Hi,
I will be hiking the grand canyon with another 10 people or so on March 24, up and down in 7 to 8 hours. I was just wondering about the trail itself, 8 hours for 17 miles, seems althoughly fast, this trial must not be challenging at all, just in length, is it correct to assume this? How narrow is the trail, and how much does the weather deviate from top to bottom?
thanks
As some of the posters above have noted, hiking the Grand Canyon is different than hiking in other places as there are a number of factors that you will have to deal with: distance, steep climbs, high elevation (the south rim is at 7000 feet), extreme variations in temperature, having the hard part of the hike being at the end.
On my first hike to the bottom, the person in our group who had the biggest problems was actually an Olympic trainer. A couple of years ago, a young woman who was a top finisher in the Boston Marathon died while attempting to go to the bottom and back in a day. On the other hand, many people do on a regular basis without serious problems. I have done it several times and while I am an experienced canyon hiker, I am no Olympic athlete or marathon runner.
The bottom line is that if you have not hiked in the canyon before, than you really don’t know how it will impact you – regardless of what shape you are in. I personally would not recommend going to the bottom and back in a day until you have done a few shorter hikes or done and overnight trip to test your ‘canyon legs’ first. Otherwise, you are rolling the dice… especially with that many people – if just one of you has a serious problem than you ALL have a serious problem.
As others have mentioned, there is a big difference in temp between top and bottom (although I would say the difference is usually closer to 20 degrees than 30) and weather conditions can change fast. I just came back from a backpacking trip to the bottom this weekend. On the way up, it clear and warm in the inner gorge and we were wearing just t-shirts and putting on sunscreen. By the time we reached the rim, a storm had moved in and it was snowing, freezing cold and we were all bundled up in heavy winter gear. Weather can be even more variable in March – be prepared.
One question I would have to ask is… why? Even if you all are able to do it (and do it in the very fast time of 7-8 hours), you will have very little time to enjoy Phantom Ranch or stop and take in the views. You will not really have any time to enjoy the canyon itself – which is the real reward for hiking it. I would suggest that you just go down to Plateau Point by Indian Gardens – that is still a very challenging day hike and you will get some fantastic views. Or do the Grandview trail out to Horseshoe Mesa – another excellent, but still very challenging, day hike. Don’t be so caught up in making it to the bottom and back that you miss the real treasures of the canyon.
Lastly, if you still insist on going to the bottom and back in a day and the weather is cool and cloudy, than you might want to consider taking the Kaibab trail both ways (rather than going down South Kaibab and up Bright Angel as your mileage suggests). The conventional wisdom at the canyon is to go up Bright Angel trail because it has more shade, water at Indian Gardens and the belief that it is a gentler, easier climb than SK.
The water stop at Indian Gardens IS a big plus and makes the BA trail the only real option when weather is warm. But in winter, the less shade on South Kaibab is actually an advantage since it gives you more warm sunlight and helps keep the upper portions of the trail free of ice (a potentially big issue if a storm has recently gone through). As for BA being less steep than SK… I believe this is largely a misconception caused by the belief that since BA is 3 miles longer than SK, it must be a more gradual climb. However, the extra length of BA is mostly due to the 2.5 mile stretch along the river at the bottom – the climbing parts (up the inner gorge and the Redwall limestone) are just as steep as the equivelent sections on the SK. Either route, you are going to be climbing 5000 feet – on BA you are just adding an extra 2.5 miles of walking on top of it.
For the above reasons, I greatly prefer going up South Kiabab in winter when the weather is cool and I can easily carry enough water to make it in one shot (plus the scenery is better on SK too). However, the option of going up SK is ONLY viable in winter when the day is definitely going to be cool and cloudy all day. You do NOT want to climb out on the South Kiabab if there is any chance of the high temp being above the low 70s.
In fact, no matter what route you follow, be sure that everybody in your party is carrying plenty of water – dehydration is the number one killer in the canyon and if your hiking hiking day is sunny, coming out in mid-afternoon will be grueling. Everyone should have at least 3-4 litres (plus salty snacks and electrolytes).
Raft flipping in Lava Falls in the Grand Canyon.
Flight to Grand Canyon West(Peach Springs) Skywalk,vistas and return landing at Van Nuys ,CA.
Join me for my first trip to see the Grand Canyon at Christmas this year (2007) with my good friends Patrick and Richard. Thanks to Namoli Brennet for the gorgeous song “Snow Angels.” Also thanks to hula girl from Japan – you were fabulous and adorable – so was your boyfriend. 
The weather that day was unbelievable. The wind was just blowing fiercely. However, it didn’t stop me from railfanning at the Williams Depot.
Grand Canyon Trip
Booher family vacation to Phoenix, Arizona and the Grand Canyon Spring 2009
Snowing in the Grand Canyon at the Maswik Lodge in Winter Bliss of 2009
Out in Arizona for the show, we decide to go to the Grand Canyon. To our surprise it was SNOWING, and we were all dressed for Phoenix weather. Cassie, John (DJ Sogma), and Justin (MSM)
