Cliff Spring

Cliff Spring sits in a shaded alcove on the North Rim, reached by a short trail that starts from a pullout on Cape Royal Road about 0.3 miles before the Cape Royal parking area. It's a 1-mile roundtrip with roughly 300 feet of elevation change, dropping along a wash into a forested ravine — an easy hour or two out and back rather than a rim-to-river descent.

What you'll find

The trail passes an archaeological site early on before angling under rocky overhangs. It ends at the spring itself: water dripping from the alcove ceiling into shallow pools beneath a large rock overhang, marked by a chest-high boulder. The setting is cool and green compared to the open rim above, but the spring water is not safe to drink.

• Trailhead pullout is 0.3 miles from Cape Royal on Cape Royal Road
• Do not drink the spring water
• Avoid hiking 10am–4pm in summer, when shade temperatures can top 100°F
• Cape Royal Road closes seasonally, typically December through mid-May