If you are travelling to the North Rim from far away, why not extend your stay a bit and complete your trip with a few other national park stops like Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park and Marble Canyon. These places, along with the Grand Canyon are all easy drives from Jacob Lake in Northern Arizona. In fact, Jacob Lake Inn is only a 44 mile drive from the North Rim.
Jacob Lake Inn is a family owned and operated lodge since its inception back in 1923. The owner’s children and grandchildren run the inn, providing a personal touch you likely won’t find at the big hotel chains.
The bakery/lunch counter at the Jacob Lake Inn is about as close as you can come to your own granny’s delicious cooking. With fresh breads, sweet rolls and cookies baked fresh and from scratch daily, it will be hard not to get a carb overload (but a fully, satisfied belly) here. Be sure to get one of their homemade extra-thick milkshakes. Visitors have said they are excellent and are so thick, they cannot be sucked through a straw.
For those looking for a souvenir to remember their journey to the southwest, an onsite gift shop sells various tchotchkes and in addition to jewelry, pottery authentic artwork by renowned Southwest artists.
The rooms are small and basic, but clean. The newer rooms have Internet access and television and telephones whereas the older, historic cabins do not.
Amenities (some only available with certain rooms)
- Showers
- Heaters
- Front porches
- Internet access
- Television
- Telephone
The Scoop
Reviews of the Jacob Lake Inn are mostly positive, citing the friendly service and home-cooked food. Some report they would like to see a coffee maker in the cabins and complained of the old wood flooring, but for the most part, people appreciate the attentive staff and delicious bakery/lunch counter.
The rooms are very basic, but when you are surrounded by natures finest, many chose to suffer a little.
Because no real town outside your door, so be sure to pack whatever additional foodstuffs you require.
Who is it good for?
Jacob’s Lake Inn caters to hikers, bikers, photographers and outdoor enthusiasts. It is certainly quieter than properties along the South Rim, but also more remote, so if that bothers you, you may want to reconsider a stay here.