Even Teddy Roosevelt claimed that every American should witness Grand Canyon’s unparalleled beauty. Take Teddy’s counsel, ditch the crowds and enjoy the canyon over 3 days on the 24-mile Rim-to-Rim trail! Hiking from North to South Rim is like using a geological time machine: 250-million-year-old strata lying back to back with 1.2 billion-year-old rocks featuring the mighty Colorado river carving through the gorge. Visitors say pictures don’t do justice to its red-rock chasms, so see for yourself why Teddy’s right—after all, it is one of the World’s Seven Natural Wonders!
This is your chance to traverse the full North-to-South expanse of the Grand Canyon on your own two feet. With incredibly experienced guides by your side and the logistics taken care of, embarking on this ultimate adventure has never been more alluring. Over the course of 5 days, you’ll backpack across 24 miles of the canyon, testing your physical and mental endurance along the way. You can expect very challenging terrain and possibly unpredictable weather, but that’s the price of witnessing all the beauty of the Grand Canyon from up close.
Check into your hotel in Kanab after 5 pm (included in the price). We’ll then have a trip briefing and a gear check with your guide. At 7 pm, we’ll have a team welcome dinner and get to know each other.
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Kanab
We’ll meet at 9 am at the guide’s office in Kanab. You’re welcome to leave your car or any extra bags with us before we head out. From there, we’ll go to the North Rim to kick off our backpacking journey! After we grab lunch at the trailhead, we’ll begin our descent into the canyon and find the perfect spot to establish our camp for the night.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Camping (tents)
Today we’re doing inner canyon explorations. This includes The Box, Bright Angel Creek, and Phantom Ranch. Campsite selection and precise itinerary are dependent on permit allocations.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Camping (tents)
On the last day in the Canyon, well be ascending to the South Rim. Expect up to 4,400 ft (1,341 m) of vertical gain. We’ll get picked up at the trailhead and returned to Kanab. Check into the hotel for a well-deserved rest. In the evening, we’ll have a celebratory dinner.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Kanab
After breakfast, it’s time to leave. If you’d like to spend more time in the area, just ask your guides for recommendations!
Meals: Breakfast
Wow! Just wow! Everything I was hoping for and more. The geology was jaw dropping, the trip organization was stellar, and Sunny’s intimate knowledge of the canyon allowed us to see the little secrets that other will miss. But the best part was Sunny’s competency in not only leading the trip, but invoking a camaraderie and chemistry amongst a group of strangers that will inevitably lead to long term friendships. That is is a gift to all of us!
Included:
Add-ons:
Not included:
This five-day rim-to-rim traversal might pose a challenge even to avid adventurers. As you’ll be hiking for 8-12 miles (13 to 19 km) per day for several days in a row, you must be in great shape. Keep in mind that you’ll also be carrying a +35 lbs (+15 kg) backpack, doing up to 5,000 ft (1,524 m) of vertical ascent per day. The terrain can be rough and very steep at times, so good physical fitness is paramount. Due to the significant elevation changes, you should also prepare for extreme temperature swings and wildly varying conditions on the trail.
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
For the safety of your pet, visitors, and wildlife, pets are not allowed on trails below the rim. For more details on regulations and pet-friendly areas, visit the National Park Service website.
Group sizes and prices:
This Grand Canyon backpacking tours can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
The price for this Rim-to-Rim tour is based on twin-share rooms, but a single occupancy room can be arranged at an additional fee. You can add it to your booking at checkout. This covers the 2 nights at the hotel in Kanab.
There are multiple options to reach Kanab, the city where you’ll stay a day prior to and after the backpacking trip. Most people fly into one of these three major airports: Harry Read International Airport (LAS) near Las Vegas, Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). From there, the best option would be renting a car—depending on the chosen airport, it will take you anywhere between 3 and 5.5 hours to get to Kanab.
You can check into your hotel (included in the price) after 5 pm on Day 1.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.
Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
To secure your spot, a deposit in the amount of 30% is required at the time of booking. The remaining amount must be paid 90 calendar days prior to the trip departure. Should your guides be unsuccessful in obtaining permits for your trip, you are entitled to a full refund of your deposit minus the booking fees. If the client cancels the booking…
Please note that booking fees are non-refundable in all cases and will be deducted from the refund amount.
Wow! Just wow! Everything I was hoping for and more. The geology was jaw dropping, the trip organization was stellar, and Sunny’s intimate knowledge of the canyon allowed us to see the little secrets that other will miss. But the best part was Sunny’s competency in not only leading the trip, but invoking a camaraderie and chemistry amongst a group of strangers that will inevitably lead to long term friendships. That is is a gift to all of us!