Hike the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim in a day

Challenging Trek

Prepare before hiking the Grand Canyon rim to rim in one day

BY MELISSA YEAGER

When we pulled up to Grand Canyon National Park’s North Kaibab trailhead parking lot just before 6 a.m., it was already full of cars dropping off eager hikers. Dressed in shorts and a jacket, I could feel a chill on my legs as we made our way to the start of the trail.

Phantom Ranch

Melissa Yeager

We were finally on our way after several weeks of planning that began — as many adventures do these days — with an innocent text to a group chat.

“Can I do rim to rim in a day? Have either of you done it?” my friend Cisco Aguilar asked.

Another friend, Justin Hepworth, responded that you could indeed.

THE FORBIDDEN HIKE

For the record, the official answer from park rangers about attempting a one-day rim-to-rim hike is no.

They strongly advise against hiking to the Colorado River and back in one day. They urge people to camp or plan far in advance for a reservation at Phantom Ranch, located at the bottom of the canyon, which is best experienced over a few days — enough time to appreciate its wonder, they say.

They’re not wrong. Giving yourself a chance to enjoy millions of years of geological formations is excellent advice.

Still, every spring and fall, endurance enthusiasts make the nearly 24-mile trek from one rim to the other in a single day. Some even run the trails.

By the time Justin, Cisco and I reached the halfway point to the ranch, we were still feeling strong. We decided to take a popular detour to Ribbon Falls.

I don’t regret the 20-minute diversion, but not long after, I started to feel the impact of miles of trekking downhill on my knees and legs.

The pause for sustenance came at the perfect time. At Phantom Ranch, we ate our preordered sack lunches, drank cold lemonade and I mailed a postcard to my parents to be carried by mule out of the canyon.

THE PITFALLS OF THE TRAIL

After lunch, we crossed the suspension bridge over the Colorado River and followed the River Trail toward Bright Angel Trail. Now my legs were really feeling the effects, and we still had 10 miles to go — all uphill.

At the River Resthouse, just shy of 2 miles from Phantom Ranch, Justin suggested resting by the Colorado for a bit. A woman hiking up the sandy path to the river overheard us and said, “I promise. It’s the best decision you’ll make on this hike.”

She was right.

We soaked our tired feet in water that rangers told us hovers around a crisp 46 degrees year-round. Taking in the beauty of the canyon bottom while enjoying an ice bath to refresh my legs will go down as one of my favorite memories of the trek.

It’s also the source of one of my biggest regrets: not bringing dry socks to change into for the remainder of the hike. >

Melissa Yeager and Cisco Aguilar

We finally pried ourselves away from the riverbank, refreshed and ready to take on the most challenging part of the trek.

HIKING BACK UP

As the park rangers say: Hiking down is optional. Hiking up is required.

I started to slow down a bit on the ascent and tried to catch up with my friends, who stopped every so often to wait for me. I loathed that I wasn’t moving as quickly.

“It does take a lot of physical and mental stamina,” says Joelle Baird, spokesperson for Grand Canyon National Park.

I had no illusions about the difficulty of the hike, but it definitely took me longer to complete it than I anticipated.

The last 3 miles humbled me, as they do most rim-to-rim hikers. In hindsight, I would have done a few more long training hikes before I attempted this because I really slowed down ascending those final miles. My feet were blistered and stiff. More than a few curse words were uttered.

Baird refers to this final stretch as the psychological component of the trail. After all those miles, you’re beat up physically and mentally. It takes fortitude to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

The sun had set before we reached the Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse. I remember the beauty of looking up and seeing a sky full of stars, then turning around to see a trail of blinking headlamps behind me. I lifted my gaze and saw more headlamps dancing in the dark all the way to the top of the South Rim.

The top looked impossibly far away.

I kept on walking, my friends encouraging me along the way. I started to hear the voices of families and friends cheering their hikers arriving at the top. I kept following the sound until we walked through the final tunnel and up to the finish at Bright Angel landing.

We arrived at 8:45 p.m. Thankfully, our ride was patiently waiting.

After 15 hours on the trail, I hobbled to my hotel room, exhausted and famished.

One of the questions the rangers ask along the trail is whether you have food waiting for you at the top. Now I understand why. The hotel dining room was closing when we checked in. Cisco miraculously negotiated takeout for us. After demolishing a large container of fried chicken cutlets with mushroom gravy, angel hair pasta and roasted Brussels sprouts, I fell asleep within minutes.

The next morning, fully rested but moving slowly from being sore, our group went to the Bright Angel Trailhead for another look at the journey we had taken. I was in awe of my accomplishment. The journey gave me a new perspective of the beauty and harshness of the canyon, and I would happily do it again.

With a change of socks. l

HIKING TIPS

Choose an appropriate hike for your abilities

Pack/dress lightly

Talk while you walk to manage your speed

Take a 10-minute break each hour

Eat often, but don’t force fluids

Watch your time

Mules have the right of way

SOURCE: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE — Melissa Yeager writes for the Arizona Republic.