NORTH RIM OF THE GRAND CANYON OFFERS A PLEASANT, SECLUDED ALTERNATIVE TO ITS HEAVILY TRAFFICKED COUSIN TO THE SOUTH.

Byline: Eric Noland Travel Editor

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is inconvenient. It lies at the end of a long, dead-end road, many miles from any city of reasonable size. It is also unpredictable, subject to summer thunderstorms and winter blizzards; the heavy snows, in fact, cause it to close its doors for half the year. It is a wild, rugged place.

And this is precisely why it is so appealing to the few people who have discovered it.

The South Rim of this vast, yawning gorge in northwestern Arizona? It's easily reached, as 4.1 million annual visitors can attest. The South Rim lies only 59 miles north of Williams off heavily traveled Interstate 40. It can also be part of an easy loop trip to Monument Valley or Lake Powell. The tour-bus companies can't resist it.

But the South Rim has endured such heavy visitation over the last 10 years that a massive parking lot will be built outside the park boundary by 2002, with summer day-use visitors required to deposit their vehicles there and use the South Rim's mass-transit system.

The plan is intended to ease bumper-to-bumper traffic and packed viewpoint parking areas during the summer peak. Enjoyment of the quiet grandeur of the canyon tends to be undermined when an excursion feels like Saturday morning at Costco.

The North Rim offers an escape from this crush. You just have to work much harder to get there.

From Los Angeles, the drive requires between 10 and 11 hours. Even from Las Vegas, it is a 272-mile haul, requiring a slash across the desert on I-15 and a circuitous ramble through high desert and red-rock country on Utah 9 and 59, Arizona 389, 89A and 67. The latter route terminates at the canyon edge - the literal dead end.

But what a tremendous payoff. The North Rim, with an elevation that ranges between 8,000 feet and 8,800 feet, sits much higher than the South Rim (7,000 feet), which results in much cooler summer temperatures and radically different terrain.

The scrubby environment of the South Rim - stunted juniper and pinyon trees - is swapped for a lush, richly forested region known as the Kaibab Plateau.

Here are thick stands of trees - Douglas fir, blue spruce, quaking aspen - and verdant meadows that burst forth in summer with wildflowers: the bright yellow of the hairy gold aster (that really is its name), the aptly named scarlet bugler, the purple of fleabane and lupine.

At the edges of those meadows, if you look closely, you'll have a good chance of seeing mule deer (who use their enormous ears as radar dishes) and wild turkeys. In the woods, you might catch a glimpse of the reclusive Kaibab squirrel, whose bizarre coloring combines a black body with a white, bushy tail; the species is found nowhere else in the world but here.

Because of the relative isolation of the North Rim, these attributes have long been well-kept secrets. But the whispered word is getting around.

Over the last dozen years, annual visitation of the North Rim has jumped by 100,000 people, to a current average of about 460,000, according to figures provided by National Park Service spokeswoman Sandi Perl.

That total represents only 10 percent of the people who cross Grand Canyon National Park's borders each year. Tour buses, which don't seem to want to bother with the place, are still infrequent sights.

But there are limited accommodations here, and the squeeze is being felt. Grand Canyon Lodge, which has 228 cabins and 40 motel-like rooms, routinely takes reservations a year in advance - and up to two years for one of its four rim-view cabins - according to front-desk supervisor Nikki Kaiser.

The lodge will close in the middle of next month, just before the winter snowstorms usually arrive, and reopen in mid-May, thaw permitting. For a stay in summer of 2000, now is the time to book.

After venturing here, you might decide never to visit the South Rim in summer again.

The North Rim's appeals are subtle but substantial. They begin with the main lodge building itself.

It was constructed in 1927 (rebuilt in 1932 after a major fire) from chunks of Kaibab limestone lying about and whole trunks of ponderosa pine. But unlike its cousin to the south, the El Tovar Hotel, which is set back from the rim, the Grand Canyon Lodge clings to the very edge of the gorge.

In fact, a 1931 Union Pacific Railroad brochure correctly observes that the lodge ``rises directly from the very brink of the canyon, so that it gives the impression almost of having sprung full-grown from the rock walls of the chasm.''

