North Rim begins<br>its tourism season

GC VILLAGE — Tourists can head back to Bright Angel Point, Cape Royal and Point Sublime with the opening of the North Rim this past Monday.

Grand Canyon National Park’s North Rim, which is closed each winter, will remain open through Oct. 14.

Xanterra Parks and Resorts and Grand Canyon Trail Rides also began their season operations on Monday. Xanterra, formerly known as TW Recreational Services, operates lodging, camper services, food services, grocery store and a service station.

All National Park Service services, including visitor information, backcountry permit reservations, campground and ranger programs, are also now available.

The North Rim lies at the south end of the Kaibab Plateau at approximately 8,500 feet in elevation. The drive from the South Rim to the North Rim is about 215 miles. Bright Angel Point, North Kaibab Trail, Point Imperial, Cape Royal and Point Sublime are among the top areas of interest.

The Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center, operated by the U.S. Forest Service, also opened Monday. The center is located off Highway 67 near Jacob Lake, approximately 45 miles from the North Rim. The visitor center is open daily from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Advance overnight lodging reservations for North Rim facilities can be made by calling Xanterra reservations in Denver at 303-297-2757. Advance reservations for the North Rim Campground, available up to five months in advance, must be made through Spherics by calling toll-free, 1-800-365-2267.

Callers outside the United States must call 301-772-1257 to make campground reservations.

For a trip planner, go online to: www.nps.gov/grca; call 638-7888 or write: Trip Planner, Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023.

Kaibab NF opens

gate into Ten-X

TUSAYAN — Kaibab National Forest’s Ten-X Campground, located off State Route 64 south of Tusayan, opened to the public last week.

Ten-X Campground charges $10 per vehicle per night. Reservations for the group area at Ten-X are not being taken at this time because the Charley Tank Group Area is under renovation.

Individual-family sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis only.

The forest also opened four other campgrounds in the area Wednesday. Campgrounds at Kaibab Lake, Dogtown Lake, Cataract Lake and White Horse Lake, all located in the Williams area, opened with full services.

Outside of developed recreation areas in the forest, there are fire restrictions in place. Fires, campfires and stove fires are prohibited in those areas. Pressurized liquid or gas stoves, lanterns and heaters meeting safety specifications are allowed.

Smoking is allowed within an enclosed vehicle or building, or in a developed recreation site.

For fire restriction information, call toll free 1-877-864-6985 or go online to: www.fs.fed.us/r3/fire.