A Cloud Inversion at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon

This post is long over-due from a trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon late July, a few months back. The North Rim is special! It rises about 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim and has a different character at the rim. The main feature is the lack of crowds. We reserved a couple nights at the campground just a short walk to views and short hike to the visitors center. The first morning, I was up before sunrise and couldn’t fall back to sleep. This has happened before, I just got to go see the Canyon! I quietly escaped from the tent, grabbed my camera and tripod and walked to the rim. The sunrise was subtle, a little overcast for anything vibrant in color. The sun did peak out and highlight the south rim somewhat. I decided to walk back and meandered down to a vantage point for another look. Strangely, I watched a tiny fluffy cloud drift up from below. Gradually, more and more clouds drifted up and I realized I was witnessing a cloud inversion. The moist cool air from below is rising and forming clouds as the air above is being warmed by the sun. This is a unique event for the Grand Canyon and one of my first to see in person. I have seen the Canyon socked in with clouds before, but this was different. Pretty soon, the Canyon was full of clouds! The vastness somehow seems even more mysterious full of clouds. Here is a slide show of photos from the trip to the North Rim including the inversion event!