Anyone ever do a Grand Canyon Rim to Rim?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Not retiring yet but am becoming more open to taking more time off and doing my fantasy trips while I am still physically fit enough to pull them off. One of that list is the Grand Canyon rim to rim trip. Thinking of funding it for myself and whichever adult children are interested and can make the time. My wife would be okay chilling in a nearby resort while we do the trip.

Other than googling though I don’t even know where to start! I know to plan a few days and with guide. And a lead time of over a year to get permits and all. But that’s it.

Anyone with experience to share? Guidance?

2

No personal experience, but a friend did a GC hike many years ago. Not sure if he did rim-to-rim or even exactly what that entails, but they hiked from the top down to the river and back up again. I know a couple 30+ year old second-hand anecdotes aren’t much, but for what it’s worth…

He said it was extremely strenuous, to the point that he said he lost so much weight he went down 3 notches on his belt. Not sure if he was exaggerating though, since he wasn’t overweight to begin with, and that seems like a lot of weight loss.

One night he and his hiking companions slept under the stars on a big flat rock next to the river. He said he felt something crawling across his chest, brushed it off, and it stung his thumb. Turned out it was a scorpion. Apparently scorpions in that region aren’t too dangerous, but his hand did go so numb that he couldn’t do much with it for 24 hours afterward. So, watch out for scorpions.

ETA: looking at Czarcasm’s link, I see that a ‘rim-to-rim’ hike is average 2-3 days. My friend’s hike lasted around 8 days, so it sounds like what he did was longer and more involved than a rim-to-rim hike.

3

It is just a bit over 23 miles on the north-to-south hike (and, strangely enough, the same going south-to-north :grin:) It can be done in one day…but I wouldn’t. Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim Hike: Planning Guide and Checklist – Earth Trekkers

4

I did a cross-Canyon hike about 15 years ago. I parked my car at the North Rim trailhead, took a van to the South Rim, stayed overnight at Tusayan, hiked down to Phantom Ranch in one day, then one day back up to the North Rim.

Figure out what time of year you want to do this. In the summer, the bottom of the Canyon gets pretty hot; in the winter, the rims get cold. I chose September, and still got a bit of heat exhaustion near the end of the first day. I made it to a water stop at the river and cooled myself off.

Choose which direction you want to go, and which route. The North Rim is about a thousand feet higher than the South, so I had to climb that much higher than I descended. There was a reason, though. There are two hiking trails from the South Rim to the bottom The South Kaibab Trail has better views, but there’s no water available. The Bright Angel Trail is more sheltered, so the views aren’t as dramatic, but there are a few water stops available. I decided to hike down the South Kaibab to get the views (packed plenty of water). The North Kaibab Trail is the only route to the North Rim, and there are water stops.

The reservation at the bottom was tough to get. When I did it, they started accepting calls on the first of the month, one year in advance. I started caling when they opened, got through 30 minutes later, and got the last bed for the month (so they said). If you’re doing a guided trip, I suspect they’ll take care of that for you, but I’m not sure.

Don’t take anything for granted. When I planned my trip, I found a van service to take me around the Canyon. The National Park Service website said they ran shuttle buses to Tusayan, so I figured I was all set. When I got there, the shuttle bus had shut down for the season just a few days before. A ranger told me it was only two miles to Tusayan, so I decided to walk. Turned out it was 3 or 4 miles to the Park entrance, and then 2 miles. Not the end of the world, but considering what was still ahead of me, the extra miles were a little annoying.

I did this 15 years ago, so anything might have changed since then.

5

Oh, to add a bit more, plan some recovery time. I was really dragging near the top. I kept checking my GPS; I’d climb about 50 feet and have to sit and rest. I finished well after dark, and had to drive a hundred miles to my hotel in St. George, Utah. I’ve never seen so many deer as I did driving out of the Park. As I was lurching to my room, there were room service dishes left in the hall with some food on them. I didn’t eat from any of them, but damn, I was tempted.