The lodge's Sun Room, with towering picture windows and comfortable easy chairs, takes full advantage of the view, as does the many-windowed dining room, but the most enduring feature of this place is its veranda. It stretches along the canyon edge and features a row of rough-hewn rocking chairs (emphasis on the rough).

This is where hikers, walkers and mule-riders congregate over refreshments in the late afternoon. If you're early enough to lay claim to a chair, and you fold a sweatshirt into a back pad, it's easy to get alternately lost in a book and the view.

The sun sets just to the right of this vantage point, and one night in late August it produced a multitiered exhibit of hot-pink swatches on the thunderheads of the horizon.

The Grand Canyon Lodge doesn't have TVs or VCRs or CD players in the guest rooms, the saloon, the lobby. This is probably why: Gazing at the many-colored stripes of the canyon, seeing the sun glint off such odd-shaped buttes as Angels Gate, Brahma Temple and Zoroaster Temple is entertainment enough.

The windows of the Sun Room will provide the big screen. And if you're up for a walk, the park rangers will deliver the soundtrack.

Several guided programs are offered, from a morning nature walk to a nighttime stargazing walk to a daily children's program that includes storytelling, songs and games (details on all of the options can be found at the Visitor Center, a few steps from the lodge).

One recent afternoon, National Park naturalist Karla Martin conducted the daily geology walk, which involves a mile round trip of only moderate climbing out to Bright Angel Point.

Kids listened with rapt attention as she told of the canyon's formation over hundreds of millions of years, how this area was once a mountain range as tall as the Himalayas, then a swamp with dragonflies of 2-foot wingspans, then a desert the size of the Sahara, then a vast inland sea. Each story was right there in the precise, multihued layers of rock.

Carefully avoiding the dry jargon of scientists, Martin told of how an uplift effect beneath the Earth's surface was ``unique in that it was gentle, like a layer cake rising slowly in the oven, leaving all of these layers intact.''

With a guide book or two (the Visitor Center has a superb selection), you can also stray out into the park for a self-guided exploration.

The depths of the canyon itself attract most of the hardier visitors. The North Kaibab Trail is the only route into the canyon from this north side, and many don't think a stay here is complete until they descend it.

It should be approached with healthy respect, though. The Grand Canyon represents the ultimate upside-down hike, in that many unsuspecting day trippers have skipped down the trail when they were fresh only to pay a dear price on the grueling climb out. This trail in particular undergoes a significant elevation drop just below the rim - more than 3,000 feet in the first 4.7 miles of trail.

``Gravity's a trap that lures people down,'' said park ranger Lynn Picard. ``We warn people that it takes twice as long to get out as it takes to get down, and it gets hotter as you go down.''

Nature also seems to be a bit angrier, a bit rougher over here on the north side. This past spring, floods washed out a substantial stretch of trail near the bottom, causing a closure of the route to Phantom Ranch on the canyon floor. In late August, a heavy and prolonged thunderstorm produced flash floods near the top that caused the trail to be shut down temporarily.

Even the mule ride was not exempt from natural hardship. An outbreak of botulism - believed carried to the animals' feed in the droppings of crows - killed six mules and so sickened the others that all rides were halted for the season in mid-August.

For those visitors not inclined to venture into the canyon by any means, the North Rim has a wealth of alternatives.

There are three hiking routes that take in considerable sections of the canyon rim, including the Transcept Trail, a gentle 1-1/2-mile walk between the lodge and the National Park Service campground to the west.

Another rim hike that is highly recommended is the Widforss Trail, which requires only some moderate climbs and offers the rewards of several peeks deep into Transcept Canyon.

A brochure available at the trail head provides information on several numbered spots along the walk - if you can get past the heavy-handed environmental sermonizing in the text. The hike skirts a shaded forest slope, rich with knee-high Christmas trees, toadstools, emerald moss and quaking aspens, whose leaves shimmer in the breeze and give the appearance of a shivering tree.

