Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim Trip Report (October 2022)
~24 miles and ~5,000 ft of Type I fun.
Mileage: ~24 miles
Elevation Gain: ~5,000 ft
Trip Date: 10/07/2022
Elapsed Time: 11.5 hours (including breaks)
Back in October of 2022, Jenn, Clarisse, Paul, Lachlan, Clint and I hiked from the North to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. This was a special trip for me because about 15 years ago on a family trip, the enormity of this canyon had burst my ten-year-old brain and inspired my passion for the outdoors. I always knew I wanted to come back to venture below the rim.
Clarisse, Paul, and I flew into Las Vegas from Seattle. Clint, Jenn, and Lachlan had driven up from LA and picked us up. We rented a campsite at the South Rim's Mather Campground for 10/5, the night of our arrival.
The next day, the Trans-Canyon Shuttle picked us up from Bright Angel Lodge at 1:30pm. The 6 hour ride only cost $90, which seemed like a good deal compared to Seattle Uber prices.
Our driver was great and we were able to make a quick stop to stretch our legs at the Historic Navajo Bridge in Marble Canyon. These were some of my favorite views of the trip and we got to see condors!
We arrived at the Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge in the late evening. Our driver mentioned that another one of the shuttle drivers also takes hikers from the lodge to the trailhead in the early mornings for cash. The idea of cutting some road walking mileage from our already long day appealed to us, so we found him upon arriving and made arrangements. I think the Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge also runs shuttles, but they were full and later in the morning than we wanted.
It was the last week or two of the North Rim Lodge's seasonal operation, and a lot of their staff had already departed. Due to the staffing shortage, housekeeping was super behind. Unfortunately, we weren't able to check into our room until super late. This was not ideal due to our 4AM hiking start time.
If you want to avoid the chaos of the lodge, you're out of luck– they're the only hotel around. There's also a camping option but we didn't want to deal with hiking our overnight gear back across the canyon or making arrangements for it.
Despite our lack of sleep, we made our early morning shuttle to the trailhead and began our hike just after 4AM.
It was quite the sight to watch the flow of headlights descending the switchbacks of the canyon.
First light glowed spectacularly on the canyon walls.
After the steep descent, the valley walk felt pretty flat and easy. I was surprised how green and full of life the bottom of the canyon was.
We got lemonades and bought shirts at Phantom Ranch. The sudden burst of civilization was an odd juxtaposition from the many quiet miles we experienced traveling from the North Rim.
The later half of the trip featured slightly busier trails, since the South Rim is much busier than the North and some hike Rim to River. Still, the descent can be brutal– especially in the heat, so trails weren't crowded until just below the Rim.
Climbing back out of the canyon was when the day finally started to get hot. It became important to fill up at every water station– so ensure the pipes will be active or plan accordingly!
It felt great to be done; we were definitely ready to eat and pass out at our campsite!
I could see myself coming back for Rim to Rim to Rim...