Anyone tried s. Kaibab > Phantom Ranch > Bright Angel in 1 day?

[Mike Barney]

Anyone here tried to hike from the south rim to Phantom Ranch and back the same day? Think about doing this in late March.

Thanks,
MikeB

[Kirk Beiser]

I hiked rim to river to rim (Kaibab to Phantom to Bright Angel) in March '05. March is perfect, almost no snow up top and it got up to about 85-90 at the bottom. It's not an easy hike, but if you're in good shape it can be done. It is not recommended by the park service (you will pass many signs not recommending it).

I'll actually be in the AZ area visiting friends/family and training for my PCT hike in March/April. So many wonderful places to visit (Santa Catalina's, Superstitions, Mazatzals, Sedona, GC, utah's canyon country).

Pictures http://www.pbase.com/kabeiser/grand_canyon_05

Kirk

[Neil Bender]

If I recall there is no water on S. Kaibab. You won't need much water going down. I recommend caching some water on the way down so you don't have as much of a load going up. S. kaibab has some steep sections. Poles on the way down help to put the brakes on without straining. My recollection of S Kaibab is that it is less scenic than Bright Angel. Even though it is longer, I think I'd rather wander up Bright Angel, but that trail will have less solitude. Both trails are part of the mule route and their trail pollution can get bad in spots.

The scouts here in Tucson do a merit badge for S Rim to N rim to s rim in 24 hours. I think they may use Bright Angel for at least one of the south legs.

March is the best month for sure. Enjoy.

[Kirk Beiser]

There is good water (I think it is treated) at Phantom Ranch bathroom areas (from what I remember) and Indian Gardens (I think this is also treated). The http://www.nps.gov page has good info. I would probably take 3-4L if I did it again. This is enough that if I got 3/4 of the way down Kaibab and needed to turn around I would have enough. I would also eat a lot more than I did. I bonked going up the last 2 miles of Bright Angel.

Both trails could be very crowded.

The Rim to River to North Rim to River to Rim trip sounds awesome. I'm not sure if my body is ready to handle that right now, but it would be a lot of fun. Fun is different for everyone.

Kirk

[les lloyd]

take a few bucks for a lemonade at phantom ranch.

[Michael Schurr]

Yes, but even in late March you may have icy walking at the top. As I recall it is about 19 miles including the river trail. Most folks go down the Kaibab since there is no water on the trail, and then out the Bright Angel, because there is. Both trails are well maintained and busy, which is why I tend to stick to the primitive trails.

[Michael Coulter]

I have a couple of friends that have done S. Kaibab to the river then up Bright Angel in one day. The river is pretty close to Phantom. Both were not in the best of shapes but they managed fine.

In a couple of months I am doing the following 26 miler in one day. Starting early on S. Kaibab to the river and then up Bright Angel to the rim (16 miles). Get in the car and drive to the trailhead at Humphreys Mtn (highest peak in AZ above Flagstaff) and hike to the peak and back down (10 miles). This is called Rim-River-Rim-Humphreys.

I'll take on any opportunity to drop down to lowest common denominator of stupidity. :-)

[Michael Coulter]

BTW, there is no water on S. Kaibab, but in March you won't need it. I moved pretty quickly down S. Kaibab to Phantom with a full pack without consuming much water. I would avoid heading up S. Kaibab, because you will consume more water, of course. But you should be fine with what you could carry in your pack. There's a water spigot right in front of the store at Phantom (it's safe to drink).

Going up B.A. you will find a few places to refill with safe drinking water. One is at Indian Gardens, one at the 3 mile house and one at the 1 1/2 mile house. If you're in good shape and you go when it is cool (March is good), you shouldn't have any issues. I carried 132 oz of water on the S. Kaibab to Phantom Ranch in May and it was enough and it was hotter than March of course.

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