The highest point in Grand Canyon National Park is in the generally flat forest near the Lookout Tower located just east of the North Rim park entrance. There are actually four 9160-foot contours in the area:
- #1 is the lookout tower, spot elevation 9165.
- #2 is the large contour to the north. Most visitors report this to be the highest ground, and GPS appears to confim this observation--it's about 10 feet higher than the base of the tower.
- #3 is a tiny little contour. Field observations indicate that there is no significant topography here.
- #4 is the southern part of a large contour that extends south from higher ground north of the park boundary. GPS readings show that the northern part of this contour, just south of a gravel road, is 50 feet lower than areas #1 and #2.
I believe that visiting the tower and then bushwhacking to the northern part of area #2 should be enough to claim credit for the Grand Canyon National Park High Point. One can park near the ranger residence just east of the North Rim entrance, and then hike the gated road to the tower. The bushwhacking to the likely high ground is somewhat difficult due to downed trees and brush, but the distances are short.
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