I could barely move for a while, and was still feeling it ten days later. On the trip home, I took a dawn flight from St. Goerge to Salt Lake City. The sun rising over the Wassatch Range was one of the most spectacular things I’ve ever seen.

6

I’ve done Rim-to-River-to-Rim as as a day hike a couple of times–not quite the same, but the preparation is the same. Get yourself in excellent hiking shape with lots of uphills and downhills. Pick a day when there’s a full moon so you can start well before sunrise. Dress appropriately (worn in boots, wide brim hat, long sleeve shirt, etc) Keep yourself hydrated. Know your limitations and be prepared for minor medical issues (blisters, scrapes, etc). Make a dinner reservation at the Lodge Dining room for a celebratory steak dinner.

7

I have a bunch of friends who’ve done R2R and R2R2R as a single continuous hike. These are mostly ultra runners who love these sorts of challenges. There are a few Facebook groups for R2R hikers that have lots of good information.

The North Rim doesn’t usually open until May 15 and closes for overnight use on Oct 15, so that’s your window. Avoiding the middle of the summer heat is key, so May and October are great months. If you are planning it as an overnight you’ve already found out how hard it is to get reservations at Phantom Ranch. If you are willing to camp in the Canyon there are guide groups that will handle the camping reservations and logistics.

I still hope to do a one day R2R, but I would need to get back in shape and address my wonky knee.

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First thanks to all for the information so far, and for the link @Czarcasm. I’ve got my homework to do! Checking that link out will be my first task!

Complete ignorance here as I am just starting gathering information to decide if it is feasible: how is Rim to River to Rim different? Same Rim?

Yeah I can’t see as a day hike. I do like the idea of having a target event to train for, coming off having run a marathon this year with my 22 year old baby girl. (Last did a marathon 26 years ago.) I think that if I could train for that this year I can manage this trip next year, and would expect that any of my kids who opt to join would take the preparation seriously as well. Scoring a reservation at Phantom Ranch seems unlikely.

9

To add to what has already been said, consider camping at a couple of the main corridor campgrounds. Cottonwood campground is about halfway down the North Kaibab trail from the North Rim; from there, it’s a full day’s hike to Havasupai Gardens on the Bright Angel Trail, about five miles down from the South Rim. If you do two nights in the Canyon, southbound, Cottonwood-Havasupai Gardens would be a good option - it breaks up the climb out into two parts (though it can mean you’re hiking the bottom of the canyon during the heat of the second day).

Taking a second night in the canyon naturally means more food, fuel, and the like to bring along, but there’s plenty of water available at the campgrounds and the resthouses on the Bright Angel Trail, so you’d need to carry less. As blondebear said, start hiking early when it’s dark to avoid the worst of the heat.

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Yes. In my case, South Rim to river and back, down to the river via the South Kaibab and back up on the Bright Angel. (And boy, did the post-hike filet mignon with all the fixin’s at the El Tovar taste good!)

11

Might consider that. See how ambitious we collectively feel. (One kid less fitness focused than the other three…)

12

Slacker.
You should do end-to-end:

(We heard the author talk about this book last week at the Durango library).

13

A couple of good companion reads:

The Man Who Walked Through Time - Colin Fletcher’s chronicle of the first person to walk a continuous route through Grand Canyon National Park.

We Swam the Grand Canyon: The True Story of a Cheap Vacation That Got a Little Out of Hand - Two guys decide it would be a good idea to “swim” the Colorado using WWII Army surplus neoprene radio covers as flotation devices.

