Kaibab National Forest
An island of pines a mile and a half in the sky — the cool green roof of the Arizona Strip.
The Forest Above the Desert
Rising to more than 8,000 feet between the desert floor and the Grand Canyon's North Rim, the Kaibab Plateau is an ecological island — ponderosa pine, spruce-fir, and shimmering aspen completely surrounded by sage and slickrock. The North Kaibab Ranger District of Kaibab National Forest covers this entire high country.
The plateau's isolation produced wildlife found nowhere else, most famously the white-tailed Kaibab squirrel, and its meadows hold one of the Southwest's best-known mule deer herds.
Exploring the Plateau
Highway AZ-67 from Jacob Lake to the North Rim is the classic drive — 40-plus miles of meadow and forest that many visitors rate as the most beautiful approach to the Grand Canyon. The Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center at Jacob Lake is the information stop for the whole district.
Beyond the pavement: the Rainbow Rim Trail links a string of canyon-edge viewpoints favored by mountain bikers, the East Rim viewpoint looks down into the Marble Canyon country, and hundreds of miles of forest roads open up dispersed camping among the pines.
Snow closes AZ-67 and most of the high plateau from roughly late fall through mid-spring — check the official forest page for seasonal status.
The Rim Awaits Below the Pines
From the plateau's southern edge, the canyon drops away at Toroweap.