What Goes Down Must Come Up: Trekking Rim to Rim along the Arizona Trail

May 12, 2019

After six days and 103 miles of hiking the Arizona Trail (AZT) from Flagstaff, Arizona, we arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon only to be confronted with an adverse weather report. The forecast called for rain (heavy at times) over the next few days, when we were scheduled to hike rim to rim through the Grand Canyon.

Once we hiked down, we had to come back up. The question was where. During our rest day at the South Rim we needed to determine whether it was best to continue north, through the entire canyon, or to make our way to the bottom and return back to the South Rim, effectively ending our trek.

Researching our Canyon Hiking Options

Our first stop on our rest day was at the park’s Backcountry Office, where permits are issued for overnight hiking. We already had the needed permits but figured that they would have the most up-to-date information on trail conditions over the next few days. After speaking to the ranger there, we felt much better about our plans.

The rain looked to be the worst on the following day when we would be hiking down from the South Rim. The forecast was for it to rain all day. To mitigate any potential thunder and lightning during the hike down, we opted to take the longer (9.5 mile) and shaded Bright Angel Trail instead of the more direct (7 mile) and exposed South Kaibab Trail. The additional miles were fine with us, as our accommodations were literally 50 steps away from the Bright Angel Trailhead.

The North Rim was closed for another week, until May 15. There was some snow there, but the impending storm was not forecasted to add significantly to it. The one thing we could not ascertain was how much snow was on the actual Arizona Trail itself. From our AZT phone app, we had reports of other hikers making it through, but many of them had walked sections on the closed plowed road until the trail cleared up.

We also consulted a NASA website that provided a satellite view of the North Rim area on the Kaibab Plateau. From what we could see, the snow level didn’t look too bad.

Taking into account all the information that we had, we decided to continue hiking toward Utah. As a final hedge, we bought rain ponchos that we could use as an extra layer of protection for us and our gear if the rain got really bad.

The remainder of our rest day was spent walking along the canyon’s rim from the Bright Angel Lodge to the Visitor Center, peering down to where we would be hiking the next day. At one point we could clearly see the Indian Garden Campground, at the halfway point of the Bright Angel Trail towards Phantom Ranch.

Looking down at the green trees below filled us with great anticipation. The weather looked bad on the North Rim but held off where we were until later in the afternoon.

Hiking down the Bright Angel Trail in the Rain

When we checked out of our hotel at 6:30 am the next morning it was already raining lightly. We quickly walked over to the Bright Angel Trailhead. A father and his college-aged son, dressed in Adidas sweat pants, took our photo before we hiked our first steps down. We were now part of just 1% of park visitors who hike below the rim.

The Bright Angel Trail is the park’s signature path. It was first built in 1891 and follows a natural break in the cliffs, keeping to the back of the canyon for the first few miles. Because of this, there is less exposure and more shade. Covered rest houses are located at regular intervals along the trail, so we aimed for the first one that was 1.6 miles away, losing 1,131 feet in the process.

The rain was falling steadily as we took a short break at the rest house, talking to the day hikers who were on the trail with us. Another similar distance (1.5 miles) took us to the next rest house at three miles, losing another 1,000 feet.

After we left the Three-Mile Rest House (4,748 feet), the rain began to intensify. It was time to don our ponchos. Mud and puddles quickly formed on the switchback trail, and it became slippery. I could see footprints where others had slipped right in front of me. With our packs full of 5 1/2 days of food, we slowed down but continued to descend.

We were fortunate to come across two deer on the trail and stopped to give them a wide berth before continuing.

The rain fell harder, beginning to soak our feet. When we reached the Indian Canyon Campground (3,800 feet), we took a longer break in the shelter, hoping that the rain might subside. We had now lost about 3,000 feet in 4.8 miles since leaving the top of the South Rim.

After a few minutes of sitting, we were getting cold, and the weather showed no signs of improving. So we reluctantly set off again. At least the path flattened out as it followed a creek. We still had to watch our footing but could hike a little faster.

