Day 1
Meet with your guides at 11:00 AM at the North Rim Lodge for gear check and trip briefing. From here guides and participants board a shuttle to the North Rim, which takes roughly 5 hours. Participants are responsible for food and lodging on this day.
Day 2
Meet 6:00AM at the North Rim Lodge for breakfast and to catch the Park Service shuttle to the North Kaibab Trailhead. Camp at Cottonwood.
ELEVATION
MILEAGE
N. Kaibab Trailhead
8250' / 2515m
0
to
Supai Tunnel
6800' / 2073m
2.0 / 3.2km
to
Roaring Springs
5200' / 1585m
4.7 / 7.6km
to
Cottonwood Camp
4080' / 1244m
6.8 / 10.9km
ELEVATION LOSS
4170' / 1271m
6.8 / 10.9km
Day 3
Depart Camp at roughly 8:00AM for Bright Angel Camp.
ELEVATION
MILEAGE
Cottonwood Camp
4080' / 1244m
0
to
Ribbon Falls
3720' / 1134m
1.5 / 2.4km
to
Phantom Ranch
2546' / 776m
6.9 / 11.1km
to
Bright Angel Camp
2480' / 756m
7.3 / 11.8km
ELEVATION LOSS
1600' / 488m
7.3 / 11.8km
Day 4
Depart Camp at roughly 8:00 AM for Indian Gardens Campground via the Bright Angel Trail.
ELEVATION
MILEAGE
Bright Angel Camp
2480' / 756m
0
to
River Trail Junction
2446' / 746m
1.6 / 2.4km
to
Plateau Point
3740' / 1140m
3.2 / 5km
to
Indian Garden
3800' / 1158m
4.7 / 7.5km
ELEVATION GAIN
1320' / 402m
4.7 / 7.5km
Day 5
Depart Camp at 7:00 AM. Estimated arrival at the Bright Angel Lodge, South Rim is 12:00PM. Participants are responsible for dinner and lodging on this day.
The idea of hiking from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is intriguing to many. The shear diversity of life between the two Rim’s is enough to take up a lifetime of exploration.
Our journey begins from the steps of the North Rim Lodge as we take an early morning shuttle to the North Kaibab Trailhead at over 8,200' above sea level. Forested trails soon lead us to Supai Tunnel, two miles below the North rim. Our trail descends past Roaring Springs and eventually to our first nights camp at Cottonwood Campground nearly seven miles below the North Rim. At 4,080' in elevation, our camp at Cottonwood can be much cooler than what we will experience the following night at Bright Angel Campground, 1,500' below and over seven miles farther down the trail.
Finally, after two days covering over fourteen miles—with roughly 5,800' of elevation loss—we arrive at Bright Angel Campground. The Colorado River is only a short walk from our camp along the banks of Bright Angel Creek at the bottom of the canyon. A well deserved Lemonade at the Phantom Ranch Cantina is a welcome treat.
Day three follows the Bright Angel trail across the Colorado River and up to the Tonto Plateau in the shortest mileage and elevation gain of the trip in roughly 4.5 miles with only about 1,300' of elevation gain. A late afternoon walk out to Plateau Point to catch a glimpse of the River below and perhaps a Condor or two, if we are lucky!
The fourth and final day of our journey travels through the Red Wall Limestone and Coconino Sandstone as we top out on the Kaibab layer and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon near Kolb Studio.
