Transept, of course, is but one mind-boggling side canyon in an incomprehensible landscape of side canyons, buttes, temples, towers, points, and plateaus. Each step along the trail offers a slightly different take on the eons-old big picture. The few times I yank my gaze from the mesmerizing depths of the Canyon, I appreciate that the trail is bounded on its non-Canyon side by lush highmountain-type forest. Because this part of the North Rim is at an elevation of 8,200 feet, about 1,200 feet higher than the Canyon's South Rim, the forest is mainly ponderosa pines, aspens, and spruce trees a towering contrast to the piñon and pinejuniper "pygmy forests" familiar to South Rim visitors. At a point where the trail cuts briefly into the woods, I must take care to avoid trampling a late-July carpet of violet-blue

WHEN YOU GO

To reach the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, drive north 111 miles from Flagstaff on U.S. Route 89 to its intersection with U.S. 89A. Travel west 55 miles on U.S. 89A to Jacob Lake and then south 45 miles on State Route 67 to Grand Canyon Lodge. Because of heavy snowfalls, the North Rim is closed from mid-October or November to mid-May. Camping is available at the North Rim Campground. Reservations may be obtained by calling toll-free (800) 365-CAMP. Cabin and motel accommodations are available at Grand Canyon Lodge. Call (801) 586-7686 for reservations. Summer days commonly are clear with occasional afternoon thunderstorms and high temperatures of about 75° F. Evenings can be chilly, with overnight lows averaging 43° F.

Lupine, scarlet penstemon, and other wildflowers. Amongst the blooms, a mule deer doe browses on something green and clearly tasty a few yards from the Rim. The trouble with the Transept Trail, I discover, is that it ends before I've had nearly enough. As I approach the "grand finale" overlook point at the end of the trail near the elegant stone-and-timber Grand Canyon Lodge, the shadows of evening are cloaking the Transept while the last sunlight of the day paints the rimrocks red. Through the clear Canyon air, I make out slim white fingers of snow clinging to the 12,600-foot San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, scores of miles to the south. I stroll to the overlook and join little coveys of tourists from around the world, each one jockeying for the perfect position for the perfect photograph at the end of the perfect day. These people apparently already know the lesson I learned from the Transept Trail today: short is sweet. Flat is fine. Easy, it turns out, can be extraordinary.