Hiking in the Grand Canyon

Visiting the Grand Canyon almost always involves a hike below the rim on one of the Grand Canyon National Park's trails. The trails vary in level of difficulty, so almost everyone can get in a hike or two, no matter what shape they're in or how much time they have. By hiking down at least part way into the Grand Canyon, you can get an up-close view of the walls of the canyon, a personal encounter with the vertical rock that forms the canyon walls. This is a very different experience than viewing the canyon from the rim, where the rock walls are viewed at an angle if at all, since they would be below your feet and sometimes out of view. By hiking down into the canyon, you also might catch glimpses of fossils, native plants, some wildlife, and ruins of mines that once pulled copper or uranium from the Grand Canyon's walls at the bottom of the canyon. Hikers have a wide variety to choose from when picking a trail, from easy rim hikes to advanced, difficult hikes right down to the bottom of the Canyon. You can hike down to the bottom and stay overnight camping (or stay at Phantom Ranch if you like (don't forget your permit, though), or just do a day hike. If you want to take a few days in the Canyon, get a backcountry permit. You don't need any permits for a day hike, though. Get details on permits at the Backcountry Information Center. Most importantly for all hikers, CARRY LOTS OF WATER. Extreme temperatures in summertime make even the shortest, easiest hike risky if you don't have water. Dehydration is serious business our here, so drink water as often as you can, and carry it with you as well on your hike.

Easy Hikes

1. Information Plaza Hike (South Rim): this runs from the Information Plaza to El Tovar Hotel, and it's just a mile-long walk. It does not descend into Grand Canyon, but rather winds through Grand Canyon Village. It's pleasantly wooded for a while, and then runs right along the rim to El Tovar.
2. Rim Trail: This easy, flat hiking trail runs from Pipe Creek Vista, just east of Grand Canyon Village, to Hermit's Rest. It's four and a half miles of paved trail plus 6.7 miles of unpaved trail. It's mostly along Hermit Road, so you'll hear shuttle buses, so head out early and avoid most of the noise. One thing that can make the trail even shorter for folks who want a super-short hike, is to take one of those free shuttle buses along Hermit Road, get off at one of the stops like The Abyss, and start your hike from there, to Hermit's Rest. From the Abyss, it's only four miles to Hermit's Rest. You can take the bus all the way back, too. Any one of the shuttle bus stops along Hermit's Road are good starting points for a hike to Hermit's Rest.

Moderate Hikes

The Bright Angel Trail is the most popular trail for visitors to the Grand Canyon. Foots travelers as well as mule rides down into the Canyon all use this trail, and traffic is heavy at times. Nevertheless, it's also one of the best trails, too. It's extremely scenic, and it's equipped with hiker luxuries such as rest houses with water. There's one at the one-and-a-half mile point, and another at the three mile point. There's also water at Indian Gardens and at the Campground, which is 9 and a quarter miles down the trail so not for day hikers. The Bright Angel Trail is an easy footpath, created by bighorn sheep long long ago. The top of the trail makes use of switchbacks for erosion control and for easy hiking. Switchbacks are where the trail becomes s-curved down a steep part, so the hiker isn't going straight down an incline but rather "switching" back and forth, gradually descending or ascending. These switchbacks are called Jacob's Ladder and they can be icy slippery in wintertime. Keep in mind that mule trains have right of way! It's 5,510 feet to the bottom, so day hikers won't reach the bottom and return to the top. It's strongly discouraged, and pretty strenuous. Even just hiking very far down at all isn't recommended in teh hottest part of summer, for anyone. It's just too hot down there!

The South Kaibab Trail is another South Rim trail for hikers that will amaze visitors with its beauty. Some say it has better views than the Bright Angel Trail, and it is definitely less traveled. If you're headed for Phantom Ranch for the night, this is the better trail to use. The trail is steep, however, so even just hiking part of it is hard work. There are no water sources along the way so carry as much water as you can. It's steep, hot, and dry! The trail begins near Yaki Point and you can take it all the way down, or to any one of the points along the way. It's three miles rount trip to hike to Cedar Ridge and it's six miles round trip to Skeleton Point.

Hikes for Experienced Hikers

The Hermit Trail is very steep during the first one and a half miles of its five miles round trip. It begins at Hermit's Rest, which is eight miles outside of Grand Canyon Village. The destination is Santa Maria Spring. The Hermit Trail actually continues after the Spring, all the way to the Colorado River at the bottom of the Canyon, but it's another twelve miles! If five miles isn't enough (remember the extreme elevation changes make five miles feel like ten mile), you can try the seven-mile round trip hike to Dipping Springs. Don't drink directly from either spring by the way. Filter the water.

The Grandview Trail is for advanced hikers, too, and it's steep and not well maintained. It's six miles round trip and its 2,600-foot descent will whoop your butt, not to mention your knees. Like the Hermit Trail, there's no water source, so bring tons yourself. It will take you all day to hike the trail. Bring energy sources. On the first three quarters of a mile of trail you will lose two thousand feet of elevation. Oh, the knees!