North Rim Ranches
Stewarding public lands north of the Grand Canyon
The North Rim Ranches stretch across 830,000 acres of public lands north of the Grand Canyon.
These are working ranch lands, as well as research and restoration grounds.
North Rim Ranches span across old-growth ponderosa forests in Kaibab National Forest, swirls of slickrock on the Paria Plateau, and arid grasslands in House Rock Valley. We partner with a ranching family, the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, scientists, volunteers, and others to learn what’s best for the land and translate science into action on the ground.
We strategically graze cattle
We manage an active herd in line with the health of the land and rotate pastures to give grasses time to recover. Our grazing practices are thoughtfully designed to support healthy soils and long-term resilience.
We restore habitats
We restore wildlife habitats and waters across the North Rim Ranches. With the help of volunteers, we’re modifying fences for pronghorn, planting native willows around springs, and preventing erosion after wildfire.
We partner on research
We work with scientists, universities, and agencies to study land, water, animals, and plants on the North Rim Ranches. Our goal is to understand what better grazing management looks like to improve the health of the land.
Where is North Rim Ranches?
North Rim Ranches is north of Grand Canyon National Park and spans parts of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, House Rock Valley, and Kaibab National Forest.
About North Rim Ranches
In 2005, the Grand Canyon Trust funded the purchase of grazing permits for Kane and Two-Mile Ranches, now collectively called the North Rim Ranches. The permits cover 830,000 acres of national forest and Bureau of Land Management lands, and we work with a local ranching family to manage the day-to-day ranching operations.
From the mid-1800s through the mid-1900s, these North Rim lands experienced major changes in how people used and managed the landscape. People harvested most of the Kaibab Plateau’s centuries-old trees, grazed as many as 33,000 cattle in the dry House Rock Valley, and hunted wildlife extensively.
In recent decades, land managers and communities have worked toward a more balanced approach. We can still see the effects of past land uses across the landscape, and we continue to work with many people and communities connected to these lands to strengthen the health and resilience of the forests, woodlands, and grasslands on the North Rim.
Research and stewardship
We work with partners ranging from Ph.D. candidates, to archaeologists, to high schoolers, to retired volunteers, on research and restoration projects across the North Rim Ranches. Our ongoing work includes:
We’ve also cosponsored mule deer habitat studies, bird and bat surveys, and studies on endangered cactus pollination throughout the years.
A cultural landscape
The North Rim Ranches have a long history of human use. Ancestral Puebloans hunted, gathered, and farmed on these lands, building check dams, irrigation ditches, stone walls, and dwellings.
Today, the Kaibab Paiute, Hopi, Navajo, San Juan Southern Paiute, Zuni, Havasupai, and other Native American tribes maintain deep cultural ties to the lands that make up the ranches. Read about our work with the Hopi Tribe and Forest Service to build fences around lakes on the north rim of the Grand Canyon.
It’s getting hotter
Scientists agree. The Colorado Plateau will get hotter and drier throughout the rest of the 21st century.
As drought intensifies, snowpack disappears, and temperatures rise, we will have to come to terms with climate change in the already dry Southwest. We developed a climate adaptation plan for the North Rim Ranches to help us better manage our resources and prioritize restoration projects.
Science-based management
When it comes to managing the North Rim Ranches, we use science to make decisions. We strive for sustainable livestock grazing, fire-resilient forests, invasive species control, wildlife connectivity, and climate adaptation. We collaborate with a team of people from federal agencies, state agencies, and academic institutions to find the best solutions. If we don’t know the answer to a management question, we use science to find one.
News about the North Rim
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