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Things to Do in Grand Canyon: Hikes tips and photos posted by real travelers and Grand Canyon locals.
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Hikes: A Great Hiking Experience
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  • Updated By mikehanneman on December 10, 2007
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  • South Kaibab Trail - Grand Canyon
    South Kaibab Trail
    by mikehanneman
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    If you enjoy a short hike (one to two miles) and great views, here are a couple of great options the Grand Canyon has to offer. I highly recomend the Kaibab Trail just east of the main Village. Take a shuttle bus to the trailhead. Don't forget to bring a lot of water, a hat and possibly some snacks. The Kaibab Trail isn't as demanding as some of the other trails the Canyon has to offer but don't under estimate any trail. The South Kaibab Trail doesn't have any water or shade. Try to hike it earlier in the morning or later in the day. If you can make it around the bend about one to one and half miles down you will be able to see some great views of the Grand Canyon. I wouldn't suggest going past Cedar Ridge unless you are prepared with enough supplies. The other more visited and congested option is the Bright Angel Trail just west of the main Village area. Last year I was only a half mile down when I noticed 6 or 7 female big horn sheep approaching up onto the trail. It was neat to see their littles ones crossing the trail and going up the steep embankment without any effort. We watched them for about 10 to 15 minutes. The part I liked was when the two mothers started to square off and bunted heads repeatedly. The problem with the Bright Angel Trail is it is very crowded and your views of the Grand Canyon are somewhat limited versus the South Kaibab Trail. Always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Whether you have one hour to hike or all day, to enjoy what beauty the Grand Canyon has to offer you need to get into the Canyon with a short hike. You will never regret it.

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    Hikes: Not exactly a relaxed stroll
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  • By JanPeter74 on April 8, 2004
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  • Warning sign - Grand Canyon
    Warning sign
    by JanPeter74
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    There are hiking trails leading to the bottom of the canyon. Remember that you cannot hike to the bottom of the canyon and back in one day. What you can do is hike into the canyon and follow the path for an hour or so, and then turn back. This will show you the canyon from an entirely different perspective, compared to standing on the rim. Bear in mind that the return trip back up to the rim will cost much more time and effort then going down. Also, take LOTS OF WATER with you and don't start hiking during the heat of the day, but do this during the morning hours. Signs like the one in the picture will warn you. You might also encounter Park Rangers at the start of the trail, who will ask you whether yyou know what you are doing and point out the dangers (heat, water, time, etc.)

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    Hikes: Hiking the Canyon Trails
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  • Updated By VeronicaG on May 2, 2007
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  • The Trail Is Waaaay Down There! - Grand Canyon
    The Trail Is Waaaay Down
    There!
    by VeronicaG
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    This photo gives you an idea of how difficult some of the trails can be. The easiest trail to follow is the RIM TRAIL. It's perfect for visitors who would like an easy walk. You can pick it up at Grand Canyon Village or Herman Road. BRIGHT ANGEL TRAIL is considered steep and begins west of Bright Angel Lodge. It is noted that the upper portion of this trail could be extremely icy in the Spring. Some portions are very strenuous. SOUTH KAIBAB TRAIL is another steep trail, which begins south of Yaki Point located on Yaki Point Road. Access to the trailhead is by shuttle bus and is a short-moderate hike. (see shuttle schedule below) HERMIT TRAIL is an unmaintained steep trail and is only for the experienced desert hikers. This trail begins 500 feet west of Hermans Rest. GRANDVIEW TRAIL is extremely steep and is for experienced desert hikers only. The trail begins on the canyon side of Grandview Point, which is along Desert View Drive. Be on the alert for ice in the early Spring. **Shuttle schedule for S. Kaibab Trail: Hikers express shuttle departs directly from Bright Angel Lodge and the Backcountry Info. Center to the S. Kaibab trailhead daily: March-7am, 8am & 9am. April-6am, 7am & 8 am. May-5 am, 6 am & 7am. (This info. courtesy of the National Park Service)


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    Hikes: Hiking at Grand Canyon.
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  • Updated By Hosell on May 15, 2004
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  • Hikes - Grand Canyon
    by Hosell
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    FOR THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME, STAY OVERNIGHT IN THE GRAND CANYON!!!. There are a lot of trails routes to do here,.some of them are very easy but becareful,because there are also some difficults ones. Another funny option here can be take a mule ride!. Are you ready to hiking in the most beautiful place on earth??.

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    Hikes: Hike to the bottom of the Canyon.
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  • Updated By dabidc on August 4, 2004
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  • Resort below. - Grand Canyon
    Resort below.
    by dabidc
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    It is possible to hike down there, it is also posible to take a ride on a sure footed mule. The river is below and the photo shows the junction of the path from the North rim at the ranch at that bottom also where the path from the south rim reaches. For the record the view of the Canyon floor was taken from the South rim and is two photos taped together,in the days before digital cameras. THE RANCH IS PHANTOM RANCH AND IS THE LIGHT GREEN AREA WITH TREES TO THE LEFT OF THE PHOTO. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE TO SEE THE COLORADO RIVER TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE PHOTO. THE NATIONAL PARKS STAFF SAY DO NOT ATTEMPT A ONE DAY HIKE, THAT IS TO THE RIVER AND BACK TO THE RIM IN ONE DAY. THE RIVER IS 5,000 FT OR 1500.M BELOW FROM THE SOUTH RIM TO THE RIVER. THE DEPTH IS GREATER FROM THE NORTH RIM. SEE ALSO MY SHORT SET OF PHOTOS IN OFF THE BEATEN PATH. IT GIVES AN IDEA OF THE FIRST PART OF THE DESCENT. THE EXCELLENT WEBSITE FOR THE GRAND CANYON IS www.nps.gov/grca .

