Sight · Grand Canyon National Park
A 4.2-mile forest hike ends with a wide canyon panorama.
Overview
Cape Final is a remote North Rim overlook reached by the 4.2-mile out-and-back Cape Final Trail. It is not another quick roadside pullout: allow two to four hours for a forest walk to a wide, exposed rim above the eastern canyon. The route's 465 feet of elevation change is modest, but the distance is real; choose it when you want a longer walk, not a fast stop.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe payoff at the endMap
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grand Canyon Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Grand Canyon National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Grand Canyon audio tourRecorded for this place
Cape Final’s Forest Walk“Up ahead is Cape Final Trailhead, the start of a forest walk to a broad eastern-canyon view.”
Plays as you drive up to Cape Final in the Parkwolf Grand Canyon Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Most of the first half stays under trees, with canyon glimpses beginning around halfway. The tread is rocky, and the overall route is rated easy to moderate. The broad view opens at the endpoint, so keep going past the first peeks through the trees.
From the exposed point, the panorama takes in Jupiter, Venus and Apollo Temples, the Colorado River, and the Painted Desert beyond. The scene is huge rather than one single formation. For a photo that shows the scale, keep some of the pale rim ledges in the foreground and the river down in the canyon.
Geologist Clarence Dutton named Cape Final in 1880. He called it Point Final and praised it as one of the Kaibab's most interesting spots.
The trail starts at a small dirt lot beside Cape Royal Road. There is no water along the route, and the final viewpoint has no shade, so bring enough water and sun protection for the walk. RVs and vehicle-trailer combinations longer than 22 feet are not permitted on Cape Royal Road. A few primitive campsites sit near the overlook, but overnight stays require an advance backcountry permit. North Rim roads and services are seasonal; check current access status before setting out.
Wildlife
718 sightingsCalifornia CondorMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
533 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
169 sightingsAmerican BisonMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,891 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
59 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
27 sightingsGray FoxMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Grand Canyon. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateCape Final Trail4.2 mi · 3 hr · 1.6 mi awayA pine walk ends at an open rocky point above the canyon.
EasyWalhalla Glades Pueblo Trail0.2 mi · 15 min · 2 mi awayA short pine walk reveals a 900-year-old settlement.
ModerateCliff Springs Trail0.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.5 mi awayA short, steep walk to a spring beneath a red rock overhang.
EasyCape Royal Trail0.8 mi · 1 hr · 2.7 mi awayAn easy paved walk to a natural arch and wide canyon views.
ModerateWalhalla Spur Trail5.4 mi · 3 hr · 3.5 mi awayA remote, rough forest track across the Walhalla Plateau.
EasyUnkar Delta Loop0.9 mi · 45 min · 4.8 mi awayA short river loop passes ten ancestral Puebloan sites.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayWalhalla Glades PuebloA short walk to a 900-year-old pueblo home site.
Sight · 2 mi awayWalhalla OverlookA broad Unkar Delta view, with a pueblo across the road.
Sight · 2.7 mi awayAngels WindowThe Colorado River framed through a natural arch.
Sight · 2.9 mi awayCape RoyalA 23-mile North Rim drive opens onto a 270-degree canyon view.Parkwolf’s Grand Canyon ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
