You are exceptionally well traveled, man.
If you want an experience unlike that of the overwhelming majority (90%+) of all people who visit and manage to swerve the throngs of tourists, opt in for the North Rim. AZ locals make a point of not drawing attention to it, but I like you.
The plateau sits at an elevation 1200-2000 feet higher than the South Rim (8000-9200 above sea level overall). The formations and interconnected canyons from that perspective are more colorful and dramatic, and the surrounding scenery is essentially heaven on earth -- dense evergreen forest cover and quaking aspens interspersed with pristine alpine meadows, punctuated by wildflowers.
It drastically subverts any hot, high desert expectations: peak summer highs are mid-70s fahrenheit, and it gets 150+ inches of snow in the offseason. It's also the only place on the continent that you have the opportunity to see North America's largest land mammal (American Bison) and bird (California Condor) in the same park or vicinity. The condors have a wingspan of damn near 10 feet and are one of rarest birds in the world.
Some bloke actually took the time to concoct (and allegedly visit) a global top 100 list (!!!). Just imagining how much travel something like that would require almost makes me nauseous, lol.
There are some absolutely spectacular national parklands across this planet, and I am counting down my list of the 100 Best National Parks in the World for Travelers to Visit. In this installment, I cover the 81-100 ranked national parks on my list!
wanderlustphotosblog.com
01. Grand Canyon (USA)
02. Zhangjiajie (China)
03. Serengeti (Tanzania)
04. Galápagos (Ecuador)
05. Torres del Paine (Ecuador)
06. Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)
07. Ranthambore (India)
08. Sagarmatha (Nepal)
09. Jotunheimen (Norway)
10. Iguazú Falls (Brazil)
11. Yellowstone (USA)
12. Fiordland (New Zealand)
13. Volcanoes (Rwanda)
14. Banff (Canada)
15. Denali (USA)
16. Kruger (South Africa)
17. Dolomiti Bellunesi (Italy)
18. Fuji Hakone Izu (Japan)
19. Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
20. Gir (India)
21. Göreme (Turkey)
22. Los Glaciares (Argentina)
23. Yosemite (USA)
24. Plitvice Lakes (Croatia)
25. Ao Phang Nga (Thailand)