This article is a supplement to the American National Parks Series Vol. 3: Grand Canyon National Park.

Grand Canyon·18 hiking routes

When visiting the Grand Canyon National Park, if you just take photos on the observation deck, you can visit the park in 1 to 2 hours. However, seeing the majesty of the Grand Canyon, it is difficult for anyone to resist the temptation not to hike.

01
PART
Hiking route

 

The topography and main attractions of Grand Canyon National Park are as follows. Most hiking routes start and end near these attractions:

 

Grand Canyon·18 hiking routes

 

 

S
South RimSouth Rim

 

Most people hike on the South Rim, where there are 5 hiking trails:

 

1) Rim Trail/edge trail

 

  • Starting point: South Kaibab Trailhead (very close to Yaki Point in the picture above)

  • End point: Hermits Rest

  • Length: 21 kilometers one way , but there are many entrances and exits along the way, and they are all near the shuttle bus station. You can choose to enter or exit the hiking trail at any stop. PS: This route covers the red line, blue line and orange line of the shuttle bus. Please pay attention to which line you are on when getting on the bus.

  • Difficulty: Easy, there is shade along the entire route, and the path is flat and well-groomed. However, drinking water will not be provided throughout the journey.

  • For more information see:

    HTTPS://wuwuwu.nanpingcity.gov/人动/plan人visit/upload/RIM trail map.PDF

    HTTPS://wuwuwu.Nanping City.gov/人开/plan人visit/upload/RIM trail.PDF

 

Grand Canyon·18 hiking routes

Grand Canyon·18 hiking routes

2) Bright Angel Trail/Bright Angel Trail

 

  • Starting point: Bright Angel Lodge

  • End point: Phantom Ranch

  • Length: 16 kilometers one way, but few people walk the entire distance. Most people only walk the first 5 kilometers and return the same way. It is recommended that you only go as far as Indian Garden (8 kilometers one way) and then turn back.

  • Difficulty: Moderate, relatively steep, with an altitude drop of 1,000 meters and no shade most of the time. There are only a few water points throughout the journey.

  • More information can be found at:

    HTTPS://wuwuwu.Nanping City.gov/人干/plan人visit/upload/bright Angel trail.PDF

 

Grand Canyon·18 hiking routes

 

3) South Kaibab Trail/South Kaibab Trail

 

  • Starting point: Yaki Point

  • End point: Phantom Ranch

  • Length: 12 kilometers one way, but few people walk the entire distance. Most people only go to Cedar Ridge (2.4 kilometers one way) or Skeleton Point (4.8 kilometers one way) and return the same way.

  • Difficulty: Moderate, relatively steep, with an altitude drop of 1100 meters and no shade. There are no drinking water points throughout the journey.

  • More information can be found at:

    HTTPS://wuwuwu.nanpingcity.gov/人开/plan人visit/upload/south Kai dad trail.PDF

     

Grand Canyon·18 hiking routes

 

4) Hermit Trail/Hermit Trail

 

  • Start/Finish: Hermits Rest

  • Length: 12 kilometers round trip

  • Difficulty: Difficult, very steep, and the trail is not in very good condition due to age and disrepair, making the hike difficult.

  • More information can be found at:

    HTTPS://wuwuwu.nanpingcity.gov/人开/plan人visit/upload/hermit trail.PDF

 

Grand Canyon·18 hiking routes

 

5) Grand View Trail/Beautiful Trail

 

  • Start/end point: Grand View Point

  • Length: 10 kilometers round trip

  • Difficulty: Hard, equally steep and in disrepair.

  • More information can be found at:

    HTTPS://wuwuwu.Nanping City.gov/give people a wipe/plan someone visit/upload/grand view trail.PDF

 

Grand Canyon·18 hiking routes

 

Note: Some lines provide round-trip length because you have no other choice but to return the way you came; some lines provide one-way length because you can either quit taking the shuttle bus or choose another route to return without having to backtrack.

