The area north of the Grand Canyon is called the "Arizona Strip." It is very sparsely populated and physically isolated.
The Strip is home to the Vermillion Cliffs, site of many western movie in dayes of olde, before graphics replaced authentic sets.
The North Rim is in some ways more spectacular than the more widely visited and photographed South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
I camped one night during summe 1971, at Jacob Lake, waiting for a space at the North Rim. With my BIL we had canned food, a Coleman stove, and adequate supplies of cold beer, plus other unmentionable herbal remedies which were at the time highly illegal.
The North Rim is 1,000 ft. higher in elevation, than the south side, making it heavily forested. From the North Rim to Jacob Lake is perhaps a one hour drive. A lot of country to search. Extremely rugged and remote country.
The boy's death is a tragedy. It is a good argument for GPS tracking devices on people, when venturing out into the country side.
