Jacob Lake Inn

Jacob Lake Inn is a roadside hotel, motel, cabin lodge, diner, bakery, gas station and general store at the US 89A and AZ 67 crossroads on the Kaibab Plateau. It sits about 45 miles north of Grand Canyon’s North Rim, making it a practical place to refuel, pick up supplies or break the drive with an overnight stay. It’s outside the national park, so come for the services rather than a canyon view.

The bakery makes homemade cookies, breads, brownies and pastries; the Inn’s cookies have been a North Rim road-trip draw since the mid-1970s. The dining room features Mountain Trout and Jäger schnitzel, while the café serves sandwiches and salads. Cookies and bakery goods are a well-known reason to stop; sit-down meals and service can be less predictable, so leave slack if you’re eating on a tight drive schedule.

The Bowman family business dates to 1923; its first store on the Kaibab Plateau opened beside the pond called Jacob Lake in 1924. After Navajo Bridge opened in 1929 and brought more North Rim travelers, the family moved the Inn to this crossroads and began year-round operation. Guest cabins followed in the 1930s. The pond is still about a mile away: the Inn kept its name when it relocated.

Choose from hotel and motel rooms or historic cabins. The cabins close as temperatures approach freezing, while hotel and motel rooms remain available through winter. Rooms have private bathrooms; the Inn does not offer separate showers or laundry for non-guests because of limited plateau water.