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So, following on from a previous thread, please would you recommend hikes in Arizona to help us train for a future trip to Phantom Ranch with children currently aged 8 and 10.

We live at sea level with temperatures rarely exceeding 75 degrees. I don’t know what time of year we would be hiking yet.

Many thanks

@Gogogo
In the Tucson area Mt Kimball and Mt Wrightson. The background you have provided, I personally wouldn't do it, not with children that young. We see it every Spring here people that live near sea level hiking in the heat and dying or needing rescue.

Where in Arizona? Used to teach a class on how to train for big hikes like the GC and have a short list of favorites. Concur with Mt Kimball and Mt Wrightson in the Tucson area. Mt Ord northeast of Phoenix was where I used to send my students.

Hiking under load on shorter stuff like Pusch Peak in Tucson and Shaw Butte in Phoenix helps a lot as well. Make each person carry a couple of gallons of water in their pack will toughen everybody up.

The GC hike is no joke. I was the rental manager for a local hiking store in Phoenix and got to see what flatlanders looked like before the hike and after when they dragged tail to drop off my equipment. Remember how creative some of the folks from Florida and Iowa had to get in order to be ready. Lots of going up and down stadium steps or parking garages with a full pack.

SpiderLegs wrote: Lots of going up and down stadium steps or parking garages with a full pack.

Agreed

Well the good news is that day to day we don’t have to be as creative as the Floridians in terms of terrain as we have plenty of step uneven terrain that can act as Grand Canyon corridor trails. We just don’t have the elevation so are going up and down and up and down, which isn’t quite the same. We can also train on this up/down terrain with extra weight. What we don’t have is altitude or heat so we need somewhere high. I’d prefer not to be exposed to narrow trails with bikers that might cause a hazard but that might be a bit optimistic! I shall check out your hikes as anywhere that people are sent to train for GC sounds about right! Thanks

Gogogo wrote:would you recommend hikes in Arizona to help us train for a future trip to Phantom Ranch

Mount Ord is a good Grand Canyon training hike...you go up about 7.5 miles with an elevation gain of around 4,000'...the hike is on an old forest road with generally good footing

Okay so mount ord is a good option re altitude change and more similar weather conditions. Thank you very much as I would never have found this by myself.

Would hiking the day hikes at the Grand Canyon eg to cedar ridge and the 3 mile rest house be acceptable options? Clearly these don’t have the same elevation change as a Phantom hike, even if we do multiple laps!

Gogogo wrote:Would hiking the day hikes at the Grand Canyon eg to cedar ridge and the 3 mile rest house be acceptable options? Clearly these don’t have the same elevation change as a Phantom hike, even if we do multiple laps!

Yes. The best training to hike Grand Canyon is hiking Grand Canyon.

Thank you. That will be a big help.