Backpacking

The south Rim Loop

South Kaibab to Bright Angel via Phantom Ranch

What better way to experience the Grand Canyon than to head straight down into it? Pictures from the top are beautiful, but fleeting and distant. No one likes that depressing feeling of trudging over to the visitor center viewpoint to snap a photo before piling back to the family van.

Don’t worry, we have your antidote right here. You won’t feel underwhelmed when you’re smack in the middle of the canyon with a backpack on, completely surrounded by its giant red walls at every angle and wondering what comes next.

Summary - This is a legendary trek connecting two iconic trails on the South Rim that converge at Phantom Ranch, down on the Colorado River. On this adventure, you’ll be taking South Kaibab Trail on the way down and Bright Angel Trail back out.

Seasonal Timing - Due to the heavy crowds even more than the weather, shoot for cooler months—think March/April or October/November. If you’re shooting for an ideal experience, we wouldn’t recommend doing this trip any later than mid May or earlier than mid September. For more info on monthly weather trends in the Grand Canyon, see our section on Timing Your Trip.

Distance & Elevation Gain

Day 1 - South Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch - 7.1 miles

Highest Elevation: 7,200 ft. - South Kaibab trailhead
Lowest Elevation: 2,480 ft - Phantom Ranch
Elevation Gain/Loss: -4,720 ft.

Day 2 - Phantom Ranch to Indian Gardens (with out-and-back treks to Phantom Canyon and Plateau Point) - 10.3 miles

Lowest Elevation: 2,480 ft - Phantom Ranch
Highest Elevation: 3,800 ft. - Indian Garden campground
Elevation Gain/Loss: +1,320 ft.

Day 3 - Indian Gardens to Bright Angel Trailhead - 4.5 miles

Lowest Elevation: 3,800 ft. - Indian Garden campground
Highest Elevation: 6,860 ft. - Bright Angel trailhead
Elevation Gain/Loss: +3,060 ft.

Total Mileage: 21.9 mi.

Options for Completing the Hike

We split the trek up into three days and couldn’t recommend this option more. The extra day allowed us to check out both Phantom Canyon (+4 miles) and Plateau Point (+3 miles), eventually staying at Indian Gardens halfway up Bright Angel trail on our ascent out.

Some insider notes from this route plan:

Watching the sunset at Plateau Point was undeniably the most amazing part of the whole trip. Bring some whiskey or wine—it will be worth the extra weight in your pack.
The trailhead to Phantom Canyon is roughly one mile north of Phantom Ranch. It’s a stunning side canyon worth the extra mileage, but if you decide to check it out, make sure to do it late in the season. Accessing the trail requires a Bright Angel Creek crossing, which would be fine in September, but not in April when water levels are high. Use your best judgment with that.
Both Phantom Canyon and Plateau Point can be reached with small day packs, allowing you to leave your heavy gear back at camp.

Although you can do this trail in reverse, almost everyone opts to head down South Kaibab and back up Bright Angel. Kaibab is steeper, and it has little shade and zero drinking water along the trail. Hiking Kaibab first also allows you to park at the finish line rather than vice versa.

You can complete this hike in a single day. Many people do, but you’ll want to be in great shape be extra vigilant of the weather. Here’s a great resource for those of you considering this option.

Permits and Reservations - The Grand Canyon’s permit issuing process is not as streamlined as Zion and Yosemite.

To reserve them ahead of time, permit applications have to be mailed in or faxed 4.5 months prior to your intended star date.

Walk-ins take more than one day showing up onsite to acquire via a waiting list.

For a detailed walk-through on locking down your Grand Canyon permits, see our Backpacking Permits section.

What to Pack

A few key gear recommendations for first-time trekkers:

Prepare for literally all forms of weather. We saw high winds, hail, cold rain, sweltering heat, and then a full-on snow storm just as we were finishing.
Bring at least a 3L bladder full of water. South Kaibab Trail has zero water and very little shade.
No need to bring a water filter. Both trailheads, Phantom Ranch, and most major landmarks along Bright Angel Trail all have clean drinking water. However, the pipes down by Phantom Ranch are known to break on occasion. Bring a couple purification tablets as a backup option in the event of a worst case scenario.
Trekking poles are a huge plus. If you don't have them, you can rent them at the South Rim Village market plaza for $3 per pole per day.

Photo: Rim-to-Rim Trail Map | Courtesy via: NPS.gov

Day of the Hike

BE ON THE TRAIL HIKING BY 7AM. No one hates waking up at 4:30am more than I do, but this trail gets really crowed. If you start your hike any later than 7am, you’ll be swimming through tourists all the way down to Cedar Ridge.

I can’t stress this enough—the upper half of this hike offers many of the best views of the entire trip (see: Ooh Ah Point). Get a late start, and every photo you take is going to be crammed full of tourists.

Lighting for photography is also much better before 7am, when sunlight is soft and diffused rather than harsh and directly overhead.

The final advantage to an early start time is you’ll arrive at Phantom Ranch sooner, which simply gives you more time to enjoy your stay down there. There’s a really nice beach along with a small store with snacks and BEER, but it closes at 4pm.

Setting Up Your Shuttle - Park at the Backcountry Information Center. Take the Blue Route to the Visitor’s Center, then the Orange Route to the South Kaibab Trailhead.

Morning backpacking Shuttles come early and often but change seasonally—see up-to-date schedule times in the link below.

NPS.gov - South Rim Shuttle Bus Routes

Reaching the Trailhead - The South Kaibab Trailhead is right off the bus stop.

Stay Safe - Keep an eye on the heat, and know where your water stops are. The bottom of the canyon is often 25°F hotter than the top.

Unexpected Challenges - Our group agreed—the way down was strangely more difficult than the way up. Hiking down 4,700 vertical ft. takes a toll on your calves an knees. It felt much more difficult than your average 7.2 mile hike.

Resources