Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim (20 miles in 2 days)
Kraig AdamsOct 2019 · Solo
- Days
- 2 days
- Cost
- Backcountry permit: $10, plus $15 per person per night below the rim
- Lodging
- Tent
North America · United States
Grand Canyon rim to rim
Grand Canyon, Arizona
- Distance
- 21.9 mi35.3 km
- Days
- 2 days
- Elevation gain
- 6,188 ft1,886 m
- High point
- 8,258 ft2,517 m
- Season
- I went October 30 and 31, 2019
- Lodging
- Tent
Hikes / North America / Grand Canyon rim to rim
At the end of October 2019 I hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim. It was my first time there. I went down the South Kaibab Trail from the South Rim to the Colorado River and spent a night at Bright Angel Campground. The next day, Halloween, I climbed the North Kaibab Trail to the North Rim, camped on the edge of the canyon, and took a shuttle back around to my car the day after. Two days, about 22 miles by my GPS, with part of Day 2 measured on the trail line. It's the trip from my film Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim (20 miles in 2 days).
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Hard · about 11 mi (18 km) and 3,094 ft (943 m) of climbing a day over 2 days, up to 8,258 ft (2,517 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
Where these numbers come from
From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.
From Kraig Adams's GPS
The route, day by day
Elevation2,421–8,337 ft19.8 mi
From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (USGS 3DEP, SRTM) on AWS · Rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tap a day for his map of it
Download GPX124 KB · free
Each day and variant (2 files)
- Day 1: South Kaibab Trailhead, Ooh Aah Point, Cedar Ridge, Skeleton Point, the Tipoff, the tunnel and the Black Bridge to Bright Angel Campground (7.0 mi / 11.3 km) 45 KB
- Day 2: from about 4.2 miles up the North Kaibab Trail (I didn't record the first part), Ribbon Falls, Cottonwood Campground, Manzanita, Roaring Springs Canyon, Supai Tunnel and the North Kaibab Trailhead, then the road to the North Rim Campground (12.7 mi / 20.5 km recorded) 78 KB
The film
Watch it first
Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim (20 miles in 2 days)
Before you go
The basics
- Start
- The South Kaibab Trailhead on the South Rim, 7,260 ft, reached only by the park's shuttle buses
- Finish
- The North Kaibab Trailhead on the North Rim, 8,241 ft. The rims are 212 miles apart by road
- Usual difficulty
- A steep 4,800 ft descent with no water, then a 15-mile climb. Heat is the big danger from May to September
- Best time
- I went October 30 and 31, 2019
- Permits
- A backcountry permit for every night below the rim, by lottery on Recreation.gov. In October 2026 none are issued for this route
- Getting there
- My way in, 2019. I flew from New York to Flagstaff, rented a car at the airport for a week, and drove about an hour and a half up to the South Rim. I'd reserved a few days at Mather Campground. I camped there for a couple of days, charged batteries, bought groceries, and got my backcountry permit so that I could spend a night down in the canyon. I also scouted the rim for places to film timelapses. It was freezing and windy, and I lost my right contact lens that morning, so I wore my glasses for the whole trip.
- Lodging
- Tent
From Kraig Adams's guide
Costs and gear
What it cost
Backcountry permit: $10, plus $15 per person per night below the rim
What Kraig carried
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 2400 · REI Passage 1 · NEMO Siren 45 · Outdoor Vitals Sleeping Bag Liner · an inflatable mat · Klymit Pillow X · Jetboil MiniMo · TOAKS Titanium Long Handle Spoon and 34 more.
Bookings and permits
When bookings open, from the sources named under each. Dates move: confirm on the official site.
Grand Canyon backcountry permits: the early access lottery
About four months before your start month, by lottery on recreation.gov. In October 2026 none were issued for Bright Angel or Cottonwood campgrounds after the August 2026 flood: check the park first.
Opens a set time before your start date: make a plan with your dates to see yours.
Book on recreation.gov.
Source: Kraig Adams's Grand Canyon Rim to Rim guide: Permits and rules (checked Oct 2026). Checked October 2026.
Alert me when bookings open
From Kraig Adams's guide
Safety
Rescue numbers
- Emergency: 911. Park dispatch 928-638-7805.
