On Saturday May 19, 2012 Richard and I descended from the South Rim via the 7 mile South Kaibab Trail. Our intent was to hike the 2nd most popular trail to see how much more difficult it is than Bright Angel Trail and to determine if it would be a worthy shortcut for future longer trips. It was intended to be a short trip – just two nights down at Bright Angel Campground to give one rest day before heading back up the 9.6 mile Bright Angel Trail.
Once again the waterproof Nomad hiking journal was packed deep in a pocket with a rolling ball pen (big mistake) to smudge every word of our trek.
Sat 5/19, DAY 1:
Starting Point: Grand Canyon Lodge parking area 2. Take Orange Shuttle Route to S. Kaibab Trailhead.
Trail link: http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/South_Kaibab_Trail.pdf
http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/SouthKaibabTrail.pdf
Destination: Bright Angel Campground @ Phantom Ranch
Miles Covered: 7 miles
Elevation Loss: 4780’ elevation loss (this is 400’ more than using Bright Angel Trail)
Hiking Time: 3 hours and 54 minutes (Left at 9:38 am and arrived at 1:30 pm)
Pack Weight: 25-30 lbs. (we calculated that we were probably around 18% of our body weights)
Temperature: 60-90°
Sky: All sun
Precipitation: nothing of any kind unless you consider mule spit precipitation.
Wind: the perfect breeze
Difficulty: 4 out of 5
Calories/Heart Rates: Burned 1520 calories, Max heart rate of 157, average of 124.
Water Availability: None on the trail. Pack more than you think you need. We had 1 gallon each.
Trail Conditions: South Kaibab is one of the most popular trails in the canyon, so expect your shuttle bus to the trailhead to be crowded. The shuttle is free but with that comes demand. Lucky for us there were few other backpackers on the bus so our bags fit nicely in the front storage area. Once you get to the trailhead, the thirty of you will all clamber for the same scenic views and rush down the trail. We took our time to take our first photos, read the information, and soak it in before embarking. The information signs remind you not to be overconfident and misinformed – a young woman who had run the Boston Marathon in under 4 hours died at the Canyon trying to complete the 27 mile rim-to-rim with only 1.5 liters of water, 2 energy bars and an apple. Don’t be her! Take your water, know your route, eat often.
As the trail is popular, you’ll encounter many people within the first few miles of the hike. Less than a mile down the trail you’ll arrive at your first tourist destination -- Ooh Ah Point -- but I held on to my Oohs and Ahs for areas less crowded. Crowds are mostly human but there are also mule trains. For a couple years mule service was inactive on this trail while trail improvements were made but the mules were back in service last year, so be aware that mules have the right of way and you should step to the inside of the trail and let them pass. This might be difficult at times because the trail is definitely narrower than Bright Angel and you are forced into single file quite a bit – which makes it a snug fit for the mule trains to pass by along narrow switchbacks. If you see them coming you should scope out a good broad area to step aside.
As this trail is nearly 3 miles shorter than Bright Angel and starts at a point 400 feet above BA, it is most definitely steeper and does wear on your knees. The brunt of the wear in our opinion comes after Tipoff when you have only 2.6 miles left to go and need to orient yourself to make sure you take the right trail heading out of Tipoff and do not end up on Tonto East which leads both East and West from Tipoff. Once you’re on the right trail, the descent to the river is toe-smooshing and knee-jarring. Hiking sticks are incredibly beneficial to distributing your weight and stabilizing yourself along the exposed trail.
Notes: Although there is no water along the trail there are a couple points with pit toilets – Cedar Ridge is your first stop and Tipoff the second. Below Cedar Ridge, there are no shady rest spots that compare to the oasis of Bright Angel’s Indian Gardens.
With little shade, the views of South Kaibab are incessantly in front of you and you may catch the flight of a California condor, one of the rarest bird species and one that is rebounding from massive conservation efforts. The informational packets about the trail say you will see less wildlife on this trail than Bright Angel due to its track across a sun-exposed ridgeline. We saw the condors, spiny lizards, and several squirrels. Perhaps the “wildlife” they speak of it means “deer” which you pretty much are guaranteed to see at least one of on your way up to Indian Garden, but none on S. Kaibab.
Zoroaster’s Temple, the butte that watched over us on our hike to Clear Creek last year, peered down on us again this entire hike. Zoroaster was named after a Persian prophet of probably one of the largest religions before 6th century BCE. Zoroastrianism used water and fire as elements of purity in ritualistic ceremonies as they are thought to be necessities to life. Wikipedia says: “Fire is considered a medium through which spiritual insight and wisdom is gained, and water is considered the source of that wisdom.” So be wise and carry water, if not for yourself, than for the Zoroaster who reigns above you in the Canyon.
