Grand Canyon Rim to Rim, version 2017.1

OK, I’ve already explained that this whole rim to rim thing was part of the fuel for this fire that has led me to this MO-Outdoors.  I think that writing a bit about it, sharing the route we took, and going in to the logistics of the trip are worth noting and you may find it helpful. In addition, I think some of the photos from the hike may be motivation for you to seek out your own My 3:59 adventure.  

This will take a while as there is a lot of information, so I will break it down into as many different posts as needed to keep it from boring you to death.  So what exactly is a rim to rim hike in the Grand Canyon?  Basically it is hiking from the south rim to the north rim, or vice versa.  Distance can range a bit depending on exact route taken and optional side excursions, but the minimum distance is about 22 miles.  This hike can be done several ways, to include doing the entire hike in one day, or camping along the way in the canyon for one or more nights, and even staying at the Phantom Ranch in the bottom of the Canyon if you are really living large.  There is no right or wrong way to do it, although some ways may make better sense for you depending on your fitness level, available time, etc.  

Our travel group of 10 men decided to take on the rim to rim in one day, beginning early in the morning on the north rim and hiking all day and finishing the day on the south rim.  We probably chose this route because it was the easiest, with no reservations or permits needed (reservations are required pretty far in advance to get into Phantom Ranch, and permits are needed to camp).  In addition, the amount of gear necessary for a day hike is minimal.

Dan Klein, my friend in Bowling Green, KY, got the ball rolling by calling daily for available cabins on the north rim.  Once he got a few of them lined up, he then planned our trip around the date that those cabins were available.  Fortunately he continued to call and was able to secure enough cabins for everyone in the group to have a bed for the night.  Dan basically did the same thing for the El Tovar, a historical lodge on the south rim, and was able to get the group lined up for beds once we reached the other side.  This was no small task and took some persistence to line everything up.  I was the sole St. Louis hiker, with the other nine from the Bowling Green area, and we were able to arrange our flights to arrive in Phoenix within 30 minutes of each other.  

From there we piled our luggage and bodies into a 15 passenger van and took the 6 hour drive towards the north rim.  I have not spent much time in Arizona, so I really enjoyed the drive through the desert.  I was amazed at the plant diversity on even just the short ride.  I don’t know a darn thing about cacti, but enjoyed the beautiful assortment, with the large saguaro as my favorite. I guess that I wasn’t familiar with the area, because I was amazed to drive through the Coconino National Forest around Flagstaff and see that we were practically in the mountains.  I could see distant snow covered San Francisco Peaks. The trees were mix of spruce and aspen…..Then after a short drive we were back in the desert again.  

As the sun seemed to be get lower in the sky, we came upon the first real glimpse of the Colorado River when we stopped at the lookout at the Navajo Bridge over Marble Canyon.  This was our first taste of what we had ahead of us.

Believe me, it is way farther down that it looks in this photo.  This was exciting for us all and fired us up as we moved onward towards the north rim.  

Thanks for reading.

 

Written by: PJ McCaslin