Corridor Classic: Rim to River to Rim Hike and Service in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The Trip

This trip aims at spending 6 continuous days below the rim in the “corridor” within October 1-19, but demand for the corridor wilderness permits and campsites is very high. Consequently, our final itinerary and dates are based on securing these permits -- expected to be about 4 months before the trip. If permits are not secured, the trip will be postponed to a future year.

The Grand Canyon is known to the Havasupai as “Wikatata,” and to the Hopi as “Ongtupqa.” Eleven native tribes, including Navajo and Apache nations, continue to call this sacred place home and have done so for millennia, before cowboys, prospectors, pioneers, and wonderers started appearing in the1800s. Land protection began in 1893, and it was later established as a game preserve in 1906 and a national monument in 1908. In 1903, when President Theodore Roosevelt visited Grand Canyon, he said “The Grand Canyon fills me with awe. It is beyond comparison—beyond description; absolutely unparalleled throughout the wide world... Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is. Do nothing to mar its grandeur, sublimity, and loveliness." It became a national park in 1919 and a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

The Grand Canyon is ancient, remote, unique, natural, dramatic. Many superlatives have been used to describe it, but there is simply no place on earth like it. It transcends time and space, where nature and the Colorado River have created a masterpiece of geology. We will experience it all hiking deep into the canyon, gazing at layers of rock formations, from Kaibab limestone to supergroups, as if they were part of a painting that took millions of years to create.

Within this timeless masterpiece of nature, the Grand Canyon National Park rim-to-rim corridor hike is one of the world’s iconic treks. Our highly coveted ~30-mile hike traverses the Bright Angel, the South Kaibab, and the North Kaibab trails. With stays at Havasupai (formerly known as Indian Garden), Bright Angel and Cottonwood camps, and visits to both rims – south and north, as well as the park’s historic lodges, including Phantom Ranch deep on the Canyon floor, our trip itinerary is one of the most sought-after in the National Park Service for a reason, as nature, history, and geological splendor come together in the most unique and wondrous way.

We will learn about this region as we travel the trail, encountering history and artifacts along the way, and rangers and hikers eager to share a tale. We will interact with and learn more from park rangers, who will be guiding our service activities as we help with conservation efforts. We will carry and cook trail-style backpacking meals and enjoy one special dinner at one of the historic lodges of the park.

Let’s explore, enjoy, and protect this marvel of nature; let’s go Grand!

Note: A detailed itinerary, including mileages, camps, altitude, etc. will be sent to accepted participants once the permits are secured. The itinerary is subject to changes due to permit availability, weather, trail conditions, park closures, and other unexpected circumstances.

We will meet the evening before our trek at one of the historic lodges on the South Rim of Grand Canyon Village. Once everyone arrives, we’ll go over the trip, preparations, gear checks, and distribution of group food and equipment. We start the hike after breakfast the next day. Lodging and breakfast are on your own this first night.

Our wilderness permit will determine whether we hike north to south or south to north. We will take a shuttle at the start or at the end of the trip; respectively. Regardless of the direction, we will be hiking the Bright Angel, North Kaibab, and South Kaibab trails and spending 5 nights below the rim at Havasupai, Bright Angel, and Cottonwood wilderness camps. One night will be spent at the North Rim developed campground.

Getting There

Grand Canyon Village is located about 75 miles from Flagstaff, AZ; 180 miles from Phoenix, AZ; and 270 miles from Las Vegas, NV. Regular flights are available to all three airports and all three airports offer transportation to Grand Canyon Village. 

Plan to arrive at least one day before the trip because we will meet at 5 p.m. the evening before the trip begins. Participants are encouraged to arrive a few days early to acclimatize and enjoy the South Rim’s beautiful lodges, sites, and activities, including free park shuttle rides to many iconic viewpoints. Participants will be provided with detailed information upon signing up for the trip and once permits are secured. The leader will help with all pre/post-trip planning and arrangements according to individual participant needs and travel plans.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader. While shuttle is the best and recommended transportation option, anybody driving or renting a car will get further help from the leader regarding carpooling, parking, and logistics.

