Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Hike in One Day

hiking from the north rim to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is a bucket list item for most hikers being able to see the canyon up close and appreciate its beauty on this 23 and 1/2 mile hike is a truly amazing experience it should be noted though that the National Park Service does not recommend that you do this hike in one day we train for the better part of four months and then set out to conquer the Grand Canyon on a one-day hike in early October here's what the adventure looked like on day one we just left from Southern California and took the six and a half hour drive to Williams Arizona when we finally made it it was nighttime and this is a route 66 town so we walked around saw into the neon lights and then headed to bed we're leaving our hotel in Williams Arizona that head to the South Rim to explore a little bit before grabbing the shuttle from Williams we grabbed coffee at a local spot called brewed awakenings and then set out on the one and a half hour drive to this South Rim of the Grand Canyon we made it to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon we used our national parks past for the entrance fee and then made our way to the parking area for the visitors center and Mather point we didn't have to be at the shuttle until 1:00 p.m. so we took some time to explore walking along the Rim Trail and looking at what we were gonna be doing the next day alright so the trail is gonna start right there and go through this canyon and then it splits up this way after walking the Rim Trail we made a quick stop at the Visitor Center tomorrow we have to climb three Empire State buildings to get out of the Grand Canyon after exploring the visitor center we continued on to the geology Museum so we're currently at and we're making our way to the backcountry Information Center which is where we parked for the shuttle which we get from right here made it to parking lot D which is the backcountry lot we're gonna go check in with a backcountry Information Center see if there's anything we need to know before getting the shuttle to the North Rim definitely checking with the backcountry place before you go they'll tell you where the good water sources are all that kind of thing plus they'll give you information on the trail but don't do this trail if you're not prepared it's a little bit less than a half mile from the parking lot to the Bright Angel lodge where we're getting the shuttle and where we end tomorrow so have to add that on the end of your hike we still had an hour to kill before the shuttle so we decided to explore the village area which has the Bright Angel lodge and more of the Rim Trail there's some truly amazing views in this section and don't forget to go to the lookout studio which is one of my favorite spots [Music] we're getting a little bit of a feel for what the end of the trail looks like for tomorrow we're gonna have to go all the way over to that side come around come through this cave and then end over by that building I don't know how this is gonna go grabbed a quick lunch before the shuttle and hey man not a bad view we are only 22 miles across but the shuttle to get to the North Rim is four hours because we have to go all the way around and back to there you got the crew loading up next stop North Rim finally it was time to set out on our four-hour drive to the North Rim the drive is really beautiful and I enjoyed being able to see more of the area that surrounds the Grand Canyon there are two stops along the route where you can get drinks and food or use the bathroom if needed this is our second stop we're halfway through our shadow to the North Rim this was Chris's yes Asian score from the road you turn off to get to the north rim it's still an hour drive this part of the drive was especially nice though as the Sun was starting to set some fall colors were coming in and we saw some animals on the drive as well eventually we made it to the Grand Canyon Lodge and got dropped off at our hotel for the night we made it to the North Rim just in time for sunset that's our destination South Rim tomorrow and that's what were staying it was awesome to be able to watch the sunset from the North Rim the Grand Canyon is that something I had never done before plus the historic hotel was fun to explore a little bit as well here's that room we only have been here for a few hours because we have a 3:00 a.m. wake-up call gonna go grab some dinner the lodge actually has two places to eat but one is a fancy dining hall and the other one is a pizza place we went with pizza it's 8 p.m. we're back in the cabin 3 a.m. is when we're starting the day so that's it for tonight 2:30 in the morning time for the adventurers story Coffee oh my gosh ding the pizza the coffee surprisingly we were the only ones on the 3:00 a.m. shuttle then we set out for the two-mile Drive to the trailhead 3:30 we are starting the hike to the South Rim unfortunately I don't have a lot to show you here because it was in the dark but I would imagine the views are pretty spectacular I don't know where we are but there's water here about a little bit less than two miles in had about the two-mile mark we got to the first point of interest which was the soup high tunnel there's Zack and then Jared and curbing them are out there somewhere the next point of interest was at 2.6 miles and that was the red wall bridge can't really see but does look like a pretty good drop off over there where Zack sat down to the canyon can't see it but you can hear the water down there don't jump on me spider we're about five miles in we're at manzanita rest area taking a snack break and hopefully it's gonna get bright so we can actually