Here is what we carried with us: I also wear a Garmin Fenix 5s watch. Since you will need the water more on the climb up than on the hike down, it’s a very good idea to finish the hike on the Bright Angel Trail. Wow, you were cruising!! Overnight options in this area of the canyon floor are limited to the Bright Angel Campground and the historic Phantom Ranch. Read our article How to Hike the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim. When to Hike the Grand Canyon It is highly recommended that you do not hike from the rim to … About Our Experience On Christmas Eve, Tyler and I did this as a day hike while Tim and Kara went on a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. Starting elevation: 2480 feet The section between Skeleton Point and the Tip-Off was one of my favorites of the hike. This trail is the descent and ascent route for Phantom Ranch pack mules and the ascent route for passenger mules, making it quite likely you will encounter mules on the trail. Bright Angel Trailhead: 6860 feet, 9.5 miles. Also, all of your photos, posts and detailed info are perfect. This gives you a full day of sunlight (which is quite brief during the winter months) to complete the hike. This steady supply of calories kept us fueled up for the final climb. Ooh Aah Point sits at 6660 feet, which is 600 feet under the rim. Historical Weather. It’s about more than standing on the mountain top. Book your tickets online for South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon National Park: See 1,677 reviews, articles, and 1,516 photos of South Kaibab Trail, ranked No.2 on Tripadvisor among 82 attractions in Grand Canyon National Park. What makes hiking the South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trail so hard is the elevation profile. Tyler and I were dropped off right where Yaki Point Road meets Desert View Road, and I think it was a 3/4 mile walk, and you would do about the same from the small parking lot on Desert View Road. We took the South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point. XTREME weather changes can NOT be stressed enough....I was coming up to the South Rim from Bright Angel trail; it had been warm and sunny in the Valley but during the assent the weather turned dark and stormy and was SNOWING at the top of the South Rim. Tyler runs Track and Cross Country and he has a very high level of physical fitness. We were moving fairly fast but I also stopped a lot to take photos. Good luck! Take frequent breaks and even though you might not care anymore, try to enjoy the view across the Grand Canyon. Pro Travel Tip: If you are doing this as a day hike, we recommend starting the hike no later than sunrise. The “true” rim-to-rim hike is the hike from the North Rim to the South Rim (you can also do it as South Rim to North Rim). Note: This post contains affiliate links. There is parking on Desert View Drive, near Pipe Creek Vista. Planning a trip to Arizona? But I do recommend making sure you are allowed to leave your car there all day. Tyler and I each carried 3 liters of water and maybe drank 2 liters during the hike. For more information about Grand Canyon National Park. The best months to do this are in the Spring and Fall. There are no technical sections and the trail is so well marked that it would be almost impossible to lose your way, but it helps to have experience doing big climbs and big descents. I know how hard it is to get that. The trail steadily gains elevation but it is really not too bad. The trailhead is located near Yaki Point. Congrats on the hike! We stayed at The Grand Hotel in Tusayan. There are also signs posted at the trailheads to discourage people from doing this as a day hike. But with less elevation gain over a longer distance, it is slightly less strenuous than the South Kaibab Trail. It’s challenging, it requires advance planning, and a high level of physical fitness and prior hiking experience are a necessity. As a reference, there are 5,280 feet in one mile. The Tonto Trail intersects the South Kaibab Trail at this point. The trail proceeds to Cedar Ridge, where you can find vault toilets, before passing below the east wall of O'Neill Butte and descending to Skeleton Point at 5,220 feet and 3 miles from the trailhead. The South Kaibab Trail is the second most popular trail after the Bright Angel. We started 6,30 on S. Kaibab and arrived at Phantom Ranch at 10,30. One-of-a-kind landscape. The South Kaibab Trailhead sits 400 feet higher than the Bright Angel Trailhead. Thanks for sharing this! It’s about protecting what sustains us. The day before your hike, you could go here and see if there is a sign limiting how long you park, but this could be an option. The first article covers the hike from start to finish. The summer is the worst time to attempt this as a day hike. My bucket list stay at Phantom Ranch this May was cancelled due to Covid – so bummed. Bright Angel trail: 4,360 ft ascent, 9.5 miles. Distance: 7 miles Bright Angel Trailhead: elevation 6,860 feet (2,093 m) Elevation Change Mileage Change . The Bright Angel Trail is longer than the South Kaibab Trail. If you are new to hiking or are curious about what you should bring on a hike, check out our Hiking Gear Guide. Once at Indian Garden, you have access to potable water and restrooms. From the rim to the Colorado River, it is essentially a downhill walk the entire the way. Never under estimate Mother Nature, not even in warm months of May-June. The views keep changing as you hike to Skeleton Point. Imagine doing that almost 9 times. Bright Angel also has potable water at 1.5 miles, South Kaibab does not. Elevation Gain: 4380 feet The Grand Canyon is among these, and so much more. 3 hours from trailhead to the Colorado River. Started Bright Angel at 13,30 and finished at 20,30. You can hike these trails in either order, but there are several good reasons to hike down the South Kaibab Trail and up the Bright Angel Trail. There are also a lot of people so be patient as you hike out and back. Conditions: Elevation Loss: 4780 feet Bright Angel Trail . Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and eventually you will reach the top of the Bright Angel Trail. Temperatures can average 10 to 20 degrees warmer here than on the rim. By now, you have already started winding your way up the switchbacks. While hiking, I had instant access to all kinds of numbers like altitude, heart rate, time and distance. This was a tough hike but very doable. It's difficult to articulate the feeling of first laying eyes on this cavernous abyss high on the Colorado Plateau. We only brought snacks, and on the last two miles of switchbacks I was starting to really fatigue from lack of real food. Date of experience: November 2020. Tiffany – Doing this as a Day Hike. ). The shuttle is called the Hiker’s Express Shuttle Bus. On Booking.com it is listed as a 5-star hotel but it looks and feels a lot more like a 3 to 4 star hotel. Difficulty: Strenuous Distance: 14.6 miles, round-trip Hiking Time: 2 Days Elevation Change: 4,700 feet Steep and strenuous, the South Kaibab Trail is the South Rim’s most direct route to the bottom of Grand Canyon. South Kaibab drops 1,100 feet in the first 1.5 miles while Bright Angel drops 1,000 feet in the same distance. Be Prepared: No water on South Kaibab Trail. I hope this helps. Find out what we carry in our day packs and what we wear on the trails. This trail is the daily descent route for passenger mules, so once again, encounters on the trail are likely. This is one of my favorite gadgets. In 2017, we hiked Half Dome in Yosemite as a day hike. They don’t last long but they can be tiring and this is a nice preview of what is coming at the end of the Bright Angel Trail. If you have a friend or family member with you, they could drop you off (that’s what we did). It is also frequently billed as the most scenic of the south rim trails, making it an ideal descent route. This final push will terminate at the Bright Angel Trailhead on the western side of Grand Canyon Village, very near Kolb Studio. During the winter months, the river can be a brilliant green, like you see in these photos. I also recommend spending some time on a Stairmaster. Permits: None needed for the day hike; you will need a permit to camp in Bright Angel Campground (if you do this as a two-day backpacking trip) I did the hike this past week, when temps were cool. Note that both trails also function as routes for mules carrying passengers and supplies to and from the canyon rim. I also swim and bike several days a week. Even so, I say that this hike is slightly more difficult. Cross the Kaibab Suspension Bridge and then it is just a short walk along the north bank of the Colorado River to the Bright Angel Campground. We enjoyed a slight dip in temperatures for that time of year, with a high of only 31 C. I would just like to add that you should bring more food than this blog lists. The first section of the South Kaibab Trail is the steepest and most strenuous. Colorado River to Phantom Ranch: negligible elevation change, 0.5 miles. Our fastest section was on the Bright Angel Trail along the Colorado River and up to Indian Garden. ), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Walk Across A 440-Foot Suspension Bridge On South Kaibab Trail In Arizona. Once you're below the rim, there are such variable views of the impressive canyon walls. As displayed in the map overview below, the Rim to River trek classically descends on the South Kaibab Trail all the way to the Colorado River for 6.3 miles, goes along the Colorado River for almost 2 miles, then re-ascends the Bright Angel Trail for almost 8 miles. Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim Hike: Planning Guide and Checklist. By the time you get to the Colorado River your legs are already feeling fatigued. Click here to see the updated shuttle schedule. We started at 7:15 am. In another hour or two, midway through the upper Bright Angel switchback circuit, one may revisit the soundness of such logic, but the views from Plateau Point are undoubtedly spectacular. (pictured: prAna Stretch Zion Pants) We got our first nice view of the Colorado River when we reached Panorama Point, which around the 5 mile mark just past the “tip-off” area on the South Kaibab Trail. You need to be prepared for lots of elevation change and if you are doing this from May to September, you also need to be prepared to hike in temperatures reaching over 100°F. If you were going to climb up the Empire State Building, it’s only 102 floors to the top. Once you get to 3 Mile Resthouse, appropriately named since it is just 3 miles from the end of the Bright Angel Trail, you are really feeling the climb. With its long distance and nearly a mile of elevation gain, this is a beast of a hike. The hiking distances and elevation data in this article were taken from the National Park website. A series of steep switchbacks begin immediately after Skeleton Point, offering the most extreme exposure found on this route. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, links, etc. The South Kaibab Trail is one of the most incredible hiking experiences of my lifetime. Cheers, Julie. This post covers hiking to Cedar Ridge and back for a total of 3 miles. The road to Yaki Point and the South Kaibab Trail is for shuttle buses only. Once you finally reach the north shore of the river, the trail turns west toward Bright Angel Campground. Lots of stairs so a walking stick would be helpful. How Hard is This Hike? For 3.2 miles the trail leads over varied terrain that includes an abandoned mine and a switchbacks known as the Devil's Corkscrew before reaching Indian Garden Campground, where you'll find toilets and water. Indian Garden: 3800 feet, 4.7 miles It’s cool but not too cold. Tyler and I did the entire hike in 6:48, including time to take photos, eat, and use the restroom. However, Kara was recovering from an injury so she had to sit this one out. It’s a massive hike, 23.5 miles in length, that crosses the Grand Canyon from one side to the other. Cross over the river at the Bright Angel Suspension Bridge. By this point, my legs were starting to feel fatigued. From here, it is one final, steep descent to the Colorado River. Elevation profile of the hike. Plus, the views on this part of the Bright Angel Trail are nothing special, so we took very few photos. You could park closer, in the main lot near the Visitor Center. For one mile, a series of steep switchbacks descend below the level of the rim. With less elevation gain and a slightly longer trail, the hike up Bright Angel is easier than South Kaibab. You also need to have hiking experience. The South Kaibab Trail is red and the Bright Angel Trail is blue. South Kaibab Trail Shuttle The Grand Canyon runs a free shuttle service that takes you to and from various trailheads on site. For more information about Grand Canyon National Park, click here to read our Guide to Grand Canyon National Park. Below are weather averages from 1971 to 2000 according to data gathered from the nearest official weather station. It’s a wide, easy, and flat trail where you can enjoy the views without breaking a sweat. It is the only trail at Grand Canyon National Park that so dramatically holds true to a ridgeline descent. The South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails are two of the Grand Canyon’s classic hiking trails. Outdoor Project may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers. Since you start and end on the South Rim, you do not need to arrange a shuttle service to transport you to the North Rim. The Tip-Off is located on the Tonto Plateau. It took us two and a half hours to hike to the Bright Angel Campground. The views are great all long the South Kaibab Trail but Ooh Aah Point gives you your first panoramic view of the Grand Canyon. If you want to skip the shuttle, there are a few parking spaces on Desert View Road. Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim One question i do have is about the shuttle after the hike? And isn’t this just the best name for a viewpoint? I hope everything works out with the shuttle. Julie – thanks for a wonderfully detailed itinerary! But then you look up at the rim and it’s just a giant wall of rock. Departing Big Pan, another series of switchbacks descends 1,120 feet in 1.5 miles and passes the junction with the river trail before arriving at the southern side of the Kaibab Suspension Bridge. During our visit in late December, there was ice on the top part of the South Kaibab Trail. Bright Angel Trail When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. The Half Dome hike is roughly the same distance but has slightly more elevation gain than this rim-to-rim hike. Here are their elevations and distances from the Bright Angel Campground. Stretching out in front of you is the South Kaibab Trail, the Tonto Plateau, and the colorful layers of sedimentary rock that makes the Grand Canyon so beautiful. If you are doing this during the warmer months, you will need to carry every drop of water with you if you plan to hike up the South Kaibab Trail. 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