Hiking the Grand Canyon Tonto Trail
Kraig AdamsNov 2020 · With friends
- Days
- 2 days
- Cost
- Backcountry permit: $10, plus $15 per person per night below the rim
- Lodging
- Tent
North America · United States
Grand Canyon Tonto Trail
Grand Canyon, Arizona
- Distance
- 25.9 mi41.8 km
- Days
- 2 days
- Elevation gain
- 4,990 ft1,521 m
- High point
- 6,847 ft2,087 m
- Season
- I went November 2 and 3, 2020
- Lodging
- Tent
Hikes / North America / Grand Canyon Tonto Trail
At the beginning of November 2020 I hiked the Tonto Trail in the Grand Canyon with my brother Kurtis. We went down the Hermit Trail from Hermits Rest, at the west end of the South Rim, east along the Tonto Trail on the platform above the inner gorge, and spent the night at Indian Garden Campground, now called Havasupai Gardens. The next morning we hiked out the Bright Angel Trail to Grand Canyon Village. Two days, about 26 miles by my GPS: 21 on the first day and 5 on the second. It's the trip from my film Hiking the Grand Canyon Tonto Trail.
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Hard · about 13 mi (21 km) and 2,495 ft (761 m) of climbing a day over 2 days, up to 6,847 ft (2,087 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
Elevation2,927–6,844 ft25.9 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 GPX366 KB · free
Each day and variant (2 files)
- Day 1: Hermits Rest, the Hermit Trail (the Waldron and Dripping Springs junctions, Santa Maria Spring, the Cathedral Stairs), the Tonto Trail junction, Monument Creek, Cedar Spring, Salt Creek, Horn Creek, the Plateau Point Trail junction and Havasupai Gardens Campground (20.9 mi / 33.6 km) 294 KB
- Day 2: Havasupai Gardens, the Three-Mile and Mile-and-a-Half resthouses and the Bright Angel Trailhead (5.0 mi / 8.1 km) 71 KB
The film
Watch it first
Hiking the Grand Canyon Tonto Trail
Before you go
The basics
- Start
- Hermits Rest, at the end of Hermit Road, 6,640 ft (the Hermit Trailhead)
- Finish
- The Bright Angel Trailhead in Grand Canyon Village, 6,860 ft, about 8 miles by road from the start
- Usual difficulty
- A steep, rough descent of the Hermit Trail, a long, shadeless day on the Tonto, then a 3,000 ft climb out. NPS calls this area "recommended for experienced Grand Canyon hikers"
- Best time
- I went November 2 and 3, 2020
- Permits
- A backcountry permit for every night below the rim, by lottery on Recreation.gov. Not needed to do it in one day
- Getting there
- The South Rim. By NPS's figures it's about 90 minutes (81 miles) from Flagstaff, an hour from Williams, four hours from Phoenix and 278 miles from Las Vegas. Flagstaff's airport has American Airlines flights from Phoenix and Dallas–Fort Worth. Without a car, Groome Transportation runs from Flagstaff (from $49 plus an $8 park entry fee, by reservation) and the Grand Canyon Railway runs daily from Williams. There are no rental cars at the canyon.
- 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
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
You apply in a window of about two weeks that ends on or near the 1st of the month four months before your start month; on the 1st of the next month what's left opens to everyone. Day hikes need no permit.
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 (Tonto Trail) guide: Permits and rules (checked Oct 1, 2026). Checked October 2026.
Alert me when bookings open
From Kraig Adams's guide
Safety
Rescue numbers
- Emergency: 911. Park dispatch 928-638-7805. No phones until Havasupai Gardens.
Phone signal
- There's almost no signal in the canyon.
- Load the GPX files and offline maps on the South Rim.
Insurance
- Medical treatment in the US is expensive, and some hospitals ask non-residents for a deposit.
- Make sure your travel health insurance covers medical treatment and repatriation.
Bail-out points
- Day 1, Hermits Rest to Havasupai Gardens. On the Hermit Trail, the only way off is back up. East of Monument Creek, Havasupai Gardens and the Bright Angel Trail are the nearest way out. There are no emergency phones or rangers until Havasupai Gardens, 20 miles from Hermits Rest. If you're slow or hot, rest in shade through the middle of the day.
- Day 2, Havasupai Gardens to the Bright Angel Trailhead. On this side there's only up, or back down to Havasupai Gardens, which has a ranger station staffed all year. The emergency phones are at Havasupai Gardens and the two resthouses. NPS: plan on taking twice as long to hike up as down, and most first-time Grand Canyon hikers walk uphill at about a mile an hour.
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 Tonto Trail
Walked Grand Canyon Tonto Trail? Be the first to share your track: log it with your GPX.
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Typical: 2 days (the hike's facts).
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Planning questions about Grand Canyon Tonto Trail, 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 Tonto Trail?
We did it in two: 21 miles on the first day and 5 on the second. The ranger who okayed our itinerary said we should rethink it, that it was extremely ambitious, but we killed it: we were doing about 3 miles an hour the whole time. Three or four days, with nights at Monument Creek, Salt Creek or Horn Creek, is the usual plan. See Other ways to do it.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How much does Grand Canyon Tonto Trail cost?
Backcountry permit: $10, plus $15 per person per night below the rim (two people, one night: $40). Park entrance: $35 per car, or $20 per person on foot; non-US residents add $100 each. Mather Campground: $30 a night. The shuttle buses are free. Groome from Flagstaff: from $49 plus $8 park entry.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When is the best time to hike Grand Canyon Tonto Trail?
Mid-September to November, and March to April. The Tonto has almost no shade, and NPS doesn't recommend its camps from late May through mid-September. I went in early November: very hot in the sun at midday, comfortable at night.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need a permit for Grand Canyon Tonto Trail?
For any night below the rim, yes: a backcountry permit by lottery on Recreation.gov, $10 plus $15 per person per night in 2026, with camping only at designated sites. A day hike needs no permit. Booking Hermits Rest to Havasupai Gardens as a single night needs a ranger's help.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Is the Tonto Trail open?
Yes, in October 2026. The August 29, 2026 flood closed the trails east of it (the South Kaibab below the Tipoff, Phantom Ranch and the North Kaibab), not the Hermit Trail, the Tonto Trail west of Havasupai Gardens or the Bright Angel Trail above the River Resthouse. But every water tap below the rim has been off since September 6, 2026, including Havasupai Gardens. Check the park's Key Hiking Messages page before you go.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How long is the Hermit Trail to Bright Angel Trail hike on the Tonto?
My GPS recorded 26.0 miles: 20.9 from Hermits Rest down the Hermit Trail and along the Tonto Trail to Havasupai Gardens, then 5.0 up the Bright Angel Trail, with about 4,990 ft of climbing. NPS gives 24.8 to 25.3 miles. I called it about 26 miles in my film.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Is there water on the Tonto Trail?
Very little. Monument Creek always has water, Santa Maria Spring is a trickle and Cedar Spring is unreliable; NPS doesn't recommend Salt Creek (highly mineralized) or Horn Creek (radioactive). It's 10.7 miles from Monument Creek to Havasupai Gardens, whose tap is off in October 2026. Treat all water.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How do you get to the Hermit Trailhead?
It's at Hermits Rest, at the west end of Hermit Road, which is closed to private cars from March to November. In 2026 the free shuttle's first bus left the village at 8 a.m. Backpackers with a permit for the Hermit area get a gate code to drive to the trailhead.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.