Good morning! Been away from this subforum for a bit, but wanted to post some pictures and thoughts of my rim-to-rim-to-rim backpacking trip. My wife and I flew into Phoenix and were picked up by friends who live in Arizona and were joining us on the trip. We headed north and spent the night in Tusayan.
Day 1: South Kaibab Trail to Bright Angel Campground (7.2 miles): Amazing views at the top of the canyon, but what really blew my mind was when you were about halfway down and could really see the scale and perspective. This trail starts easy but gets harder, as there are big step-downs the last downhill mile. Great campsite (flush toilets and running water!) and we even walked over to Phantom Ranch and got beers to celebrate my wife's birthday.
Day 2: Bright Angel CG to Cottonwood Campground (~7 miles): An easy, mostly flat last day to let us recover and rest for the push to the North Rim.
Day 3: Cottonwood CG to North Rim, back to Cottonwood (14 miles): Our friends decided to not attempt to reach the North Rim, as they didn't feel they had the fitness to get there. My wife and I got an early start (6:15) and walked for about an hour through the desert with just the red light of our headlamps. That was a special experience. The North Kaibab Trail was an easy grade and only got steep near the top. We made it there in just over 4 hours. Had lunch outside the ranger station and then headed back. Took 4.5 hours to get back, as we were cautious going down the icy spots.
Day 4: Cottonwood CG to Havasupai (formerly Indian) Gardens CG: (12 miles): Great hike to the campground with some cool views. A great place for the four of us to spend our final night in the canyon.
Day 5: Havasupai Gardens to South Rim (4.5 miles): A relatively easy trek up the Bright Angel Trail, and an awesome sense of accomplishment when finished!
I'd definitely like to return and do more hiking in the Grand Canyon, and explore some of the non-corridor trails. A bucket list trip if you are a backpacker. Happy to answer any questions.
First view of the Grand Canyon from the South Kaibab Trailhead.
View from Cottonwood CG in the morning.
Heading up to the North Rim.
My favorite picture from the trip - looking back from near the North Rim. In the lower middle you can see the trail.
Day 1: South Kaibab Trail to Bright Angel Campground (7.2 miles): Amazing views at the top of the canyon, but what really blew my mind was when you were about halfway down and could really see the scale and perspective. This trail starts easy but gets harder, as there are big step-downs the last downhill mile. Great campsite (flush toilets and running water!) and we even walked over to Phantom Ranch and got beers to celebrate my wife's birthday.
Day 2: Bright Angel CG to Cottonwood Campground (~7 miles): An easy, mostly flat last day to let us recover and rest for the push to the North Rim.
Day 3: Cottonwood CG to North Rim, back to Cottonwood (14 miles): Our friends decided to not attempt to reach the North Rim, as they didn't feel they had the fitness to get there. My wife and I got an early start (6:15) and walked for about an hour through the desert with just the red light of our headlamps. That was a special experience. The North Kaibab Trail was an easy grade and only got steep near the top. We made it there in just over 4 hours. Had lunch outside the ranger station and then headed back. Took 4.5 hours to get back, as we were cautious going down the icy spots.
Day 4: Cottonwood CG to Havasupai (formerly Indian) Gardens CG: (12 miles): Great hike to the campground with some cool views. A great place for the four of us to spend our final night in the canyon.
Day 5: Havasupai Gardens to South Rim (4.5 miles): A relatively easy trek up the Bright Angel Trail, and an awesome sense of accomplishment when finished!
I'd definitely like to return and do more hiking in the Grand Canyon, and explore some of the non-corridor trails. A bucket list trip if you are a backpacker. Happy to answer any questions.
First view of the Grand Canyon from the South Kaibab Trailhead.
View from Cottonwood CG in the morning.
Heading up to the North Rim.
My favorite picture from the trip - looking back from near the North Rim. In the lower middle you can see the trail.