This has to be one of my favorite hikes of all time. It is one of those hikes that now makes me feel that I can go through anything and do anything after conquering the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Hike in 1 day (9.5 hours to be exact). This hike is not recommended by the park services and many other people will frown upon this hike, but for me it was a test and always something that I wanted to do. I have hiked the Grand Canyon South Rim twice previously with the Bright Angel Trail and the South Kaibob Trail. I would recommend doing those trails in one day before going up against the rim to rim hike in one day.
In this post, you will be able to find everything you need to know for making an epic adventure of hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim in one day!
The Trail From the South Rim to the North Rim
The goal of this was to hike the South Rim to the North Rim in one day over the weekend. My friend and I both worked in Phoenix, Arizona and we had to work the Friday before the hike and Monday after the hike. We did not take any time off of work and decided that we were both a bit young, wild, and hungry to push ourselves to the limits. It was just the beginning of the North Rim season that kicked off May 15th and we decided if we were going to do the rim to rim hike, the best time to do it was early in the season.
We left work Friday at 4:00PM and drove directly to Flagstaff from Phoenix, Arizona. It was about 6:30PM when we reached Flagstaff. We ate dinner at a burrito restaurant and then 7PM we were back on the road to the South Rim Trail Head. We made it to the South Rim visitor center around 8:30 PM and picked up a parking permit to enter the South Rim Grand Canyon. We were able to find a parking spot on the south side of the Desert View Drive which is east of Yaki Point Road. This is the best place to park if hiking the South Rim in the early morning because it is the closest parking lot to the South Kaibob trail head. Everywhere else you would have to park and take the shuttle service. At 9PM we put down the seats in the Subaru Forester and tried to rest our eyes for a few hours. Midnight then hit and that is when we decided to start walking down the side of the road until we met the South Kaibob trail head. It was about a quarter mile walk to the trail head.
We put our camp lamps on and started the descent down the South Kaibob Trail. We did a bit of a jog on our way down which allowed less stress on our knees. We made great timing and reached the Bright Angel Lodge around 3:30AM in the morning. During this point we only passed one other hiker who was hiking from the North Rim to the South Rim in one hit. He was not wearing a head light and his eyes had adjusted to using the moon as his light. During that night it was a bit cloudy, I would have had a hard time with no head light. It is important to remember to be friendly and turn your light off or move it to the side when passing. At the Bright Angel Lodge, we had a small snack and rested for about 15 minutes , not allowing our legs to get tight.
Then we were off and were heading our way on the clear creek trail junction making our way up the North Rim. This was primarily flat for a few miles which was great to allow the legs to adjust a bit from the impact of going down hill.
(Image reference: https://www.grandcanyon.org/park-information/trails/north-kaibab-trail/)
While on the clear creek trail junction we passed a trail runner who was doing a rim to rim to rim hike non-stop. That is the type of stuff that was extra motivation for us. We were only going one way rim to rim and there were people going there and back. We kept pushing on and the ascent up to the top began. I strongly recommend bringing hiking poles. These were great to have to relieve some stress on the legs. I used to call them “sissy poles” but these are a must when doing some serious ascents and descents.
At around 5:30AM the sun started rising and we were in awe of the sunrise from being in the middle of the canyon. Absolutely gorgeous to see. It made us take a breath and notice that we were doing something special. The hike up the North Rim had amazing views. There were a few mini waterfalls and the landscape was breath-taking. I am a bigger fan of the North Rim views than the South Rim after doing this hike.
At about 7:00AM we started to run into a few more people. A few people were staying at the cotton wood camp and we were able to fill up our water bottle there. We had a few snacks and we were still feeling pretty good. It was not too bad until about the last 2 miles where it became much steeper. There was a point where our pace became much slower and we stopped almost every 10 minutes to catch our breath and have some water. We were not dehydrated, we were just starting to get fatigued and the steepest part is at the end. We continued pushing through step by step and saw some amazing cliff edges nearing the top of the canyon. After 20 miles (32 kilometers) at about 9:30AM, we reached the top of the North Rim. We did not expect to finish in 9.5 hours. We thought that it would take us about 11-13 hours.
Now that the hike was over we were ready to relax a bit. The shuttle back to the South Rim did not leave until 2:00PM. We stopped at a convenient store on our way to the North Rim Lodge to get a few snacks. We then got to the North Rim lodge around 10:15AM and were able to relax and take a small nap. The bus then arrived at 2PM. It was a 4.5 hour bus ride back to South Rim which gave us some time take a nap on our way back to the South Rim. We arrived back to the car at 6:30PM. Once we arrived back to the car we were well rested and decided to make our way back to Flagstaff and then we would decide to stay the night in Flagstaff or continue driving back to Phoenix. We made it to Flagstaff around 8:30 PM and stopped for dinner. After dinner we felt refreshed and decided to continue our trek back to Phoenix. We finally made it back to Phoenix around 11:30PM Saturday Night. We both were exhausted and were able to sleep in on Sunday. After a well rested sleep and running a few errands on Sunday we were well refreshed and just a little sore and were able to make it back to work on Monday.
People thought we were crazy for pulling this adventure off. There are 24 hours in the day, it is up to you to make the most of your time. You can do a lot and your body is capable of withstanding some extreme conditions. If choosing to do the rim to rim hike, do it either at the beginning or end of the north rim season to avoid the super hot Arizona heat. Do not forget to soak in the amazing scenery and enjoy the experience while you are crushing the trail!
Tips for Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim in One Day
- The hike is doable, but tough – if you do it right, it is possible. If you believe that you cannot do it, do not try. People get dehydrated, injured, and even die on this trail every year.
- Get proper hiking shoes. I have hiked the Grand Canyon once in Nike tennis shoes and twice in hiking shoes. Hiking shoes make a world of difference with support and comfort.
- Bring water and salty snacks – do not over pack. There are water spots at the end of South Kaibob trail at Bright Angle Lodge (none on South Kaibob Trail). Be smart and conserve water and food. You will have the chance to fill up water at a few spots on the way. Sip on water during the whole hike, not only when you are thirsty. Drink a mix of Gatorade and water.
- Going down South Kaibob is faster than going down Bright Angel Trail
- Hike at the beginning of the North Rim Season or at the end of the season to avoid the extreme Arizona summer heat.
- Carry your trash out – keep the place clean for everybody else
- Bring sunglasses, hat, and sunscreen.
- Use hiking poles.
- Take in the beauty of the scenery!
