Before you schedule a tour or make dinner reservations at the lodge, check your watch. Except for the Navajo Reservation, Arizona stays on mountain standard time year-round. If you’re traveling from Utah or another neighboring state, you’ll need to reset your watch to the local time.

Newspapers

If you didn’t get a copy of the North Rim edition of The Guide when you entered the park, you can pick one up at the North Rim Visitors Center (928/638-2481, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily). This is the park’s free informational newspaper that lists services, events, schedules, and more.

Post Office

Down the sidewalk from the gift shop, you’ll find a post office window (8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.), where you can mail all those postcards you just purchased.

Phones

Cell phone service can be iffy on the North Rim, but there’s a bank of pay phones behind the visitors center.

Public Restrooms

Public restrooms can be found behind the visitors center, in the lodge complex just outside the deli, and at the General Store in the North Rim Campground. All are wheelchair accessible.

Laundry and Showers

A public coin-operated laundry (7 a.m.-10 p.m. daily) is located along the entrance road to the North Rim Campground. In the same building are restrooms and showers where—after a long, hot hike—you can get five minutes of blissful hydrotherapy for six quarters.

Emergencies

For emergencies, dial 911, adding an extra 9 (9-911) if you’re calling from a lodge phone. Cell phone reception is spotty, even along the rim. If you’re closer to the river, you may be able to flag down a rafting party. River guides use satellite phones (emergencies only, 928/638-7911). Helicopter evacuations are very expensive, so it’s best to avoid hiking emergencies by planning thoroughly.

EMT-trained rangers can respond 24 hours a day to medical emergencies. The nearest clinic is more than 80 miles away in Kanab, Utah. Hospitals are even farther, located in Page, Flagstaff, and St. George, Utah.

If you are hiking the North Kaibab Trail, the only emergency phone is located at the Cottonwood Campground, seven miles below the rim. The Tuweep Ranger Station has an emergency phone.

Pets

Pets (other than service animals) are not allowed on trails or inside the lodge buildings. To take a service animal below the rim, contact the Backcountry Information Center (928/638-2125). Pets can be walked on a leash along the Bridle Path between Grand Canyon Lodge and the campground, and they are also allowed in North Rim Campground, but must be leashed at all times. Unlike the South Rim, there is no kennel service available here. If Rover loves to go hiking with you, inquire about trails in nearby Kaibab National Forest.

Religious Services

Check the bulletin board inside the Grand Canyon Lodge for a schedule of religious services.

Weather

People who live in Northern Arizona have a saying about the weather: If you don’t like it, wait 15 minutes. Temperatures can rise dramatically from early morning to midday, and brief afternoon thunderstorms are typical July-September. The current forecast for the North and South Rims and surrounding areas is posted daily in the North Rim Visitors Center (928/638-2481, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily). You can also access a recorded weather message, updated at 7 a.m. daily, by calling the park’s information line (928/638-7888).

Road Conditions

For information about highway conditions, contact the Arizona Department of Transportation (dial 511 or 888/411-7623, www.az511.gov). For local road conditions, check with the North Rim Visitors Center (928/638-2481, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily) or the Kaibab Plateau Visitors Center (928/643-7298, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily mid-May-mid-Oct., fall-winter hours vary).

Lost and Found

If you find an item another visitor has left behind, you can turn it in at the North Rim Visitors Center. If you’ve lost something, you can inquire about the missing item at the Visitors Center (928/638-2481) or at the front desk of Grand Canyon Lodge (480/998-1981 or 888/386-4383).

Wheelchair Accessibility

Lodge buildings predate accessibility requirements, and some cabins are minimally accessible. Lifts and ramps provide access to the main lodge. Wheelchairs for temporary day use are available at the North Rim Visitors Center and Grand Canyon Lodge. You can pick up an accessibility permit, which acts as a parking permit for designated spaces, at the North Rim Entrance Station when you arrive or at the North Rim Visitors Center. The park’s Accessibility Guide can be downloaded before your trip (www.nps.gov/grca), or you can request a copy at the Visitors Center. A number of ranger programs are wheelchair-accessible; check the listings in the park newspaper, The Guide, for more information.