see what were to the manzanita rest area also has a bathroom and a place to fill up your water one of the best things about this trail is that there are a bunch of water fill up stations that you don't have to filter all along the trail so you don't actually have to carry a ton of water with you until the end as the trail continued on we followed along the water and just waited for the Sun to come up we're about 5 and a half miles in or something like that and it's finally starting to be sunrise so I'll be able to show you guys a little bit more of this hike as we walked between Manzanilla to rest area and Cottonwood Canyon we were greeted by some beautiful soft light and finally got to see the canyon that we had been walking in the next stop was cottonwood campground which has more drinking water and a bathroom plus it's an area you can overnight if you want to do multiple days on this Trek just leaving a Cottonwood campground says we're 6.8 miles in it's different than what I'm tracking but I'll take it it's a good spot for a bathroom break and for a drink break as well I had assumed this hike would be beautiful but I didn't know what to expect and it was amazing the entire way as soon as the Sun came up it made me a little bit sad that I didn't get to see all the parts that I missed in the dark which is why I want to come back and do it in two days I know that the end of this hike is gonna be pretty tough but I have to admit it's amazing right now it's just a gradual downhill walk there's a Creek right next to us Suns coming up out in the distance it's hard to beat if you're feeling up for it you can take the spur - ribbon Falls the bridge is down though and it adds like mile and a half or two miles to the trail so we're not doing that today if I was doing a two day hike I would go to ribbon Falls but with the bridge being down and having to walk through the water we didn't want to do it on this trip plus you can see it from a distance as you go over the hill this stretch between cottonwood campground and Phantom Ranch is basically just one long downhill section in between these canyon walls that get more narrow as you get to phantom ranch also note there's no water on this section so make sure you fill up at the camp one thing to note if you're hiking the Grand Canyon is that the temperature rose 50 degrees from the North Rim down to the base of the canyon I was in a jacket and beanie at the North Rim and then I was dipping my shirt in the water when I got to the bottom of the Grand Canyon this trail is incredible so beautiful at every turn really good is awesome Creek we get to walk along as you get to around 9 miles in the canyon just continues to get smaller and smaller with awesome old bridges and massive rock walls the crazy thing is that you're still going downhill though and you go downhill for about 16 miles I love seeing all these old bridges in the Grand Canyon as you can tell the cannons eating more narrow we're entering into a section called the box we just checked the map and we haven't even got close to the box yet so I'm excited to see how much more narrow this kidney can get on this section of the trail we probably passed about a dozen or so runners who had started from the South Rim and we're making their way to the north apparently this is a really popular running trail I can't get over how amazing this trail is seriously this section has been just incredibly beautiful at every turn after passing that bridge we're finally in this section called the box this is the bridge we just passed we got another bridge or almost took Phantom Ranch the box is known for its narrow and massive canyon walls and it's one of the hottest parts on the trail because of the way it holds the heat in you definitely want to get through here as early as you can especially in the warm months I actually thought this section would be a lot more narrow it is I'm excited to be at Phantom Ranch I heard they have fresh lemonade officially crossed into the sunlight there's no going back it was nice to have about 15 miles without the Sun but the next 10 uphill we're gonna be in the Sun welcome to Phantom Ranch six hours in made it to the end of the downhill Phantom Ranch is 16 miles from where we started and it's an oasis at the bottom of the Grand Canyon this historic property was built in 1922 and it sits along Bright Angel Creek it's still an incredibly popular place for people to come down and stay in the Grand Canyon plus it's a great rest spot on this hike with fresh lemonade and the ability to send out postcards that are delivered to the top of the Grand Canyon via Mule Team it's been about 30 minutes but unfortunately we have to leave Phantom Ranch and hike out of the Grand Canyon that is our destination the South Rim it looks really far away leaving Phantom Ranch takes you past the Bright Angel campground on your way to the Colorado River we are here and we are heading on the Bright Angel Trail to the silver suspension bridge over the Colorado River make sure you note this Junction as the South Kaibab trail is shorter but it's not recommended to take in the heat of the day as there's basically no shade or water and it has more elevation gain Bright Angel Trail that way check it out we made it to this Silver Bridge and we're about to cross the Colorado River the silver suspension bridge was built in the 1960s and it's an awesome point of interest on this hike but it also means that you're about to start heading uphill this bridge is definitely one of the highlights of this hike plus it's more fun to be excited about this than the uphill it's about to happen check out that a pixie whirlpool action definitely don't want to go swim down there this part is kind of like the calm before