Point Imperial
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The highest of the North Rim overlooks at 8,803 feet is Point Imperial which sits high above the region where the Grand Canyon first takes on its distinctive, fanned-out appearance. Point Imperial is linked to the Cape Royal highway by a bendy side road which climbs the narrow, partly wooded valley of upper Bright Angel Creek past some meadows and open grassy hillsides, ending after 2.6 miles at a circular parking area beside the point. The views are extensive and varied, encompassing the Echo & Vermilion Cliffs, the upper Colorado canyon (Marble Gorge), the dead flat, treeless plateau east of the river, and a large area of buttes and cliffs downstream to the south. Point Imperial is a good location for watching a Grand Canyon sunset due to the number of tributary ravines visible and the high elevation.