Included: An experienced, local hiking guide with extensive knowledge of the area 4-day all-women backpacking tour in the Grand Canyon North Rim (4 days of hiking) Accommodation for 3 nights in tents with ground cloths (one-person tents available as well) 3 breakfasts and 3 dinners Backcountry permit Cooking equipment and water filter Group gear First aid kit Not included: Transportation to Kanab, UT Trailhead transfers — you drive your own vehicle to the trailhead Lunches and snacks Sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and backpack Other personal gear Anything not mentioned in the ‘Included’ section above Insurance — recommended, available at checkout Guide gratuities — optional

How fit do I need to be?

In order to join this backpacking tour, excellent fitness is required as well as backpacking-specific training done in advance . The most you’ll hike within a day is up to 19 km (12 mi) , with up to 1,500 m (5,000 ft) of elevation gain or loss . This is a strenuous trip, and here’s what it involves: Carrying a backpack weighing approximately 16 kg (35 lb) Hiking on rocky, steep, and unmaintained trails in remote Grand Canyon backcountry Covering daily distances of 16-19 km (10-12 mi) Gaining or losing over 1,500 m (5,000 ft) of elevation per day Hiking sections of trail that are exposed and near cliff edges (not suitable for those with vertigo) Doing occasional short scrambling sections where hands may be needed Carrying an additional 3.5-4.5 kg (8-10 lb) of shared group gear or food Proper training is required and not optional. Prepare by hiking with a weighted pack in the same footwear you’ll wear on the trip. Inadequate preparation puts you, your fellow travelers, and your guides at risk, and evacuations from the Grand Canyon backcountry are complex and never guaranteed, even with satellite communication.

What do I need to bring?

Gear: Backpack large enough to carry everything you’ll need for the trip Sleeping bag Sleeping pad Hiking poles — optional Water bottle or hydration bladder (4L capacity minimum) Headlamp or flashlight Clothing & footwear: Broken-in hiking boots or shoes Camp shoes or sandals Comfortable hiking clothes Spare clothes for layering Waterproof rain jacket Sunhat Sunglasses Other: Lunches and snacks for each day Eating bowl and utensils Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, tissues, etc.) Camera — optional (but recommended) 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.

Group sizes and age requirements

Group sizes and pricing: For this backpacking tour, the usual client-to-guide ratio is 4:1 . It takes a minimum of 4 people for this tour to operate. The maximum group size is set at 9 participants . Backpacking can be arranged for larger groups — contact us to make arrangements. Min. age requirements: If you are older than 18 , you’re good to go. Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to join the backpacking tour on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian. If your group has participants under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

Getting there and meeting location

The starting point of your backpacking tour is Kanab, UT . To get there, most people fly into St. George Regional Airport (SGU) or Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) . From there, you can take a shuttle service, public transport, or rent a car to reach Kanab. You will meet your guide at 8 am on Day 1 in Kanab . From Kanab, you’ll drive to the trailhead in your own vehicle, a journey of approximately 90 minutes. The first 30 minutes are on paved road, followed by dirt and gravel roads. While 2WD vehicles are generally sufficient , higher-clearance vehicles are preferred when available. This approach is intentional and important for safety and flexibility. In the event that a guest needs to leave the trip early due to injury or severe fatigue, one of the guides will hike out with them to the trailhead. Having their own vehicle on-site allows that guest to return to Kanab independently, without a guide having to leave the group. This happens a few times each year, and the system keeps things smoother and safer for everyone.

Deposits and cancellation policy

Secure your spot with a 30% deposit upon booking. The remaining 70% of the trip price must be paid 90 days prior to departure at the latest. If you book within 90 days of departure, the full amount is required at the time of booking. If canceled within 48 hours of booking, a full refund will be issued. If canceled 60 or more days before departure, a 70% refund of the total trip price will be issued. Booking fees are non-refundable after the 48-hour grace period.

Safety measures and insurance

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.

2026 is sold out — book 2027, or find a last minute deal.

