HikeArizona.COM

I wanted to seek opinions and insight before I make a plan to do this...

I will be hiking AZT #38 as a 3-day backpacking trip. My Backcountry Permit is from South to North, and I'll be staying overnight at Bright Angel and Cottonwood Campgrounds. From October 21-23.

What is the trail like from Cottonwood Campground to North Kaibab Trailhead? I know it's uphill with switchbacks. How long does it typically take, on average, to hike?

The reason I ask is because I'm considering to continue on AZT #39 which is 12.6 miles to the Park Entrance. Would it be overkill to think I can hike from Cottonwood Camp to the North Rim Park Entrance in a single day?

My time frame is limited because I live in Tucson and only have weekends to section-hike the AZT, so I want to take advantage of opportunities to get extra miles in when I can, but I don't want to injure or burn myself out in the process.

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thank you in advance.

Wandering Wildcat

I hiked the AZT from South Rim to Utah last year from Oct 21-25, so essentially the same time of year you plan to go. First day we went from South Rim to Cottonwood Camp, and the second day, the plan was to go from Cottonwood Camp to the park boundary and find a place to camp. We were close, but didn't quite make it so we camped in the park. We hiked from 7:15 to 5:45 and covered about 18.5 miles along the trail and were short of the boundary by about 0.8 miles. It took us 15 minutes to reach the park boundary the next morning.

It took us about 4 and a half hours to get from Cottonwood Camp to the North Rim. We had a nice rest at the Supai Tunnel Rest stop and some shorter breaks such as at Roaring Springs jct. I didn't post a trip report on HAZ, but at my blog. Hope that's okay.

Someone I know had a very similar (identical) experience to rcorfman.

Alright, so it's doable. I'll go for it. Thanks!

@WanderingWildcat
Be aware that passage #39 currently in the GC park boundary has been affected by the fire. Was up there this past weekend and was informed it did, but I do not have confirmation on the extent of damage or if provided information was accurate. Keep an eye on the Arizona Trail site for any updates.