Hi,
I have been both too. I remember the South as mainly hot and warm desert, with a lot of haze and a lot of people.. (in july - not the best moment to go).
Then, I wanted to show the Grand Canyon to my wife, and in our latest trip, we went North.
Not a lot of facilities, we slept at Page. Add 1h-2h car or a little more.
The North is populated with beautiful trees, is more green, and has a better environnement, with also a lot less people. The Grand Canyon itself is a little less spectacular - from the north, we are not at the deepest/highest place, but you can surely make a lot of very nice shots. You can see mine here :
http://www.seb-closs.fr/voyages/voyage-ouest-americain-usa-parcs/#grandcanyon
The next time we go to USA, I wish to explorer the region of North Grand Canyon, with more time in this Kaibab-plateau and Kaibab-forest, also for wildlife..