Person balancing in a standing yoga pose on top of stacked red sandstone boulders above a desert canyon

Grand Canyon | Arizona

All-Women Grand Canyon North Rim: 4-Day Backpacking Tour

Name: Grand Canyon North Rim All-Women Tour, 4-Days
Brand: 57hours
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5 (2 reviews)

4 days | Challenging | 5.00

From $1,200 ()

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The South Rim has the shuttle buses, the guardrails, and the crowds. The North Rim has almost nobody. Over four days, our all-women group steps off the rim and walks down into it, following steep, rocky trail toward Surprise Valley, Deer Creek, and the Colorado, through country so quiet you’ll hear water long before you see it. Nights are spent in tents under some of the darkest skies in the country. The hiking is challenging, with big elevation days and a loaded pack, but your guides have walked this route hundreds of times and take care of the permits, the food, and the route-finding. You just walk.

Marci

Wilderness first responder certified backpacking guide

Adventure Highlights

A women-only crew: Four days in the backcountry with a small group of women and guides who've logged over 800 days on this exact route
The canyon most people miss: The North Rim is wilder and far quieter, with Thunder River, Tapeats Creek, and a night beside the Colorado
Hard hiking, easy logistics: Permits, tents, group gear, and meals are sorted, so all you carry is your pack

Duration

4 days

Season

Spring & Fall

Group size

Up to 9 people

Accommodation

Standard: Tent camping, with one-person tents available

The adventure, day by day

Download itineraries

Four days, three nights, and roughly 30 mi (48 km) of walking through the North Rim backcountry. We meet in Kanab, Utah at 8 am on Day 1, run through a gear check, then drive about 90 minutes to the trailhead in our own vehicles before dropping into the canyon toward Surprise Valley. Day 2 takes us through Deer Creek to camp beside the Colorado near Tapeats Rapids. Day 3 climbs past Thunder River to a high camp on the Esplanade, and Day 4 brings the long haul back up to the rim. Tents, permits, breakfasts, and dinners are all covered.

Day 1: Meet in Kanab and descend to Surprise Valley

Group of people standing at the base of a waterfall in a red sandstone canyon pool in Grand Canyon National Park

Meet the group at 8 am in Kanab, Utah, for orientation and a full gear check with your guides. From there, we drive about 90 minutes to the trailhead in our own vehicles, with the last stretch on dirt and gravel. Then the real start: we shoulder our packs and drop into the canyon, trading rim views for towering walls as we head deep into the backcountry toward Surprise Valley. Losing that much elevation in one go is the quickest way to feel how big and how quiet this place really is. Camp goes up in Surprise Valley, and the first night belongs to the stars.

Meals: Dinner
Distance: 8 mi (12.9 km)
Elevation start & end: 7,200 ft (2,195 m) down to 3,800 ft (1,160 m)
Accommodation: Camping in Surprise Valley
Elevation: 7,200 ft (2,195 m) down to 3,800 ft (1,160 m)

Day 2: Deer Creek and the Colorado River corridor

Hiker with a backpack and helmet walking across sloping pale rock beneath a layered red and white cliff

After breakfast in camp, we make our way into the Deer Creek area and then follow the Colorado River corridor, one of the most famous stretches of the whole canyon. The terrain changes character as we drop toward the water, with big walls overhead and green, lush pockets along the creek. There’s plenty to take in and no reason to rush it. We finish the day at camp beside the river near Tapeats Rapids, where dinner comes with the steady roar of whitewater and a night spent falling asleep to it.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Distance: 8 mi (12.9 km)
Elevation start & end: 3,800 ft (1,160 m) down to 2,000 ft (610 m)
Accommodation: Camping by the Colorado River near Tapeats Rapids
Elevation: 3,800 ft (1,160 m) down to 2,000 ft (610 m)