Even a drive in the car can be rewarding. The dramatic vistas of Point Imperial and Cape Royal lie at the end of two dead-end roads that spur off the main dead-end road. Cape Royal features the only spot on the North Rim from which you can see the Colorado River in the depths of the canyon. The drive also includes distinctive Angels Window, a giant hole in a rock overhang.

Still another option is included nowhere in the Park Service literature. It's as simple as waiting until an hour or so before sunset, then driving north on the main road (Route 67). For 28 miles, the route is rimmed by meadows and forest, and at dusk the deer come out to graze near the protection of the tree line.

As you search for them, particularly on your return drive, you might be in danger of being blown off the road by vehicles tearing into the park, the eyes of the drivers riveted forward.

They're the ones who haven't yet discovered the subtle appeals of the Grand Canyon's North Rim. They're the ones who are undoubtedly grinding their teeth and wondering why it's taking so darn long to get there.

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: The Grand Canyon's North Rim is a 565-mile drive from Los Angeles via I-10, I-15, Utah routes 9 and 59, and Arizona routes 389, 89A and 67. It's probably best to allow 10 to 11 hours for that drive. A flight to Las Vegas and a car rental will knock off half the time. Many travelers combine the North Rim with visits to such nearby attractions as Utah's Zion and Bryce national parks, or Lake Powell, which stretches out along the Arizona-Utah border.

COSTS: The National Park Service charges a $20 fee per vehicle. It is good for seven days and for both the North Rim and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

LODGING: The cabins and motel rooms of the Grand Canyon Lodge are the only accommodations in the national park aside from the campground. The setting - in a thick evergreen forest, near the canyon edge - is delightful, though the rooms are tiny and sparsely furnished. (You probably won't be wanting to spend a lot of time in your room, though.) Because the lodge is the only game in town, it can command from $80 to $104 per night. Be forewarned: Rates can change without notice - and routinely do. Even if your confirmation slip lists the lower rate, you'll be required to pay the new one. It's best to book six months to a year in advance. Reservations: [phone]. Web: www.amfac.com. The National Park campground, which has no hookups, charges $15 to $20 per site. Reservations: [phone].

DINING: The restaurant at Grand Canyon Lodge features a towering ceiling, tall windows, spectacular views . . . and passable food. The prices are reasonable - $12 to $20 for dinner; California wines in the low $20s - but the preparation was found to be uninspired and inconsistent (heavy sauces, red potatoes and penne pasta undercooked, tri tip overcooked). The restaurant gets heavy use, such that it is wise to phone well before your trip for reservations: [phone].

WORTH YOUR WHILE: The lodge has an excellent gift shop that eschews tourist junk for elaborate native crafts, including Navajo rugs of dazzling colors made from hand-spun wool and woven on crude looms, also Hopi pottery and Kachina dolls. The nearby Visitor Center has a fine selection of guide books on the area.

INFORMATION: Visitor Center: [phone]. Lodge: [phone]. Grand Canyon lodging in general: [phone]. Mule rides: [phone]. North Rim Ranger Station: [phone]. Web: www.thecanyon.com/nps.

CAPTION(S):

5 Photos, box, map

PHOTO (1 -- color) The gift shop at the Grand Canyon Lodge stocks a number of native crafts, including Hopi Kachina dolls.

(2 -- color) There are a number of hiking trails that skirt the edge of the North Rim, including the Widforss Trail, which offers several views into the depths of Transcept Canyon.

(3 -- color) Unlike the El Tovar Hotel, its counterpart on the South Rim, the Grand Canyon Lodge is built on the very edge of the North Rim. It was constructed in 1927 from Kaibab limestone boulders.

(4 -- color) The North Kaibab Trail is inherently challenging for hikers. It makes a 3,000-foot drop in elevation in the trail's first 4.7 miles, which means the descent is a breeze, the climb out harder.

(5) The North Kaibab Trail is the only hiking route down into the Grand Canyon from the North Rim. It features some spectacular overlooks - accompanied by precipitous ledges.

Eric Noland/Staff Photographer

Box: If You Go (see text)

Map: Grand Canyon National Park