Because of all the rain during the past few hours, we had to contend with several stream crossings. It was slow going as they became calf-deep at times. At this point our shoes were full of water, sloshing as we walked. We came to another set of switchbacks, which seemed endless as we made our final descent to the Colorado River.

Reaching the Colorado River and Heading to Phantom Ranch

The rain subsided just as we reached the Colorado River at 2,480 feet. While pausing to shoot photos, we noticed the same father and son who had taken our picture at the trailhead. They were day hiking and had continued well past the recommended turnaround point.

The father asked me how far away the bridge across the river was. I told him it was over a mile away and suggested that it might be a good idea to turn around. With over 4,000 feet of elevation gain to make it back to the top, there was no way they would get there before dark. I verified with him that they had flashlights, and then we continued hiking parallel to the river.

Now that the rain had stopped, it was quick work for us to walk to the silver bridge across the river. This, and the adjacent black bridge (for the South Kaibab Trail) are the only river crossings for hundreds of miles.

After crossing the bridge, it was a short distance to Phantom Ranch, our destination for the night. John Wesley Powell and his party overnighted here when surveying the Colorado River in 1869; later Theodore Roosevelt camped during an expedition down the canyon in 1913. Called Roosevelt Camp after that, the name was changed to Phantom Ranch when permanent lodging was built in 1922. Today, the ranch consists of cabins, dorms and a restaurant.

There are four 10-bed hiker dorm buildings – two each segregated for men and women. Upon our arrival, we were each assigned to a dorm. The five bunk bed (top and bottom) spots in each building are on a first-come basis. Because it had taken us so long (7 hours) to hike down on the muddy trail, we both got top bunks but didn’t mind. Each dorm had its own toilet, shower and sink. It felt good to change out of our wet clothes and take a warm shower.

In addition to our dorm spot, we also purchased dinner, breakfast the next morning and a sack lunch to take with us when we left. Meals were served at designated times and were family style. People at our table were from all over the country and interesting to talk with. And after our eventful day, the steak and potatoes were satisfying to eat.

Leaving the Others Behind and Hiking North

Breakfast the next morning was served at either 5:00 am or 6:30 am. With only seven miles to hike, we had opted for a 6:30 am meal. Most people (who wanted a very early start hiking out of the canyon) had signed up for 5:00 am, so we were woken up by their activity. After eating our pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon, we picked up our sack lunches and checked out.

Everyone else around us was hiking back out to the South Rim. Instead, we turned the other direction and began walking north. A short time later we came to a mileage sign with the North Rim closure notice. We felt all alone as we walked.

To hike all the way up the North Rim from Phantom Ranch is a total of 14 miles, so we had opted to split the distance by getting a permit to camp at the park’s Cottonwood Campground, 7.2 miles up the trail. This would also break up our total ascent by getting 1,600 feet of the total 5,761 elevation gain out of the way.

We were now on the North Kaibab Trail, which would take us through every ecosystem from Mexico to Canada as we trekked to the North Rim. From Phantom Ranch, we walked along Bright Angel Creek along the Inner Gorge. The gorge was scenic in the early morning light.

There were a few puddles from the previous day’s rain, but we made good time through this section. The forecast was for more rain later in the day, so we kept moving to hopefully set up camp before any foul weather moved in. Seeing the puddles on the trail made us wonder what the conditions might be higher up, and if there was any new snow from the previous day’s storm.

As we got closer to the campground, we ran into a few people walking in the opposite direction. We talked to a park ranger hiking down from a ranger station a short distance north of Cottonwood Campground. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any updates about the upper reaches of the North Kaibab Trail.

We also saw several campers who had been staying at Cottonwood. One couple told us that they had tried to day hike from the campground to the top of the North Rim during the previous day’s storm. But, they had to turn back because of the severe weather. Committed now in our decision north, we kept on hiking.

About a mile before Cottonwood Campground, we sighted Ribbon Falls from the trail. A worthy side trip, we decided against a visit. Not only was the threatening weather a factor, but the bridge across the creek was partially damaged. That made it a dangerous crossing, especially in light of all the recent rain.

Soon after, we reached the campground and found an excellent site with a view of the towering rock formations above the canyon. After eating our sack lunch, we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon, reading and catching up on some sleep.

