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| Hiking | 22.53 Miles |
5,600 AEG |
| | Hiking | 22.53 Miles | 7 Hrs 40 Mns | | 3.07 mph |
| 5,600 ft AEG | 20 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Left Phoenix at 11:30pm on Saturday in order to beat the sun by a few hours and avoid the heat down low in the canyon but also to see some stars. Parked close to the Bright Angel Trailhead at 3:20am and headed in the direction of The South Rim/South Kaibab TH. Used a headlamp in the dark and took roads and some stretches of the Rim Trail. The canyon was completely black, and because the moon was off to the horizon and obscured by clouds, the stars lived up to the hype. The band of the Milky Way was visible, as were shooting stars from the Perseid meteor shower about every ten or twenty seconds. Turns out the climax was to be the nights of the 12th and 13th.
It was a 5.5 mile walk to the S Kaibab Trailhead. Headlamps bobbed in the darkness below, splashing light on the canyon walls. Headed down as pre-dawn light lit the trail. Got stuck behind some mules bringing supplies for Phantom Ranch, but they let me pass at the first opening. The air was cool until just passed the Tip Off as the trail dropped down toward the black bridge. Only a few groups of people on Kaibab that early, mostly going down, but one coming up who had gotten an early start on Bright Angel.
Passed a mule train on the black bridge, but from there to Bright Angel I didn't see anyone. It's a strange feeling being on the bottom of The Grand Canyon, especially with no one in sight. From the river to Indian Gardens there were several groups of backpackers coming up and people making a mid-day trip down to the river and back. I was surprised how many people do this. Overall, not too many people until the last two and a half miles. From there I fought against the current of tourists who were mostly all apparently very much in a hurry.
Temperatures were a little warm on the ascent of Bright Angel, but with water at all the stops it's a non-factor with an early start. That said, I planned on bringing all the water I would need and brought 5.5 liters. Drank it all plus a little at the camp by the river.
If I were to do this one again I would do it as a shuttle and try to include a trip to Phantom Ranch/Plateau Point. I think either/both would be very doable without the extra mileage of crossing on foot along the rim. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
One of the overlooks had a Ranger set up with a telescope focused on a Condor’s nest. Pretty sweet.
. Bussed back to the lodge. Nice, easy way to wrap up the canyon.
. Bought an annual pass with the hopes of making several forays in the next year). Since I hadn't hiked any of the trails on the South side, I started off with this overview (literally) of the Canyon's southern rim trail. Started from the Visitor Center. But actually walked what was called the Village Parkway Trail. This paralleled the road and didn't offer any Canyon views. I kept expecting some sort of connector trail that would allow access to the rim. This never materialized. Though I did see several elk browsing in the woodscape. By the time I reached the Village I had made way over to the rim trail. So technically I didn't start the Rim Trail until I got to the El Tovar Hotel. As I made my way west the crowds were prevalent for the first mile until I reached Maricopa Point. And it is during that first mile from El Tovar that the greatest elevation change occurs...and it's really not that much, just a steep hill. For the most part, this is a very flat trail. The trail is paved for maybe 2 miles past El Tovar and then for the final 2 miles to Hermits Rest and these section would frequently leave the rim view as the trail went from one viewing point to another. The middle 5-6 miles is unpaved and can get rather close to the edge. The views were astounding. The trails (paved/unpaved) were in great shape and easy to follow and after Hopi point, I had them to myself for the most part. Some of the viewing points seemed congested, but I imagine they can be much worse during different times of the year. Made it to Hermits Rest and then caught one of the last shuttle back to the Visitor Center. Saw some elk while I was on the Village Parkway Trail, but otherwise no wildlife.
