Grand Canyon Clothing Questions

June in the bottom of the big ditch is hot! But really cool in a hot way. Take a siesta under the tarp from 11-4 or so, bring plenty of electrolytes, etc.

When I lived in AZ and did some backpacking during the GC summer, I would wear shorts, a LS baggy poly/cotton shirt, a ball cap, and tuck a bandana under it as a sunshield. Wetting the bandana is nice during the really hot times.

I'd cover up more. Solar radiation (including UV) increase with altitude, so you're going to get a lot more sun in the canyon than you would during an equivalent time outside in MD.

I prefer loose, baggy clothes in the summer when I'm outside: L/S nylon shirts and pants work well for me. YMMV

Two years ago I hiked to the bottom down via the North Kaibab and out via the Bright Angel trails. We stayed at the bottom two nights.

I would recommend a light colored synthetic long sleeve button up shirt that the sleeves can be rolled and buttoned up. For pants, I used some lightweight khaki colored synthetic convertible pants. Versatility is key. I find that for me at least, wearing long sleeves kept my arms cooler as the sweat produced did not seem to evaporate as quickly due to direct sun exposure. Wore a light colored wide brim hat as well and NEVER got sun burn the entire time. Wetting down the sleeves of the shirt when water was available kept me cooler too. When in the shade at the bottom, roll up the sleeves and zip off the pant legs and enjoy the evening breeze.

BTW: It was 32*F at the top at 7AM when we started. Four hours later at 11AM when we reached the bottom it was 106*F. A 74*F temperature change sure is weird, and this was in mid May!

I saw people in shorts and t-shirts sweating to death, dehydrated, and sun burned. Some people thought I was a park ranger due to the way I looked and did not seem run down!

Please take enough water (2or 3L is sufficient for most on the corridor trails) as I saw some people run out and look like they were going to die. The inner gorge or "oven" is dark rock and radiates temperatures to triple digits pretty quick.

EDIT: My photo to the left was taken on the same trip in Death Valley. It was 112*F at the time.