14

I’ve gone rim-to-rim 40-50 times, always in October, hiking S to N on the Saturday, resting Sunday, then N to S Monday. There’s lots of good advice from other dopers so not much to add. I did hear that Phantom Ranch is closed for remodeling but I’d expect that to be done by next year.
Highly recommend doing a GC intro hike this year: S rim to the river and back. If you can do that this year, you’re probably fine doing the whole deal next year.
We usually pack 2 bags of clothing and toiletries. One stays at the S rim, the other is shipped via the trans canyon shuttle to the N rim.
We always hit the trail at 4. Earlier would be better, but it’s hard to get a ride to the trailhead earlier than 4. We use a headlamp and a flashlight as it’s dark for over an hour and a stumble can have serious consequences.
I eat breakfast in my room before departing and carry about 1 full meal with me, and eat most of that on the middle 7 miles, which are relatively flat. That’s your fuel for the climb. Once you start the climb, you won’t have much appetite.
One liter of water is fine for the descent, but you’ll want to top off to 2-3 liters as you cross the middle 7. Make it 3. Don’t count on water during the climb out.
Ibuprofen is awesome. Take 4 before you start. The descent is hard on the joints and the resulting pain is demoralizing for the remaining hours.

More info later as it occurs to me.

15

That’s gonna be a hell of a job.

I will share a couple other things I remember from my trip. On the hike down, everything was very sun-bleached and dusty, except once in a while I’d pass a vibrant green plant about 8 feet high. I asked a ranger and she said they were Utah agave, which are all over the place. Most of them were just as dusty as everything else, but when they’re ready to seed they send up a tall, green stalk.

After dinner, I was sitting in the common room at the ranch. There was a father there with his kids. He was teaching them how to play poker using m&m’s as poker chips. There was something quintessentially American about that.

16

Just do it like this guy!. :smiley:

My wife and I are 62,63. Maybe 5 years ago we just did S rim to PR, stayed for a day, then back out. It wasn’t a killer, but it was by no means a casual stroll. It is one of our life’s favorite trips.

I think people posting here should be pretty up front about their age and fitness. I was no superstar, but was pretty darned fit for someone in their late 50s. Back then, I don’t think I could have gone down and back in one day. Today, after developing some hip arthritis, I don’t think I could even make it one way. We had our gear carried down and up on mules.

Water is something to consider. IIRC, there was water only on one of the S rim trails (Bright Angel?), but not the other (South Kaibab), and none to the N rim. So you have to bring plenty with you. And it gets QUITE WARM near the river. We went just before they shut off the Bright Angel water and it was 110+F at the bottom.

If going rim to rim, you have to figure out transportation. If you start on the south and end up at the north, you have to figure out how to get back to your car. Maybe your wife could tear herself away from th eresort to pick you all up…

Phantom Ranch was pretty cool. You need to call first thing 1 year ahead to get reservations.

Another thing that would be cool is to hike down, and then raft out.

It is a great trip. Enjoy!

17

Agreed, except water is available between Phantom and the N rim at Cottonwood, the Roaring Springs pump house, and at the 2 mile tunnel (although the last one is currently dry).

18

I did my hikes when I was in my late 30s/early 40s. It was definitely a strenuous hike and I was tired at the end, but I had trained for it and didn’t suffer any major aches or pains afterwards.

Actually, my most memorable Canyon hike was to Plateau Point. On my way back at about Indian (now Havasupai) Gardens a major thunderstorm rolled in with lighting strikes on the rim, intense rain and hail. Water was cascading down the canyon walls and streaming down the the middle of the trail. Not wanting to get stuck behind a slide(they had just re-opened the trail after completing repairs) I put my rain jacket on, put my head down and hiked as fast as I could to get back to the trailhead. My brother met me at the rim, and when we got back Mather campground our site was still covered with hail.

19

My BiL did it in one day with a group. He does not recommend it either. He loves that kind of stuff but hated that particular experience.

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Yup, I only know either one as a one day event. I have a few friends who’ve done R2R & one who’s done R2R2R. R2R is on my bucket list but I gotta get back in long distance shape first

Second (& third) this. Going down is much tougher on the muscles & joints than going up. Going up is all cardio & lactic acid, both of which flush fairly quickly.