Grand Canyon National Park

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Overview
Grand Canyon National Park pretty much speaks for itself; anyone who has been there will know this.  For those yet to go, the Grand Canyon will consistently make your jaw drop even for seasoned veterans of the park.  It is no wonder it is one of the country's most popular National Parks.  With limited time, you can drive along the rim...more
Wikipedia
Grand Canyon National Park: Grand Canyon National Park is one of the United States' oldest national parks and is located in Arizona. Within the park lies the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the major natural wonders of the world. The park covers 1,902 mi² of unincorporated area in Coconino County and Mohave County. (see full Grand Canyon National Park Wikipedia article)
Grand Canyon National Park Photos
Guides
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Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim
Four days you will never forget!
 (1 vote)
Strenuous: 22.9 miles, multiple days
There is a secret to a Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike: Take four days to do it, even if you can do it in one. I have friends who go South to North in one day, and some do North...

Popular Trips in Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon (South) Rim Trail
by navratil on Dec 31, 2009
 (17 votes)
Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States
7.0 miles
Morning near Bright Angel Trailhead Photo
Near El Tovar Photo
Some guy Photo
Tree above Bright Angel Canyon Photo
A nice winter stroll along the Rim Train at the Grand Canyon.A bit of backstory: Before February of 2010 (that's next month), the Grand Canyon Backcountry Info office would hand out permits four months in advance of the month of departure; which is to say, if you wanted a permit for (say) May of 2010, the first day you could apply for it would be January 1st, 2010.  They take applications via...
Kaibab Trail and Bright Angel Trail - Grand Canyon
by chris on Jun 25, 2009
 (10 votes)
Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States
17.5 miles
Loren is ready Photo
Our gear Photo
Loren starting to hike down into the canyon Photo
The Grand Canyon Photo
Loren and I caught the 4:30 shuttle to start out hike down Kaibab trail to the Bright Angel Campground at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  A park ranger told us it would stay so hot down in the canyon that we wouldn't even use sleeping bags, and that there weren't any bugs, so we decided to pack VERY light (water, some cliff bars, jerkey and dried fruit, and our sleeping pads)....
South Kaibab to Phantom Ranch back Bright Angel
by AllenRbrts on Jan 11, 2010
 (8 votes)
Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States
18.0 miles
Trail Head Photo
Start of trail Photo
Steep switchbacks down Photo
Looking back up the trail Photo
Two day trip in the winter down the Kaibab South trail, overnight at Phantom Ranch and then back up Bright Angel Trail.Started out around 11:00 am from the trailhead. The upper sections of the trail has several inches of snow and ice. Used the over shoes traction devices, which worked great. Made great progess, getting to Phantom Ranch around 3:30. Had a great dinner at the ranch and the three of us...
Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim
by dcveeneman on Sep 15, 2008
 (1 vote)
North Rim, Arizona, United States
22.9 miles
Supai Tunnel Photo
Ribbon Falls Photo
The Black Bridge Photo
Plateau Point Photo
There is a secret to a Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike: Take four days to do it, even if you can do it in one. I have friends who go South to North in one day, then North to South the next. But how much of the Canyon do they really get to see? How much time can they spend at Ribbon Falls? It's a destination unto itself. Can they spend a couple of...
View all 78 trips
Comments on Grand Canyon National Park
TheKid
I'm planning on doing a backpacking trip in southwest and stopping by the Grand Canyon for about 6 days. I plan to spend 3 on the south rim and 3 on the north rim. Do you think that this is too much time to spend at the GC or do you think I'll be entertained. Also, do you have any recommendations of things to do, things not to do, and places to eat.
by TheKid on Mar 01, 2010 at 03:40:28 pm
chris
1 of 1 people found this helpful
The last time I was here I was only at the Grand Canyon for 2 nights, 2 days, but that was because I was attempting a road trip with very little time and I wanted to get a highlights tour. The Grand canyon is huge, and there are some things you should not miss out on:

- Hike down to the bottom. This is an amazing experience, and you can appreciate the canyon in an entirely new way from within it. Looking across from the view points along the Rim Trail is still amazing, but you get a very unique perspective from below. This will take 2 days to do (at a minimum) and you will have to start early both days to avoid the heat (by early, I mean just around sunrise, especially for the hike up if this is around summer). You will also see some amazing colors on the rock walls at this time of day because of the orange glow of the sun. I would opt to stay at the Phantom ranch campground (either camp, or there are cabins there), and spend the day sitting in the little river (not the big one!) to cool off.
I believe there are also some day hikes from this spot if you want to stay another night. You can also turn this into a 2-night trip by only going half way up, where there is another camp (the name escapes me, but if you look at my EveryTrail trip we go straight through it), and there is another short hike out to a great view point about half-way down the canyon.
- Other than the canyon itself, there are great walks along the trim for a while, an art gallery (Kolb Studio), and a few other hikes. There are also some nearby Indian villages with walking tours that you can check out.

I don't know what direction you are coming from/going after, but if you feel that you have had your fair share there are some other amazing places nearby like the Petrified Forest, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Capitol Reef to name a few.
by chris on Mar 01, 2010 at 03:50:53 pm

TheKid
Thanks Chris,

Unfortunately I was unable to get a permit to camp in the canyon. I'm going to try to get an overnight permit, but I have my doubts. It looks like I'm going to have to hump it down and then back up in one day. It's going to be an experience to say the least.
by TheKid on Mar 01, 2010 at 04:36:39 pm

chris
I was able to get a permit the day I arrived, they usually reserve about 1/2 of them on a first-come-first-served basis, only available 1-2 days in advance. Be careful about doing the whole thing in 1 day, there are many signs against it, as it will get VERY hot from 11-3 (maybe stay in shade during that time)
by chris on Mar 01, 2010 at 04:53:07 pm

dcveeneman
Confirming what Chris said, people die at the bottom of the Canyon in the summertime from trying to do too much. Don't attempt a one-day rim-to-rim, or even a one-day rim to river, unless you are in excellent shape. One of the unfortunate was a marathon runner who had finished 30th in the Boston Marathon. http://www.cyclingforums.com/archive/index.php/t-185768.html
by dcveeneman on Mar 08, 2010 at 07:24:58 am
Tips
navratil
YakTrax are extremely useful after winter blizzards.  Other than that, it's a nearly-level paved trail.
by navratil in Grand Canyon (South) Rim Trail on Jan 05, 2010 at 05:38:56 pm

dcveeneman
There is tap water on the North Kaibab Trail at the Supai Tunnel, at Roaring Springs, at Cottonwood Camp, and at Phantom Ranch. From Roaring Springs, the trail follows Bright Angel Creek to the Colorado River, so you can filter and purify, if you don't want to carry extra water. Daytime temp was about 100°, with virtually no humidity. I recommend wearing a long-sleeve polypro hiking shirt, and long pants with zip-off legs, particularly if you are sensitive to the sun. A good bush hat or desert hat is a must. A lot of the hike is done in the sun, and keeping it off of you makes the hike a lot more fun.
by dcveeneman in Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim on Dec 17, 2009 at 11:03:30 am

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