June 12, 2024

Grand Canyon Rim to Rim 2024

We hiked the Grand Canyon from North Rim to South Rim in 2 days with camping at the bottom. We started on 6/6 at 5 am and hiked down on the North Kaibab Trail. We were prepared to use our headlamps but it was already bright out so we did not need to use them. The hike down was beautiful! There were a lot of steep drop offs but we never felt unsafe, just had to watch our steps. Hiking poles definitely added to our sense of stability. We had more water than we needed as we were able to fill up at every rest stop. We took our time to enjoy the hike and take plenty of pictures. When we started our hike, it was in the 40s and when we got to the bottom, it was about 118 degrees. We were prepared with layers and the temperature change was not a big deal. For the heat, we had cooling towels on our heads which helped a lot! We also used our water filter for cool water from the creek. We went off the trail to see Ribbon Falls which was one of our favorite parts of the hike. It was a bit tricky to find and we left our packs behind to be able to navigate the tricky terrain better. Eventually, we found the falls. Ribbon Falls is a 100 foot high waterfall with a trail to climb behind the falls. We got wet and spent a bunch of time there escaping the heat of the day. After getting back to our packs, a squirrel had chewed a hole in my water bladder mouthpiece! Thankfully, the damage was not too bad and it was still usable.

At the bottom of the canyon there is an area called “the box” where the canyon narrows with towering walls all around. We had read that this was the worst place to be in the heat of the day. When we got there at 2:30pm, there was already a decent amount of shade and overall it was a pleasant experience. If we hadn’t spent so much time at Ribbon Falls before we got to the box, the heat would have been much worse. We also talked to some people who seemed hesitant to sit in creeks and get their clothes soaking wet. In the end, these people fared worse due to the heat so I definitely recommend staying as wet as possible when the temps get high. Right next to the Bright Angel campground where we were staying, there is a place called Phantom Ranch where you can buy snacks and drinks. You can also stay overnight at their cabins but those get booked by lottery 15 months in advance. We enjoyed some drinks there as well as a hot meal in the evening (with advance reservation). It was hot when we got there with their thermometer showing 118 degrees. To say it felt hot is an understatement. Having lemonade and then getting in the creek definitely helped. We loved our stew dinner at Phantom Ranch! It is unlimited stew and it comes with a salad, bread, dessert, and ice tea with an option of hot drinks. The campground felt like an oven and it was very difficult to sleep there in the heat.

The next day we packed up camp and left at 4:20 am and started our ascent up the Bright Angel trail. We used our headlamps for only half an hour or so. We crossed the beautiful Colorado River using the famous Silver Bridge. We also saw some people riding mules down the trail. Mules are also used to deliver food down to Phantom Ranch, and hikers can pay for mules to carry their bags in and out of the canyon. It started getting a bit hot during the last 3 miles of our hike but nothing unmanageable, we were able to cool down by getting our clothes wet at the resthouses. Eating chips, granola bars, gummy bears, and sour patch kids during the hike worked great for us. I felt a little nauseous after eating some beef jerky which didn’t turn out to be a great snack choice right during the steep climb at the end. I felt better after resting in the shade and having Garret carry my backpack for a few minutes. Overall we were in awe of the scenery and all we got to see during this experience. We are already thinking of coming back sometime in the future!

Enjoy the photos below! Some photos have captions if you hover over them before clicking to see the zoomed-in picture.

Below the photos, there is a section with a few videos.

Beautiful scenery on the way from Phoenix to Grand Canyon

We were facinated by the "Elk crossing" signs

Finally arrived at the South rim of the Grand Canyon on Wednesday

Mules are used to transport things down into the canyon. There is no road access to the bottom of the canyon.

Bright Angel trail as seen from South Rim

Most of these overlooks have no guard rail! Gotta be careful

We now board a 5 hour shuttle ride to take us from the South Rim to the North Rim

Along the ride to the North Rim we pass the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Now we are beginning to climb elevation to the North Rim (8000+ feet)

The shuttle pulled over so we could all look at this herd of buffalo, a rare sight!

Then we go take a walk to Bright Angel Point before it gets dark

This trail has some VERY steep dropoffs, some over 1000 feet

The North Rim Lodge with the sunset behind it

Morning of our big hike, Thursday 6/6. This is the North Kaibab Trailhead

Still at high elevation along the North Rim so we still see pine trees and evergreens

Made it down to Coconino Overlook. Here we run into some friends we met on the shuttle and they take our picture

Finally, we can see the Redwall Bridge, in the distance

The bridges are impressively engineered and quite solid. Machinery and materials to build bridges here were likely carried by mule, people, or flown in via helicopter

Many portions of the trail are carved from the edge of the rock

These steps were very large and uneven. Watch your step!

Roaring springs! This spring delivers water to the entire canyon and both the North and South rims, via a complex system of pipelines

I think this may be the beginning of the bright angel creek, or at least a stream that feeds it

This part of our hike is getting really hot! We stop taking as many pictures

Now we detour to visit Ribbon Falls, wading across Bright Angel Creek

After finding our way through the poorly marked path, we finally see Ribbon Falls!

We went swimming here to cool off, it was REALLY hot

Back to our hike, getting our clothes wet to cool off.

Again, swimming in the creek to cool off

Refilling water supply from the creek and filtering the water for safety

Now we've reached "The Box" where the canyon walls close in and are really close to the trail. Traditionally, this part of the hike is very hot but since we "wasted" so much time going to Ribbon Falls, we now get to hike most of this canyon in the shade, thankfully

Impressive series of walls built along the trail through the box area

Some black/red stripes along the walls of the canyon

The walls of some parts of the bright angel canyon are surpisingly narrow. I think this is Phantom Creek, coming to join Bright Angel Creek

After 15 miles of hiking and over 5000 feet of elevation loss, we're pretty worn out! We're happy to make it to Phantom Ranch. The lemonade refills were only $1, we got several

The temperature in this particular part of the canyon was 118!

We had made reservations for the stew dinner

We enjoyed the stew, salads, and everything!

Early Friday morning, we use our headlamps to light our way. Crossing the silver bridge across the Colorado River

The sun is coming up and since the canyon is so much wider here, we don't need our headlamps anymore

The Colorado river is bigger than it seems in the pictures. You might have to zoom in to realize there are people standing at the edge of the river in the center of this photo

Heading up Bright Angel Trail, we finally start to climb in elevation

Known as the "Devil's Corkscrew" this portion of the trail is known to be brutal in the direct sun. We climbed it early before it got too hot out.

This sign was angled for downhill hikers to see, as a warning!

Now getting to the steps on Bright Angel Trail, it's getting steeper

It is now getting incredibly hot, occasionally we stop in little bits of shade to cool off.

We didn't take many pictures duing this part since the climbing was so difficult. Looking down to see how far we've made it up.

Another instance of the famous "Victor Vomit" sign

A field of cactus along the way to Phoenix

A few more pictures of the Vermilion Cliffs from Wednesday's shuttle ride

Videos

Ribbon falls was beautiful from below!

Ribbon falls was also quite refreshing after climbing up behind the falls.

Sorry for the bad quality buffalo pictures and videos. I think my phone camera lens might have been dirty.

We had a couple of groups of equine animals pass us but the ones in this video didn't seem to be carrying supplies, they seem like they might be privately owned. We also aren't 100% sure if these are horses or mules but mules are better at navigating steep terrain like this.