 

N
North RimNorth Rim

 

There are 13 hiking trails on the North Rim, but only one, the North Kaibab Trail, leads to the valley floor:

 

1) Bright Angel Point Trail/Bright Angel Point Trail

 

  • Start/Finish: Bright Angel Point

  • Length: 0.8 kilometers round trip

  • More information can be found

    HTTPS://wuwuwu.nanpingcity.gov/places/000/bright-Angel-point-trail.htm

 

2) Transept Trail

 

  • Start/Finish: Grand Canyon Lodge

  • Length: 4.8 kilometers round trip

  • More information can be found at:

    HTTPS://wuwuwu.nanpingcity.gov/places/000/transept-trail-grand-canyon-lodge.htm

 

3) Bridle Trail

 

  • Starting point: Grand Canyon Lodge

  • End: North Kaibab Trailhead

  • Length: 2 kilometers one way

  • More information can be found at:

    HTTPS://wuwuwu.nanpingcity.gov/places/000/bridle-path-north-end.htm

 

4) North Kaibab Trail/North Kaibab Trail

 

  • Start: North Kaibab Trailhead

  • End point: Phantom Ranch

  • Length: 22.5 kilometers one way , but few people walk the entire distance. Most people only go to Coconino Overlook (1.2 kilometers one way) or Supai Tunnel (3.2 kilometers one way) and return the same way.

  • More information can be found at:

    HTTPS://wuwuwu.nanpingcity.gov/人开/plan Someone visit/upload/north_Kai Dad_trail.PDF

 

5) Ken Patrick Trail

 

  • Starting Point: Point Imperial

  • End: North Kaibab Trailhead

  • Length: 16 kilometers one way

 

6) Uncle Jim Trail

 

  • Start/end: ​​North Kaibab Trail parking lot

  • Length: 16 kilometers round trip

 

7) Widforss Trail

 

  • Start/end point: 0.4 kilometers south of Cape Royal Road

  • Length: 16 kilometers round trip

 

8) Arizona Trail

 

  • Starting point: Near the north gate of the park

  • End point: North Kaibab Trail

  • Length: 16 kilometers one way

Note: The Arizona Trail aims to establish a hiking trail connecting Utah and Mexico. This is just part of the Arizona Trail.

 

9) Cape Royal Trail

 

  • Start/Finish: Southeast side of Cape Royal parking lot

  • Length: 1 km round trip

 

10) Cliff Springs Trail

 

  • Starting point/end point: Along the road near Cape Royal

  • Length: 1.6 kilometers round trip

 

11) Cape Final Trail

 

  • Start/Finish: Cape Final parking lot

  • Length: 6.4 kilometers round trip

 

12) Roosevelt Point Trail

 

  • Start/End: Roosevelt Point Trail

  • Length: 0.3 kilometers round trip

 

13) Point Imperial Trail

 

  • Start/Finish: Cape Final parking lot

  • Length: 6.4 kilometers round trip

 

It's not that I don't do my best, but the North Rim is not developed much, it's not popular, and there isn't much information...

 

02
PART
RIM-TO-RIM

 

RIM-TO-RIM, as the name suggests, fate comes from fate. It means going down from the rim of the Grand Canyon to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, to the edge of the Colorado River, and then back from the bottom to the rim of the Grand Canyon.

Most of the RIM-TO-RIM are taken from the South Rim, from the South Kaibab Trail to the bottom of the valley, and then from the Bright Angel Trail. Because the South Rim has convenient transportation, you can take the shuttle bus Return to your parking spot.

PS: This is the road I took. If you are interested, you can read my travel notes, which will be posted on the topic #GrandCanyon before the end of March.

Some people also like to go down from the North Rim and up to the South Rim. The challenge of this route is transportation: if you park your car on the North Rim, you will need to drive for several hours to get back to your parking spot after going up to the South Rim. Taking a taxi here is quite expensive. of.

 

There are also warriors who challenge RIM-TO-RIM-TO-RIM, that is, go down the south rim, go up and then down the north rim, and then go up the south rim. This is not a challenge that ordinary people like us can challenge.

 

Due to the extreme heat here, it is very difficult to reach the bottom and back in one day. It is best to spend two days to complete it, and stay overnight at the Ghost Mountain Villa or Bright Angel Campground at the bottom of the valley.

In fact, the official website of the Grand Canyon reads: Under no circumstances should you attempt to hike from the rim to the river and back in one day! Do not hike during the hottest part of the day. Under no circumstances is it allowed to challenge RIM-TO-RIM within one day.

Of course, I have seen many master-level people on the Internet challenge a one-day round trip and succeed. However, they are all year-round hikers, and their speed and endurance are much stronger than ordinary people.

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