Accommodations and Food

We will start and end the trip at Grand Canyon Village, on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Plan on spending at least the first night before the trip in Grand Canyon Village, and optionally the last night after the trip (both on your own). Lodges and campgrounds are available within the park or outside the park in Tusayan, all accessible by bus and with plenty of amenities and comforts. Inquire with the leader for further information and for any help with planning.

Starting with lunch on the first day and ending with lunch on the last day, all backpacking meals, trail snacks, hot-drinks, and a lodge-dinner are included. Breakfast on the first day and dinner on the last day will be on your own. While backpacking, typical trail breakfasts and lunches will be complemented by savory cooked suppers. We will carry all our food and commissary equipment in our backpacks. Meals can accommodate vegetarian diets – please inform the leader. Group cooking and cleaning will honor our Sierra Club values and put us in the team-spirit of nature. We will spend six nights in national park-designated camps that include privies and access to water.

Trip Difficulty

This trip is rated 4 on a scale from 1 (easiest) to 5 (hardest), but it is designed to be attainable by anyone fit and with experience backpacking. Our ~30-mile corridor hike will be on maintained national park trails. All hikes will be around 6-8 miles, descending about 6,000 feet and ascending about 5,000 feet (or vice versa) during the 7-day trip. Two or three of those days will be spent doing service for the park, allowing us to spend a couple of nights at our camps to rest from backpacking and enjoy a short morning or evening hike.

To enjoy this outing, you should be able to exercise comfortably at aerobic pace for a minimum of one hour. Walking is not a sufficient attribute for wilderness hiking, so potential participants should have previous camping and trail hiking experience. Good hydration and acclimatization to altitude are important elements when preparing for this trip, so participants, especially those from low altitudes, are encouraged to arrive a day or two before the trip.

Equipment and Clothing

This trip will require a good, comfortable, and broken-in pair of hiking boots, a backpack capable of carrying up to 35 pounds and a summer-season (rated for 40+ degrees) sleeping bag along with a lightweight sleeping mat and tent. Besides your own personal-care items (toiletries) and utensils (spork and bowl), no other special gear is required beyond what you would normally bring for a typical five-day backpack. We will share the carrying of commissary gear (cooking equipment, fuel, supplies, food), so leave 8-10 pounds' allowance in your pack.

Grand Canyon temperatures are relatively cooler on the rims and warmer/much warmer on the canyon floor. The weather in October is usually pleasant, but fluctuates with day and night and can still be very warm toward the bottom, possibly reaching into the 90s. Expect 60s/40s on the rims and 80s/70s on the canyon floor, day/night, respectively. The relatively warm temperatures along with the low humidity are concerns for dehydration, so a minimum of two 2-quart bottles is required. While rain is not common, the possibility of short heavy showers exists. Participants are encouraged to bring layered clothing and light rain gear.

Upon signing up, participants will be sent detailed documentation about gear and further recommendations for clothing and equipment. A checklist of “must haves” will be provided.

References

Book:

• There are thousands of reference books for the Grand Canyon offering many perspectives on history, geology, as well as travel and tourism in general. While it is very difficult to isolate a specific set of books to read, a pertinent leader-recommended book for this trip is: Grand Canyon: The Complete Guide: Grand Canyon National Park by James Kaiser. Many other books can be found online or at http://www.grandcanyon.org

Map:

• Grand Canyon, North and South Rims [Grand Canyon National Park] (National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map)

Website:

• https://www.nps.gov/grca

Conservation

An ongoing challenge for our national parks is the increased visitation. Amid 6 million visitors per year, Grand Canyon National Park's management, maintenance, and financial resources are encumbered and outnumbered. The majority of these visitors frequent, use, and abuse the resources of the "corridor," causing major wear and tear to its natural and primitive infrastructure. The accessible rim areas are relatively easier to maintain, but below the rim, where machinery, equipment, and workers are much more difficult and costly to deploy, sustainability and conservation is an enormous challenge. These problems show in the form of trash, erosion, destruction of nature, and deteriorating trails, camps, and structures. Continuing conservation efforts are perpetually needed, and the precarious balance of responsible use is forever present in securing the preservation of our beloved public lands. In an effort to be part of the solution and not just more visitors adding to the problems, we will hike and service the "corridor" area, picking up trash, helping with trail and camp maintenance, and anything else that will help with the conservation and preservation of this wonderful place.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.