Hi Julian,

The best direction to dayhike r2r is a question a lot of people debate. But I think you’re also asking two different questions. When deciding between hiking north to south vs. south to north, many people assume north to south is easier because it has 1,000 feet more downhill, while south to north entails 1,000 feet more uphill. But having hiked r2r a few times, going in both directions, including hiking or running r2r2r (across and back in a day) twice, I’ve always found the biggest impact on leg muscle soreness and fatigue is the long, steep, pounding descents.

The question about which route is longer regards choosing between going up (or down, depending on the direction you hike) the Bright Angel Trail or the South Kaibab Trail, and the South Kaibab is steeper and entails a bit more vertical elevation gain (or loss) than the Bright Angel.

I offer more detailed tips on those questions in my e-book “The Complete Guide to Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim,” which also gets into detail about the very best times of year to do it, which I note because you mentioned planning to do it in September.

Good luck with your r2r! Get in touch anytime.

J

Hi Mark,

Yes, the park doesn’t open the North Rim until May 15. Hiking from the South Rim to the Colorado River and back up in a day is a hard hike that has surprised many people, so you must have trained well to hike it that quickly. Keep in mind that the difficulty ramps up significantly the hotter the day is. Good luck with your training for rim to rim and I think the detailed advice in this story and my e-book will help you. Be safe.

Hi Michael

After visiting the canyon I can certainly see why you would caution me about attempting the rim to rim. Last May when I was there the North Rim and the North Kaibab Trail were closed so I didn’t get to attempt it. I did do the rim to river to rim and it wasn’t that difficult for me. I did it in a little over 6 hours. I was able to snag an overnight permit and spent two nights in the canyon, but could only go to Cottonwood because of trail closures. I did 8 dayhikes on 20 or more miles with similar elevations so I think it is realistic for me. I am planning on going back this year for another attempt. I will hike from the north then stay in a motel for two nights and return the next day. I have been training year-round.

Mark

Hi Mark,

Well done, knocking off those two big Tetons hikes in a day, especially Static Peak Divide to Jenny Lake. You ask a good question. As you probably know, those two Tetons hikes roughly compare with the distance of hiking the Grand Canyon from South Rim to North Rim in a day but present only about half the cumulative elevation gain and loss as rim to rim, which is well over 10,000 vertical feet. I don’t have to tell you, I’m sure: That’s a huge difference. It is, in many respects, almost twice the exertion and energy output as those Tetons hikes.

You know yourself better than I do, of course. Consider these questions: How many hours did it take you to complete those Tetons hikes and are you able to go perhaps another three to five hours, with a lot more up and down, in a day? Did you finish those Tetons hikes feeling like your body had a lot of energy left in reserve or feeling mostly whipped? Do you have any knee or other joint issues or nagging chronic injuries that could flare up when you’re deep in the canyon and a rescue may involve a helicopter flight?

As for late May, chances are high it will be too hot then and the heat is your biggest enemy on a rim-to-rim hike. Ideally, go at a time of year when you’ll likely have the lowest number of hours in the day that are hot but still a good amount of daylight, which is the first part of October or the second half of April.

It’s a great day but I certainly always advise people to not underestimate the toll. I’ve seen many dayhikers who were struggling with every step uphill to the North Rim (and South Rim) when they were still a long way from getting there, realizing only then that they had not realized how hard it would be.

Not trying to just sell you something but if you decide to try it, I think my e-guide will give you much useful information (at a small cost).

Thanks for the good question and good luck to you.

I am a fit 66 year old hiker that trains year round. I did the Death Canyon Static Peak Divide to Jenny Lake in a day as well as Paintbrush Canyon-Cascade Canyon loop from String Lake. Is it realistic for me to do the Northbound Rim to Rim in a day. Is the last week in May too late on account of heat.

Mark

Hi Sue,

Thanks for the questions and for buying my e-guide to dayhiking the Grand Canyon rim to rim. To answer your questions:

1. I don’t know of any guides who offer rim-to-rim dayhiking and all guide services operating in the park must be approved by the national park. Since the park discourages rim-to-rim dayhiking, it seems unlikely they’d approve that type of guide service.

2. Yes, the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim stops operating when the North Rim traditionally closes down on Oct. 15. The Kaibab Lodge, five miles outside the park’s North Rim entrance, recently came under new ownership. The new owner contacted me not long ago to tell me about their plans to improve services there, including offering a hiker shuttle service to the North Kaibab Trailhead and between the North and South rims and the prospect of operating year-round. See kaibablodge.com.

3. November can bring snow and it’s hard to predict when snow may close the road to the North Rim, but it is often open well into November.

Good luck!

You and I emailed a bit a while back and I bought this guide you created, which is very helpful. I am trying to organize a trip this Fall and have 3 questions:

1. Do you know any guides that would be willing to do the trip with us?

2. Where would you stay toward the end of October on the North Rim? The Grand Canyon Lodge closes 10/15 apparently.

3. If we went as late as the first week in November, is there any risk we could not access the north rim trail? I read that they sometimes close it due to weather.

Thanks so much,
Sue

Hi George,

There are just a few backpacker camps along the rim-to-rim trails from the North Rim to the South Rim and all are quite popular and usually full. The park’s website does provide details but you can also use my e-guide “The Best First Backpacking Trip in the Grand Canyon.”

And I can help you plan that trip or a more remote one in the Grand Canyon; I’ve done several in there. See my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how.

Good luck.

can average 12-15 mile/day and just hoping for a couple suggestions as to campsites and trails – any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Thanks for that report, John.

In October 2020, there were a few metal boxes (similar to bear boxes) near the Phantom Ranch cabins. Not sure if they’re open for everyone to use, but we stored some food, powders, and gels there. It was about 4am, so no one was around for us to ask. Happy to report that they were all there when we got back! Also, the food selection at Phantom Ranch was pretty thin if you didn’t order ahead. Actually, I don’t remember if that was even an option during the COVID time.

Hi Joe,

Good questions. The North Rim Lodge, where I’ve stayed when I hiked r2r2r over two consecutive days, does have good food, but it is more than a mile each way and the time to cover those road miles, plus order and eat food while there, would be significant. Last time I ran-hiked r2r2r one partner’s spouse generously drove around and met us at the North Rim (North Kaibab Trailhead) with food and drinks plus a change into dry clothes, which helped enormously, of course. But it’s a 9-hour round-trip drive between the rims.

I’m not sure it’s possible to buy a breakfast or dinner at Phantom unless you’re a guest; good question. Either would require starting from one rim very early and returning to the rim very late. I prefer to complete as much of the r2r2r in daylight as possible. But we did stop at the small store at Phantom on the return leg of the r2r2r last time and bought snacks. I’d definitely recommend carrying cash for that.

Thanks for your help

Joe

Hi John,

There’s no public parking at the South Kaibab Trailhead. The free park shuttle bus serves that trailhead with regular stops, the schedule varying at different times of year. See nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/shuttle-buses.htm.

That page also explains that the park shuttle system is not operating currently (as of 8/11/20) due to the coronavirus.

Good luck.