the storm we're just walking along the Colorado for about a mile before we head towards the canyon wall this section was pretty cool as we got to walk along the Colorado River and see the Grand Canyon from a different angle but you do go uphill here and you have to go all the way back down to the river before you start heading towards the canyon wall if you want to dip your toes in the Colorado this is your chance to do it before the upload begins this next section followed the creek but unfortunately it was towards the middle of the day and so we had direct Sun in most areas note that on the way up the Sun is brutal take the shade breaks when you get a chance to have them the switchbacks are beginning right up the side of that hill not gonna lie at the end of this hike it's gonna be tough it's not as much the uphill as it is the heat so know that going in we had trained a lot for elevation over the last four months but it's really hard to train for direct Sun as you're heading uphill plus we did this in the beginning of October and it was still hot so I can't even imagine people trying to do this in July or August you see the people on the trail that we came up on and the Colorado is way in there there's the trail and then it goes all the way over to there and then switchbacks across this section of up hill is just steep and long switchbacks but the views do continue to get better as you go up as hard as this section is note that this is the easy part of that bill once you make it pass the first section of switchbacks it does start to flatten out a little bit and it's green with a creek running alongside you as you go the next mile and a half to Indian garden this section is really pretty and green and we're nearing the campground where we get to take a break this is why you bring up [Applause] [Music] this shade plus the cold buff makes a huge difference Zach where's the end I don't know first time for Indian Guardian who must be getting close Indian garden is the main point of interest on this section of the trail it's about 4.5 miles from the top but it's a nice little oasis with green trees and a beautiful stream running through it I don't know if I've ever been more excited about anything in my life than what's about to happen right now it's so freaky cold but it feels so good I really don't want to leave this magical spot few more minutes of doing this and then it's off to the hardest part of the hike but I can just look at this for two more minutes it took a little longer to leave because some deer wandered right through our rest area I got to have some food drink some water put my feet in the water see a baby deer I'm ready to finish the crane Canyon Trail now [Music] we are passing through Indian garden campground 4.5 miles and 3,000 feet of elevation left good news is you can see the end in sight bad news is is really high up this section is where the grind really starts to come in it's nothing but switchbacks all the way to the top all right we made it to the canyon wall only thing left to do is to climb out of Grand Canyon the longer we can stay in the shade but better the uphill will be that is where we started this morning and the canyon we came through to get here as you're heading up the views toward the canyon wall and back the way you came get more and more incredible plus the switchbacks are really well-maintained making it an easy trail to slog along we've almost made it to the three mile rest house right there remember up hill is mandatory downhill is optional three-mile rest house is a great place for a water and bathroom break make sure to wet your buff if you have one as it'll definitely cool you down we are leaving three-mile rest house which means we have three miles left in nowhere three mile rest house is as it's crazy to see how small it gets as you continue to make your way up we're about halfway to the mile-and-a-half house I'm not gonna tell you this trail doesn't suck because it does after 22 miles of hiking but at the end of the day we're in the shade only got like two miles left just put one foot in front of the other right when I was starting to get tired I saw this crazy scorpion which gave me some adrenaline to keep going 1.5 mile resthouse just like the three-mile rest house this also has a bathroom and a place to fill up your water if you need it we're at the 1.5 mile resthouse 1.5 miles left I'm exhausted soon switchbacks are our destination right there have a record anything cuz I'm exhausted but about a mile left pretty incredible views [Music] just cross through this lower tunnel which means we're getting pretty close to the rim I can't believe it we're almost to the South Rim just some long switchbacks Bright Angel Trail down definitely not taking it that is the end of the trail right there we started on the North Rim went through that Canyon that is the Indian gardens right there and then came up all of these switchbacks and we're now almost at the top we reach the last point of interest before making it to the South Rim upper tunnel [Music] fitting into a crazy ethic trip this sunset welcome see the bright angel trail head yeah made it so those last three miles though officially made it from the North Rim to the South Rim thanks so much for checking out this video hopefully it was enjoyable I would recommend you do a two day one day is really tough and I'm like it's something to eat I'll see you on the next video [Music]

Channel: Through My Lens

Views: 738,995

Rating: 4.8938084 out of 5

Keywords: grand canyon, grand canyon rim to rim, grand canyon single day hike, grand canyon hiking, rim to rim hike, north rim to south rim

Id: QVwKL_YzGlU

Length: 22min 35sec (1355 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 09 2019