North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park
For most people staying overnight at the Grand Canyon, there’s Bright Angel Lodge and El Tovar on the South Rim. For those looking for a little more solitude — OK, a lot more solitude — there’s Grand Canyon Lodge, the only permanent lodging on the Canyon’s remote North Rim. The Utah Parks Co., a subsidiary of Union Pacific Railroad, built the hotel in the 1920s; it consisted of the main lodge building and more than 100 cabins. A few years later, fire consumed the main lodge and two of the cabins. The rebuilt lodge incorporates what was left of the original’s foundation, and its roof is much steeper than that of the original — a change that allows snow to slide off the roof more easily. For years, hotel employees performed “sing-aways” for departing guests. Today, however, visitors can sit back and enjoy the silence the North Rim affords. Sometimes, that’s the best song of all.
LOCATION: North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park
CONSTRUCTED: 1927-28 (original complex), 1936-37 (current structure)
BUILDER: Utah Parks Co.
INFORMATION: Grand Canyon Lodge, 877-386-4383 or www.grandcanyonforever.com