Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Hike

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Reasoning that I’m not getting any younger, I decided recently that the Grand Canyon was something I needed to do before I no longer could. Such a decision, by its very nature, triggers some urgency. And “doing the Grand Canyon” meant, for me, a rim-to-rim hike. But as I began to navigate Grand Canyon National Park’s backcountry permit system, I realized that actually hiking the hike might not be the hardest part. Obtaining the necessary permit for camping within the canyon on a multi-night backpacking traverse of the gorge seemed at first to be hopelessly challenging. The park has a lottery system for handing out permits and, thanks to much greater demand for campsites than supply, many hopeful hikers face rejection. My first attempt involved an application to camp in the park’s most popular corridor campgrounds in the middle of May and was, not surprisingly, denied. But I learned from a friend that it’s wise to include in one’s application several of the canyon’s less-trafficked areas as itinerary possibilities, and I went about identifying options other than the popular North Kaibab to Bright Angel/South Kaibab route...

Contributor @Susan Dragoo shares this article on a backpacking trip across the Grand Canyon - take a look in Issue 52:

The Grand Canyon, Rim to River on the Hermit Trail

Issue 52 Page 1

[Gromet]

Bright Angle campground at phantom ranch is at half capacity for the next 1-2 years as they are working on the waste treatment plant. If you can avoid it as an overnight stop in your application you will have better luck.