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  • Address: Grand Canyon South
  • Website: www.nps.gov/grca

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    Hikes: This was taken hiking out from...
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  • Updated By nieldy on September 13, 2002
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  • Hikes - Grand Canyon
    by nieldy
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    This was taken hiking out from Cottonwood up to the North Rim. We walked it in early September. Be warned - it gets hot even early in the morning. Try to walk as much of this route as you can before the sun hits you. It took us 2 hours to get to this spot, which the first part to be out of the shade. The next mile and a bit took over an hour. Hard work, but well worth it.

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    Hikes: Colorado River & Phantom Ranch
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  • By mikehanneman on July 29, 2005
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  • Colorado/Phantom Ranch from the Kaibab Trail - Grand Canyon
    Colorado/Phantom Ranch from
    the Kaibab Trail
    by mikehanneman
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    Take the South Kaibab Trail down about half way and you will receive some great views of the Colorado River and the Phantom Ranch. It will be harder going back up - don't forget that. No water, food, shade or phones on the trails. Take plenty of supplies and you will have a lot of fun. Check out my picture and that will give you an idea of the fantastic views you will take in. Just hop on the shuttle bus east to the South Kaibab Trail head and you are set. Look at my homepage for more details. Mike

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  • Address: Grand Canyon
  • Other Contact: mikeh166@mchsi.com

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    Hikes: Bits of the rim trail ....
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  • By kymbanm on February 11, 2007
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  • Early Sunset along the rim trail - Grand Canyon
    Early Sunset along the rim
    trail
    by kymbanm, 4 more photos
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    I'm not a hiker ... a bit of a walker and wanderer actually. So I can't DO the walks far into the canyon. And I was with my Dad who is disabled so didn't want to leave him for more than an hour at a time .... the rim trail was perfect for my needs. You can take this trail all along South Rim, or you can take bits a pieces of it as you desire. Since it hugs the edge of the canyon, the views are awe inspiring. I walked from Bright Angel lodge up to Maricopa point, which the books say is about a mile and a half. It was tough for me in spots as the trail was a bit steep, but the views were wonderful! It took me much less time to come back down :) I met a few people along the way and all had joyful faces, despite some huffing an puffing. There is something about the vistas that just brings out the child in us all ..... there are flatter portions of the rim trail between Bright Angel and Mather Point ... there are steeper sections heading up to Hermit's rest. The section I walked was perfect: challenging without being overwhelming. So take a piece of the rim trail yourself and see what you can see :) There is a webpage that has more detail about the rim trail that I've linked here so you can learn about the parts I didn't take :)

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  • Directions: Head to the edge of the canyon, AKA: the rim, and start walking!
  • Website: http://www.moon.com/planner/grand_canyon/mustsee/rimtrail.html

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    Hikes: Take a hike
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  • Updated By rexvaughan on June 6, 2007
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  • Nick ready to take on the trail - Grand Canyon
    Nick ready to take on the
    trail
    by rexvaughan, 3 more photos
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    There are hiking trails into the canyon for every level of hiker. My grandson and I just wanted an hour or so, so went about 3/4 mile down the Bright Angel Trail and then back. The trails all descend (except the Rim Trail) at varying rates, so pick up The Guide, the newspaper from the National Park Service or some other publication which will give you information about distances, time, water and restroom facilities. Bright Angel is a bit steep but is not really difficult if you pace yourself and don't try to do too much of it. It is fairly wide and well maintained although footing can be tricky in soft soil or mule droppings so watch out. The whole trail is over 9 miles to the bottom but we did a small portion which gave us great views and we were able to see some petroglyphs left by early Native Americans. The trails don't seem steep going down, but do coming back up so plan on a much longer time to ascend than to descend. There are lots of switchbacks so descending about a mile takes a walk of about 9 miles. You can see some of these switchbacks in one of the photos.

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    Hikes: Hike a Side Canyon
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  • Updated By AKtravelers on December 31, 2005
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  • Heading down Hermit's Trail at Grand Canyon - Grand Canyon
    Heading down Hermit's Trail at
    Grand Canyon
    by AKtravelers
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    Before arriving at the Grand Canyon, we read several warnings that the only maintained trails into the canyon on the south side were the Bright Angel and South Kaibab Trails and that you would hike others at your own risk. Well, since we knew we'd be mule-riding those trails, we opted to take the risk and we were glad we did. We hiked a little-traveled trail called the Hermit's Trail, where we hardly passed any other hikers -- this in one of America's busiest parks. Of course, the prize of loneliness has a price -- danger -- so we had to make sure we were well-stocked with water and kept track of our time in the broiling sun. However, that wasa small price to pay for a beautiful solitude and the joy of NOT hiking the Bright Angel and South Kaibab Trails. When we road tose routes, we immediately learned the additional perils hikers face there -- passing colums of mules kicking up dust clouds and creating lakes of urine and buttes of feces on the "maintained" path! No thanks!

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  • Directions: Take West Rim Drive 8 miles to a pullout called Hermit's Rest. The Trailhead is up a dirt path.

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