Kaibab National Forest

Flanking both the North and South Rims of the Grand Canyon, Kaibab National Forest encompasses 1.6 million acres of high-elevation plateaus and ponderosa pine forests across three distinct ranger districts in northern Arizona. The forest is home to the famous Kaibab squirrel, a tassel-eared subspecies found exclusively on the North Kaibab Plateau and nowhere else on Earth, having been isolated by the Grand Canyon for thousands of years. The North Kaibab Ranger District provides the primary access to the Grand Canyon's remote and less-visited North Rim, while the Tusayan Ranger District south of the canyon manages heavy visitor traffic near Grand Canyon Village. Extensive stands of ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, and spruce-fir forests support large populations of mule deer, elk, wild turkey, and the northern goshawk, and the forest provides critical wildlife corridors between the Grand Canyon and surrounding wildlands. The Sycamore Canyon Wilderness, shared with Coconino and Prescott national forests, protects a spectacular 21-mile-long canyon system often called "the Little Grand Canyon" for its colorful layered rock walls. Recreational opportunities include hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing near the Bill Williams Mountain, hunting, and dispersed camping beneath towering old-growth ponderosa pines.