Carrying a gallon of water each, we arrived at camp with extra water, but neither of us wishes we took less. We saw so many people poorly dressed and poorly stocked for the rigor of this trail we wonder how often rangers must help hikers overcome their self-induced obstacles. We also count our lucky stars we made it down, safe and sound, with just the aches of a knee and foot pound.
We camped at spot #4 in Bright Angel Campground, next door to our favorite camp from last year, set up our tent (we carried no fly since the forecast was hot and sunny), and inventoried our maladies. Richard’s brand new Saloman’s XA Pro 3D Mid 2 GTX shoes did the trick straight out of the box, no blisters, but he did indicate toenail soreness and hotspots which he attributes to the trail’s grade, not from his shoes. I also found no blisters from my Saucony low top trail runners but did have a left knee ache and a sore shoulder from the less than plump straps of my Osprey Aura 65.
One of the most pleasurable things about camp #4 (or #3 or any of those on the east side of the campground) is Bright Angel Creek’s cold water lapping over your sore body parts. This is my Ooh Ah point!
Camp was set up by 2:30 and we were looking for nourishment in the form of hops and barley so we wandered into Phantom Ranch to the cantina where we were surprised by a rich 3 can selection: Budweiser, Tecate, or Grand Canyon Wheat. We got one of each and then I settled on Tecate and Richard on GC Wheat for our standby favorites. ($4.75 for Bud and Tecate, $5.75 for GC Wheat)
By 4:30 Richard had picked up his fly rod and was fishing along the confluence of the Bright Angel and Colorado rivers. Within the first 10 minutes he caught a 14 inch brown trout. Later we learned from the ranger that they were shocking the water that night to pump the stomach contents of the brown trout and analyze its diet. No word on what they were looking for, or what they found.
Over dinner we wrote down the items we forgot or screwed up in our prep: no hairbrush, somehow instead of 2 foam cups we had 1 foam and 1 plastic, brought an extra bottle biodegradable soap, shouldn’t have bought the Backpacker Pantry meals with olive oil packets as it’s just too messy and oily. Richard needs flip flops but decided his water shoes with wool socks worked out well for him.
At 7:30 we joined Ranger Emily at the small amphitheater for her talk on the Kolb Brothers. We learned about their adventures, their photography business, and other random information about the Canyon – like the pictographs along Bright Angel Trail that we had never seen and the planned eclipse viewing parties for Sunday night between 6:30 and 6:40– Plateau Point near Indian Gardens would have a view as would a point 2 miles up S. Kaibab Trail.
Sun 5/20, DAY 2:
Starting Point: Bright Angel Campground #4
Trail: N. Kaibab Trail out of Phantom Ranch, after crossing the 2nd bridge about 2 miles down the trail we crossed Bright Angel Creek and entered the Canyon.
Destination: Phantom Creek/Canyon
Miles Covered: maybe 4 miles round trip to the canyon entrance and back to camp.
Elevation Gain: 400’ elevation gain maybe
Hiking Time: 30 minutes to reach the canyon, 15 minutes or less to reach the 1st waterfall where we hung out (Left at 8:30 am and came back to camp before 2 pm)
Pack Weight: 5-10 lbs.
Temperature: 95-100°
Sky: Sunny
Precipitation: nothing but sun
Wind: slight
Difficulty: 1 out of 5
Water Availability: lots of water on the water hike, bring water filter.
Trail Conditions: Following N. Kaibab Trail to the Canyon is a good trail, fairly flat, but wide enough to handle traffic. Plenty of shade through the canyon in the mid-morning. After crossing the 2nd bridge the canyon will come up on the left, it’s the first new water source (Phantom Creek) creating a confluence with the Bright Angel Creek. You must get off the trail and cross the Bright Angel Creek to enter the canyon. Hiking sticks are a great way to guide your tired and sore legs through the current but the current was gentle. I found a spot deep enough to soak my knee, now wrapped in athletic wrap, and the coolness of the creek immediately felt anti-inflammatory. In Phantom Creek the water was slightly warmer than Bright Angel Creek and was a gentle flow, not too hard to navigate through. There are a few places you need to really think about how you’ll step to get over mini-cascades but nothing was too terribly difficult. At the first waterfall we chose not to climb up the rock fall to the left to get to the upper falls because I was nursing my knee in preparation for the hike out and didn’t want to be stupid and hurt it more at the wrong time.
