I did the 23.4 miles rim to rim day hike through Grand Canyon during last week of November (Thanksgiving weekend) 2017. Unlike most hikes like Mt. Whitney, the hard part (ascent) comes later and therefore it is easy to get trapped. Be very certain of your fitness level before you try this.
A view from the north rim
What to carry
- There are multiple water stops, some seasonal, some permanent, check the current situation at NPS website. The water supply comes from the Roaring Springs and it has high Chlorine content.
- I carried ~3L of water and 1L of Gatorade. I think 2L of water is the absolute minimum to avoid the risk of dehydration. Also, get a hydration pack, so that, you are drinking more frequently and without stopping.
- Wear good trail hiking boots since many parts of the trail are really rough.
- Carry protein bars and trail mixes for the consumption.
- Cache the Grand Canyon maps in Google maps since there is no network connectivity inside the canyon.
- Carry a detailed list of the checkpoints you are going to encounter, along with the distance to track how well you are doing, a sample tracking sheet can be downloaded from Grand Canyon hiking time tracking sheet and my filled sheet can be seen under “My Journey” section in this blog post.
A view from the south rim
About the Journey
- The road AZ 67 to the North Rim closes on the first snowfall, therefore, check it’s current situation before leaving.
- The North Rim is less touristy, less accessible, and higher elevation than the south rim, therefore, start the hike on the north rim and end it on the south rim.
- There is exactly one trail to take on the North Rim, that’s North Kaibab trail. The total length of the trail is about 14 miles, and elevation change is about 5800 ft.
- There are two trails one can take to go up the South Rim, South Kaibab trail or Bright Angel Trail, Bright Angel trail is longer but has lower elevation gain and has one water stop (Indian garden), therefore, take the Bright Angel trailwhile going up the South Rim. The total length of this trail is about 9.4 miles and elevation change is about 4400 ft.
- On an average, it seems it takes anywhere between 12 to 15 hours to finish the hike.
My Journey
My journey tracking sheet
Download a copy of this sheet for your use here.
I started at 6:45 AM in the morning and it took me about 10 hours 45 minutes to finish the hike. This included 4-5 breaks of 5 minutes each along the way. Here are some photos of the major checkpoints along the way. The first of them is a short tunnel called Supai Tunnel.
Supai Tunnel
After Supai Tunnel, the next major milestone is Roaring Springs. The actual springs are a bit off the route, therefore, I would recommend not going there.
Roaring Springs
Manzanita Rest area was the first stop where I got potable water and being 5.4 miles away, this is the first major checkpoint on the way. And it’s a good time to evaluate how you are doing on time. If it has already taken you three hours or more to reach here, I would highly recommend turning back. Cottonwood campground is a little over a mile from here. From here on, the trail is next to the water stream.
Cottonwood Campground
Till Cottonwood, the descent is really steep. Beyond that, it becomes much more smooth and pleasant to walk. From here on, it becomes a long walk towards the Phantom Ranch.
One of the many bridges along the way
Another bridge
Eventually, I reached the Phantom Ranch, it’s a small town in the middle of the canyon. I refilled my hydration pack here. They do seem to serve food to day hikers.
Menu at Phantom Ranch
Bright Angel campground, a much smaller campground, is only 20 minutes away from here. Bright Angel campground is 14 miles from the start and is the lowest checkpoint of the hike. Here I encountered the board that I am finally crossing over to the South Rim.
Bright Angel Campground
Soon after this, I came across the Silver Bridge on Colorado river, which is used for crossing over to the south side of the canyon.
Silver Bridge
The temperature was climbing up now and I was sweating due to the strong sun. That’s when I came across more smarter travelers.
Mule tours
Next, I saw this really cool cave. Being alone, I decide not to take the risk but I am still unable to get this off of my head.
Mysterious cave in Grand Canyon
From here on the hike becomes a strenuous climb.
The trail I took
Seven-and-a-half hours into the journey, I reached Indian Garden. It’s an Oasis in the middle of the desert and is the last point to get potable water before the last leg of the journey. While Indian Garden is only 4.7 miles away from the Bright Angel trailhead, it is 3000 ft below that, so, I had to climb an average 12% gradient in the last leg of the journey.
Indian Garden
The next major stop is 3-mile Resthouse which is 3 miles from the Bright Angel trailhead. From here on, one encounters many day hikers who are coming down from the south rim for the shorter hikes.
3-mile resthouse
Eventually, I crawled to the final checkpoint 1.5-mile Resthouse.
1.5-mile Resthouse
Finally, a view from the top.
View of the canyon from the Bright Angel trailhead
References
- Rim to rim website
- NPS website
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