GRAND CANYON RIM TO RIM
Planning your adventure
The recommended route for anyone wanting to hike the Grand Canyon is to hike it from the South to the North Rim. Although there is more climbing on this routing, it's spread out over a longer distance, making the climb out feel a little easier.
While you might think that the toughest thing about this hike is the distance and climbing… it is not! It's actually booking your accommodation. There are limited spaces in the campgrounds and lodges along the route, and the demand is massive, especially if you want to do it as a multi day hike.
If you are a day hiker, it is not necessary to secure a permit to hike in the Grand Canyon. A permit is necessary if you are doing an overnight hike where you’ll need to tent camp below the canyon rim. Phantom Ranch has it’s own lottery system.
To add some more complexity to the lodging situation, let's talk about the small window when hiking across the Grand Canyon is possible. You want to go when the North Rim facilities are open (May 15-Oct 15) and when the heat isn't too extreme at the bottom of the Canyon. What that practically equates to is doing the hike between May 15-31st, or between October 1-15th. Vehicle access to the North Rim does remain open until November 30th, but both the Lodge and Campground closes on October 15th.
Pre hike plan
We chose to do the hike in one day so we didn’t need to deal with permits or lodging other than securing a room at the North Rim Lodge. Shuttles are also available back to the South Rim if you don’t want to spend the night.
We chose to fly into Phoenix and home from Las Vegas. Not wanting to travel too close to our hiking day we spent a few days at the Amara Resort and Spa in Sedona before making our way to the South Rim and one night in Springdale at the Desert Pearl Inn on our way to Vegas. Always nice to hang out in Zion even if it’s for a day.
Now that our travel plans were in place, next thing to think abut was gear and water. The key to gear in the Grand Canyon is to carry the minimum that you need, reducing the weight of your pack.
Mornings are cold and during the day the sun is relentless, especially across the canyon floor, so you need to make sure you’re properly dressed. The hottest part of the hike will be between Skeleton Point and Ribbon Falls. Have appropriate clothing and head wear to shield you.
There is plenty of pre-treated drinking water stations available in the Canyon at regular intervals. We each had 3 litres of water with us that we refiled at these stations. There is no water from South Kaibab to Phantom Ranch. Refill at Phantom Ranch then again at Manzanita. The water was not turned on at Cottonwood.
South Rim
The South Rim has a desert-like feeling and it’s the busier side of the Grand Canyon as it is easier to access by car. As a result, there are a lot more accommodation options and it is less difficult to obtain one. Our choice was the Thunderbird Lodge which was very similar to all the others.
There are two trail heads to choose from. Starting at South Kaibab the total distance is 37km and 2,090m of elevation gain. This option is definitely more popular because of its beauty and shorter distance. The trail head is a fair distance from the lodges and you will want a ride there before your journey. There is a do not enter sign and only park shuttles or private taxis are to enter the area, but at 4:30am no one will care of know if you’re getting dropped off. The shuttles don’t start running until 5am and you will likely need to first hop on a blue shuttle then switch to the orange route in order to get to the trail head.
Starting at Bright Angel adds an extra 7km’s to your already very long journey and I would not chose this route if doing rim to rim . However this trail runs from the Village so if you don’t want to do a full rim to rim, enter the canyon via South Kaibab and exit via this route.
The Hike
We wanted to catch the sunrise so we left the hotel at 4:15am and started our hike shortly after. Ooh Aah Point is a small area, which gets quite busy so we caught the sunrise further down in the Canyon.
The Canyon floor can get very hot, so you want to get across the river and start up the semi-shaded middle section toward the North Rim as soon as possible. It is 13 km and 4 hours to get down to Canyon Ranch. Beverages and snacks are available from the Canteen’s side window. Their lemonade was amazing!
There are bathrooms and a water station at the South Kaibab Trail Head and two more bathrooms on your way down about 4 km’s apart or so. Your first treated water station isn’t until Phantom Ranch so make sure you have enough water. We had our first major break and lunch at the Canteen, which was well needed and deserved after the gruelling 4 hour descent.
We were lucky as we had some cloud cover during our 13 km and 3.5 hour hike across the Canyon floor. There are no bathrooms or water stations between Phantom Ranch and the Cottonwood Campground. Also, the water at the campground wasn’t turned on yet so we couldn’t refill until Manzanita at the 28.5 km mark. This is pretty much the last stop and rest area before the climb out.
North Rim
Arriving at the North Rim is a much more peaceful experience. It is a pine forest that sits at a higher altitude. With its contrast, it really does feel like you have hiked someplace completely different.
The 12.5 hour journey where we have been immersed in the natural beauty of the Canyon may have been most incredible hike I’ve done to date and with it’s distance and elevation, the most challenging. Amazing how your body just kicks in and you can do anything you set your mind to. The last 2 kms or so were tough, but at no point did I regret my decision to embark on this journey. I would do it again in a heart beat!
Drive from North Rim to Vegas
The drive back to Phoenix is much longer than the drive to Vegas so we opted to head West. With sore legs post hike we didn’t want to sit in a car for hours and decided to make a pit stop in Springdale. We have stayed at the Desert Pearl Inn before and decided to book it again. Nestled within the majestic cliffs of Zion beside the Virgin River, it was the perfect place to spend a night.
Sitting at the edge of Zion National Park there are a ton of short hikes to choose from to stretch your legs. You can also just enjoy your day pool side.