Notes: There is fish in Phantom Creek. Richard didn’t anticipate this so he didn’t bring his fly rod with him, but once we got in Phantom Creek he saw two dead suckerfish and then saw trout swimming in the pool below the waterfall. He was jonesed to fish so I rested along the confluence for an hour while he hiked back to camp, got his rod and came back. During that time I watched the sun gradually throw light across new parts of the canyon walls, rested my knee, waved at canyon hikers passing by, investigated different rock types along the creek, and just enjoyed the peace. A couple other hikers went in the canyon while Richard was gone and as we hiked back to the waterfall at 11:30 we saw them up above the 3rd waterfall. Richard fished and quickly caught a rainbow trout with an elkhair #14 while I watched two lizards scurry up and down the rocks to eat tadpoles or larvae out of the pool’s edge.
On our way back to camp we stopped at the cantina to beer up and get a $3 bag of ice for cold water and knee therapy and then it was back to camp for my rest day and Richard’s fish day. He went down the creek for another few hours but only caught 1 more brown trout (with a tarantula pattern). I watched people soak in the creek while the sunlight sparkled through the cottonwood trees and the sun warmed the rocks to frying pan temps. When Richard came back at 4:30 there was a weird hot breeze circling through camp. The eclipse was at 6:34 but we didn’t notice much change in the sky. I thought the sky was hazy and then brightened after the ring of fire ended but Richard didn’t corroborate that story. To bed at 7:30 with plans to wake at 5 for the hike out. My knee felt better after taking Aleve and it wasn’t until we got home that I realized I was only supposed to take 1 every 8 hours and I was taking 2 every 6 hours. No wonder I thought it worked better than Advil!
Mon 5/21, DAY 3:
Starting Point: Bright Angel Campground #4
Trail Link: http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/Bright_Angel_Trail.pdf
Destination: South Rim via Bright Angel Trail
Miles Covered: 9.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 4380’
Hiking Time: 5 hours 55 minutes (Left at 6:20 am and arrived at 12:15 pm)
Pack Weight: 25 pounds
Temperature: high 106°at Phantom Ranch, 95°at Indian Gardens
Sky: Sun
Precipitation: none
Wind: slight
Difficulty: 3 out of 5
Calories/Heart Rates: Burned 3087 calories (1000 by Indian Gardens), Max heart rate 182, average 145.
Water Availability: great
Trail Conditions: Hot! Limited shade. Between the River Resthouse and Indian Gardens we crossed 4 water crossings. For some reason, I always remembered this in the past as 2 water crossings. Arrived at Indian Gardens at 9 am. It felt like there were fewer people hiking but I believe that might be because it was a Monday. At the top the usual place we’d enter/exit the trail would be by the Kolb Lookout Studio but they have closed that entrance and route you over to the West. It’s a longer path up but might also save some traffic jams that inevitably happened at the former trail exit. We don’t know if the prior path is closed permanently or temporarily.
Notes: We ate our breakfast of oatmeal with dried fruit out of plastic bags (because Richard wouldn’t let me pack the extra weight of a collapsible bowl) and it spilled all over my lap in the morning. I suppose these are the risks you take when you cut weight. I also ended up carrying a blue Sharpie with me the whole way in my REI Flash bag, which was a surprise to me when I was unloading my stuff later on. Anyway, the hike up was long and hard as usual. We saw a deer before arriving at Indian Gardens. We learned that taking an empty 20 oz bottle is a good way to get extra water at the water stops without having to go through the hassle of filling up the bladder in the backpack. Only one mule train passed by us on our hike.
Richard kept looking for the pictographs the ranger told us about but kept coming up empty until serendipitously I randomly made a rare stop below 1 ½ mile to take a rest and Richard “found the motherlode!” He was so excited and pointed them out to some foreign tourists who did not seem so impressed. I can’t believe we had never seen them before and if we had not made that rare stop we would have passed by them again unknowingly.
Once on top, we filled our bellies with more beer, margaritas, and fried mushrooms, zucchini, and French fries and then headed to Mather Campground and the showers! Keep in mind the showers are closed from12-1 and 3-4 for cleaning. We had timed it magically so that we would be the first to use clean showers. What a nice surprise! The shower area takes $2.00 in quarters for 8 minutes of hot water. They do not have a change machine but the attendant will make change for you.
For another Grand Canyon hike check out our 5 nighter to
Clear Creek from 2011
So here's the run-down. 
