The Kaibab Plateau forms the main part of the North Rim park.

The 45-mile approach to the North Rim from Jacob Lake via Hy 69, a designated National Scenic Byway, begins at the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center. The route crosses the spectacular Kaibab Plateau, which forms the North Rim. The route winds through towering ponderosa pine-Douglas fir forests into stately spruce-fir-quaking aspen woodlands. Mountain meadows packed with wildflowers and wildlife, ponds, and grasslands border the roadsides. Reaching 9,200-feet in elevation, the plateau is home to the beautiful Kaibab squirrel, endemic to the region, as well as deer, elk and a controversial herd of bison (buffalo) established in 1906 and crossed with cattle.