Grand Canyon: Rim to River to Rim in a day.

To kick off our South West road trip we decided to make a day hike out of trek from the south rim to the Colorado River via the South Kaibab trail, then up to Phantom Ranch for a rest, then head back to the south rim via the Bright Angel trail. All this during an "excessive heat warning". 17 miles. It took us 11 hours, which wasn't too bad considering the heat. THE HEAT!! Holy cow it was hot!

We did this hike during an excessive heat warning and we hiked more or less non-stop (except for short breaks). This is not something I would recommend to anyone. That being said we are in good physical shape to do the hike. We brought more than the recommended amount of water, had plenty of salty snacks, and had all the recommended equipment. I also read the entire book “Death in the Grand Canyon” to get a sense of what could go wrong and how to learn from other’s mistakes. The heat will literally crush you and it is completely unrelenting. It doesn’t matter how good of shape you are in, if you are not prepared and don’t rest often it will shut you down. In fact I think a lot of very physically fit people get into even more trouble because their bodies are tough and as a result they keep going past the point that they should and end up in bad shape.

So here’s my take on hiking from rim to river to rim in a day (on one of the hottest days of the year). These are the main things to consider; not necessarily in any particular order they are all super important and dependent on each other (like a chain, its only as strong as the weakest link):

1) Physical Fitness

2) Route / Time

3) Water / Food

4) Weather

5) Gear

6) Play it Safe

Ok, so here are the details on those points:

1) Physical Fitness

You need to make sure that you are capable and used to hiking around 20 miles in a single push. Combine that with the over two miles of elevation change that you’re going to have to deal with. Get plenty of long days in training before you go. If you can’t comfortably run a 10k while being conversational and you aren’t up to hiking for twelve or so hours with much rest - then you shouldn’t even think about making a day hike out of the Grand Canyon.

2) Route / Time

You want to pick a route that has plenty of water (especially on the uphill leg). We hiked down the South Kaibab trail, which doesn’t have any water. This was fine, because it was all down hill and is not that long (about seven miles). I went through about three liters of water on this section. We hiked back up the Bright Angel trail, where there was water at the Bright Angel Camp ground at the Colorado River, then there is water at the Indian Garden Campground, the 3 mile rest stop and the 1.5 mile rest stop. This made a camel back that holds 2-3 liters and another 1 liter water bottle was plenty for us to get through the hike up.

Time is also important, in several senses. First, how much time do you need to complete the hike. For us it took 11 hours (we rested a lot on the way up, because we hiked through the hottest part of the day; not recommend). You want to get an early start (sunrise or just before), then ideally you would want to rest in shade until after about 4pm when the sun leaves much of the Bright Angel trail in the shade, before you start back up. The last shuttle on the rim runs about 10pm, so as long as you’re back before that you have a nice ride back to your car. Secondly its important to keep track of time in the sense of how often you are eating salty snacks, drinking water, and moving along your planned route. Bring headlamps whether you think you’ll need them or not.

3) Water / Food

I discussed the water issue above, but in general follow the park’s recommendations for water intake. In general, during the summer especially, you want to be pretty much constantly sipping water (a camel back helps a lot with this), also have a towel or bandana over your head that you keep moist. Dunk you head and body in streams (NOT the Colorado) whenever you get the chance. Your brain can literally cook when the temps in sunlight are scorching around 115-120 like they were the day we hiked.

Eat salty snacks every hour and supplement your water intake with sports drinks! When you are hiking in the dry heat of the Grand Canyon you will not notice that you are sweating tons. Even if you are dirking lots of water you can be in danger of flushing your system of salts (electrolytes) to a dangerous level. Eating plenty of salty snacks and sports drinks will help so much. We began to feel nauseated on our way back up and we always felt way better after some gatorade and snacks.

4) Weather

Check weather reports and make smart decisions. If its going to be very hot, only hike during the cooler parts of the day (basically avoid hiking between 11am and 4pm). Don’t hike if heavy rains or strong thunderstorms are in the forecast.

5) Gear

Make sure you have a map, compass, headlamps, extra batteries, a towel for your head, extra water, good shoes, whistle, water filter device, and a comfortable back pack.

6) Play it Safe

If the weather report looks dicey - don’t hike. If the heat is going to be high - avoid hiking in the middle of the day and up your water and snacks. If you feel nauseated, over heated, out of breath, light headed, etc - find shade and rest, hydrate, and eat. Better to hike out in the dark feeling good then to rush it and suddenly find yourself in bad shape.

This is all just FYI stuff. I’m not an expert, this is all based on my experience alone. Yours may differ greatly. Hiking any trail in the Grand Canyon, for any distance can be hazardous and or deadly.

Be smart, play it safe, and most importantly discuss your plans with a park ranger before leaving for the trail.

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