While the rain held off at our location, we could see very dark skies as we looked back toward the South Rim.

A Challenging and Scenic Trail to the North Rim

With the forecast calling for more rain the next day, we were up at sunrise and on the trail by 6:40 am to begin our hike to the top of the North Rim. The first hour took us further up the canyon, with a reasonable but steady elevation gain.

As we would soon be turning northwest to climb up Roaring Springs Canyon to the North Kaibab Trailhead, we glanced back one last time to get our final glimpse of the South Rim in the distance.

Our turn into the new canyon took place next to Roaring Springs, and the trail became much steeper.

Ahead of us was a deep canyon with incredible rock formations. The trail through this section was spectacular, with an exposed path that was blasted into the rock cliff. Even though I am not a big fan of extreme drop-offs, the trail was so scenic that I forgot my fear of heights as we continued to climb higher.

The climb was broken up by runners who periodically passed us. We counted about 15 – 20 people who were attempting to go “rim-to-rim-to-rim” in one day: start at the South Rim, climb to the North Rim, and return back the same way. It was a distance of 42 to 45 miles.

We high-fived each other as they came by. Darren, being an ultrarunner, especially enjoyed talking to several of the runners, as they had to slow down to walk some of the steeper sections. I was in awe of them, but they seemed equally impressed that we were carrying 4 1/2 days of food on our backs, compared to their much lighter water backpacks and minimal food and gear.

After taking a break at roughly the halfway point, we continued toward the next milestone in the climb: the crossing of the Redwall Bridge at 6,020 feet.

At this point, we had gained about 2,000 feet in 4.3 miles since leaving Cottonwood Campground.

The trail became even steeper after the bridge. Twenty-five minutes later, the bridge had disappeared far below us.

We had a few more switchbacks to go before reaching Supai Tunnel. In 2013 Darren and I had completed a day hike from the top of North Rim to the tunnel (1.7 miles each way). Getting to that point had significance for me, as it signaled we were almost at the top.

When we reached the tunnel we decided to take one more break before making a final push to the top.

In our concentrated effort to hike up the trail, we hadn’t looked at the weather around us. When we gazed at the sky ahead, things did not look good. A few moments later, we felt some raindrops fall. We needed to get going again, so cut our break short.

The trail continued to take us up switchbacks. After another mile, we emerged at the Coconino Overlook. Unfortunately, we didn’t have very good views with the deteriorating weather.

With less than a mile to go to the top, Darren moved out ahead. I was really feeling the altitude and lagged a little behind.

Finally, we turned a corner and could see the top of the trail. We had climbed out of the Grand Canyon to the North Kaibab Trailhead at 8,241 feet! We were pleased that it only took us 5 hours and 10 minutes to cover the 6.8-mile distance.

A Cold and Wet Weather Surprise

At the trailhead, we paused with a few of the runners who had passed us earlier. We were also in for a big weather surprise, as the temperature had literally flipped a switch as we emerged from the steep trail to level ground.

It was now bitterly cold and very windy. As soon as we posed for photos, we got out our jackets and put them on. The sky above us was dark, and it looked like heavier rain was imminent.

We filled our water bottles at the trailhead and looked for the Arizona Trail. Right away we could see that there were significant stretches of snow along the path and very few footprints. We immediately decided to begin walking on the closed park road. The trail crossed the road again in a few miles, and we could make a decision about whether to join it then.

About ten minutes after we started walking, a steady rain began to fall. Pausing for just a few minutes at the trailhead had really chilled us, and we walked as fast as we could to get warm. Soon the rain turned to hail, but we kept on moving. After about two and a half hours we reached the point where the AZT crossed the road. The snow was deeper than ever. So we kept on road walking.

The rain stopped in the middle of the afternoon. But it was still cold and windy, and we had no idea how long we would need to continue walking on the road. We also wondered how we would get more water (other than melt snow) and where we could find a place to sleep at night.

What we did know was that we needed to keep moving to stay warm. With our rim to rim adventure complete, we still had some real challenges ahead of us on the final 4 1/2 days on the Arizona Trail.