Phone signal
- Almost no signal in the canyon.
- Download offline maps while you still have a signal on the South Rim.
Insurance
- Medical treatment in the US is expensive, so make sure your travel insurance covers local treatment and medical evacuation.
Bail-out points
- Day 1, South Kaibab Trailhead to Bright Angel Campground. There's no easy way out of the South Kaibab Trail: up is the only way back, and there's no water. At the Tipoff, the Tonto Trail goes west 4.6 miles to Havasupai Gardens (a campground, a ranger station and, normally, water all year; off in October 2026) and the Bright Angel Trail, 4.5 miles more to the South Rim. The emergency phones are at the Tipoff and, at the bottom, at Bright Angel Campground and Phantom Ranch.
- Day 2, Bright Angel Campground to the North Rim. On this side the only way out is up, or back down to Bright Angel Campground. Cottonwood Campground is the place to stop if you're slow or hot, but you need a permit for it. There are emergency phones at Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, Cottonwood and Manzanita, and none at Roaring Springs or Supai Tunnel. In summer, NPS says hiking the whole North Kaibab Trail in a day is not recommended, because it's very hard to avoid the heat of the day; start before dawn.
From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
Creators who've done it
1 creator so far: Kraig, 2 days, tent.
Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim (20 miles in 2 days)
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Typical: 2 days (the hike's facts).
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Planning questions about Grand Canyon rim to rim, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".
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Answered from the data
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for Grand Canyon rim to rim?
I did it in two. I was supposed to stay at Cottonwood Campground on the way up the second day, but I felt like I could do the whole hike in two days instead of three, so I went up to the North Rim. Three days, with a night at Cottonwood, is the gentler plan. See Other ways to do it.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How much does Grand Canyon rim to rim cost?
Backcountry permit: $10, plus $15 per person per night below the rim (one person, one night at Bright Angel Campground: $25). Park entrance: $35 per car, or $20 per person on foot; non-US residents add $100 each. Mather Campground: $30 a night. Groome from Flagstaff to the South Rim: from $49 plus $8 park entry. Phantom Ranch steak dinner: $67.42 plus tax. The Trans-Canyon Shuttle's fare wasn't published while it was suspended.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When is the best time to hike Grand Canyon rim to rim?
I went at the end of October and would suggest the autumn, when it's not as hot: the inner canyon averages over 100°F from June to August. The North Rim's services normally run from May 15 to October 15, and its road closes from December 1 to May 14.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need a permit for Grand Canyon rim to rim?
You need a backcountry permit for every night you camp below the rim, by lottery on Recreation.gov about four months ahead; in 2026 it was $10 plus $15 per person per night. Day hikers don't need one. Since the August 2026 flood, no permits are issued for Bright Angel or Cottonwood campgrounds.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Is the Grand Canyon rim to rim open?
Not in October 2026. After the August 29, 2026 flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon, the park closed the whole North Kaibab Trail, Phantom Ranch with Bright Angel Campground, both bridges over the Colorado River and the South Kaibab Trail below the Tipoff, with no estimated reopening. Check the park's Key Hiking Messages page before you plan.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How long is the Grand Canyon rim to rim?
My South Kaibab to North Kaibab hike was 21.9 miles from trailhead to trailhead, with the side trip to Ribbon Falls: 7.0 miles down to Bright Angel Campground on Day 1 and 14.9 miles up to the North Rim on Day 2. That's about 4,780 ft down and 6,120 ft up. I called it about 20 miles in my film.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Is there water on the rim to rim trail?
None on the South Kaibab Trail. In a normal year there's water all year at Bright Angel Campground and Phantom Ranch, and from about mid-May to mid-October at Cottonwood, Manzanita, Supai Tunnel and the North Kaibab Trailhead. In October 2026 every tap in the inner canyon is off. Always carry a way to treat creek water.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How do you get back after hiking rim to rim?
The rims are about 212 miles apart by road, about 4.5 hours. I took a shuttle from the North Rim back to my car on the South Rim in 2019: about $80 and four hours. In October 2026 the Trans-Canyon Shuttle is suspended until the park reopens.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.