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The preeminent passage of the Arizona Trail--crossing the Grand Canyon.


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Map Key

21.3

Miles

34.3

KM

Point to Point

8,216' 2,504 m

High

2,460' 750 m

Low

6,543' 1,994 m

Up

5,390' 1,643 m

Down

11%

Avg Grade (6°)

71%

Max Grade (35°)

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · River/Creek · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Bright Angel Campground, at the bottom of South Kaibab Trail, is closed thru May 2025 for construction. Phantom Ranch is closed thru March 2025, but drinking water is still available there. See Grand Canyon National park website for more information.

Overview

Passage 38 of the Arizona Trail is a full crossing of the Grand Canyon on the South Kaibab and North Kaibab trails---or what's otherwise known as Rim-to-Rim (R2R). This physically strenuous and awe-inspiring section follows a well-maintained trail that descends sharply from the South Rim to the Colorado River, and ascends steeply to the North Rim. Your hard work will be rewarded by the sheer beauty of the Grand Canyon and what is possibly the most scenic section of the AZT!

Section Of

Need to Know

No permits or reservations are required for day hiking in the national park, but permits are required for camping. Though walk-up permits are sometimes available from the park's Backcountry Office, it's recommended to obtain in advance through the online reservation system if you can.

Description

The journey begins on the South Kaibab Trail, a high-quality trail with scenic vistas, little shade, and no water. The trail makes a stunning descent of over 4,000 feet within the first six miles, following a series of switchbacks down the canyon wall to meet the mighty Colorado River.

After passing through Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon, the trail becomes the North Kaibab Trail, where it continues gently toward Cottonwood Campground. After this landmark, North Kaibab truly begins its arduous climb out of one of the world's deepest canyons. It ends at the North Kaibab Trail at an elevation of 8,000 feet, where temperatures remain cold and snow may persist into late spring.

There are no words or photographs that can convey the magnitude of the Grand Canyon's unique landscape. The only way to appreciate the canyon's grandeur is to hike into its depths, a place that gets fewer than one percent of the park's total annual visitors.

Contacts

Shared By:

Lani Advokat with improvements by Jesse Weber

Trail Ratings

  4.9 from 74 votes

#4

in South Rim

#71

Overall
  4.9 from 74 votes
5 Star
89%
4 Star
9%
3 Star
0%
2 Star
1%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#4

in South Rim

#6

in Arizona

#71

Overall
55 Views Last Month
7,647 Since Jan 27, 2025
Difficult Difficult

0%
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6%
7%
84%
3%

Photos

This bridge provides quite the view.
Jul 1, 2017 near Grand C…, AZ
Beautiful view.
May 12, 2016 near Grand C…, AZ
Soak up the stellar Grand Canyon views from Cedar Ridge off the South Kaibab Trail.
Mar 31, 2017 near Grand C…, AZ
View from the trail
Nov 23, 2022 near Grand C…, AZ
View over the Colorado River heading down South Kaibab
Apr 17, 2015 near Grand C…, AZ
Grand Canyon Hike Rim 2Rim 2015
Jan 24, 2016 near Grand C…, AZ
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Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 65 days ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Oct 25, 2024
Aryaman S
Upto Cedar Ridge and back 3mi — 2h 30m
Jan 2, 2024
Joy Hansen
Oct 30, 2023
Stewart Carnes
I followed this with a hike up Bright Angel Trail. A Rin-to-Rim.
Oct 15, 2023
Maxim Bogdanovich
Sep 8, 2023
Binita Patel
Aug 7, 2023
Michael Calabrese
Just went to the lookout 1mi
May 16, 2023
Roelof Kemker
Apr 3, 2023
Andrew Rogers
Hiked to ooh aah point and back with Thals. Some ice on trail. Sarah had to borrow Sean's hiking boots and scoot on her butt. Ethan wore flip flops. 1.8mi
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