Day 3: Tapeats Creek, Thunder River, and camp on the Esplanade

We follow Tapeats Creek upstream and climb toward Thunder River, one of the most powerful natural springs in the Grand Canyon. Water bursts straight out of the cliff here, and it’s the kind of thing you have to see to believe. From there the trail keeps climbing steadily back toward the Esplanade, and the views open up more with every switchback. It’s a big contrast to the river corridor we left behind in the morning. We make camp on the Esplanade with wide-open vistas in every direction and about as much quiet as you’ll find anywhere.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Distance: 8.5 mi (13.7 km)
Elevation start & end: 2,000 ft to 5,200 ft (610 m to 1,585 m)
Accommodation: Camping on the Esplanade
Elevation: 2,000 ft to 5,200 ft (610 m to 1,585 m)

Day 4: Climb out of the canyon and return to Kanab

Four people stand on a sandstone cliff edge above layered red canyon walls under a cloudy sky in Grand Canyon National Park

Our last morning is all uphill, retracing our route toward the trailhead. The final climb asks a lot of your legs, but the views keep growing as we gain elevation, and looking back over everything we covered in four days is a pretty good reward. We reach the trailhead around 2 pm, swap stories and hugs, and then drive back to Kanab, where the trip comes to a close.

Meals: Breakfast
Distance: 5.5 mi (8.9 km)
Elevation start & end: 5,200 ft to 7,200 ft (1,585 m to 2,195 m)
Elevation: 5,200 ft to 7,200 ft (1,585 m to 2,195 m)

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Photo gallery

Eight hikers with trekking poles pose in a row on a trail below large red sandstone cliffs in Grand Canyon National Park

Lodging & food

Camping in the Canyon

Tan tent pitched on red slickrock beside desert shrubs and a backpack under an orange sunset sky

Every night of this trip is spent in the backcountry, and that’s the whole point. Your guides provide tents and ground cloths, with one-person tents available if you’d rather have your own space, so all you carry is your sleeping bag and pad. We pitch camp in Surprise Valley, then beside the Colorado River near Tapeats Rapids where the rapids rumble all night, and finally out on the Esplanade with big open views in every direction. There’s no light pollution down here, which means the star-filled skies are about as good as they get anywhere in the Southwest. Simple, remote, and quiet in a way that’s hard to find.

Food

Fried eggs and bacon cooking in a pan over an open campfire on bare ground, seen from above in Grand Canyon National Park

Three breakfasts and three dinners are included, cooked at camp with the group’s cooking equipment and water filter that your guides carry and manage. Mornings start with something warm before we break camp, and dinners come together at the end of each day, usually with everyone sitting around swapping stories about the miles behind us. Bring your own lunches and snacks, plus a bowl and utensils, since those aren’t covered. Eating together after a hard day in the canyon has a way of turning a group of strangers into friends pretty fast.

Adventure, packed to go

All-Women Grand Canyon North Rim: 4-Day Backpacking Tour

Adventure Brochure

Adventure brochure

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Meet your guides

Seasoned pros, local legends, and passionate adventurers—your trip is in the best hands.

5.00

Marci

Wilderness first responder certified backpacking guide

Marci credits her love of the outdoors to family experiences during her youth, growing up in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Utah while hiking, exploring, and backpacking. She enjoys the adventure of travel and discovering new places, which goes hand in hand with her desire to guide groups into the Grand Canyon year after year. Meeting new people and watching them experience the trail’s incredible sights for the first time is always rewarding. Marci loves spending time with her family and supporting them in reaching their life goals. An avid trail runner, ultramarathoner, and triathlete, she fuels herself with homemade foods and enjoys trying new recipes on family and friends.

5.00

Ronnie

Backpacking guide

Born and raised in Florida, Ronnie first fell in love with the Grand Canyon on a university trip that included backpacking below the rim and rafting the Colorado River. That experience was a pivotal moment that inspired her to pursue backcountry guiding. She has been guiding outdoor trips for six years in a variety of settings, including wilderness therapy. Ronnie fell in love with the desert through many trips out West before eventually moving there. She is passionate about the metaphors found in the desert and loves sharing them with others. She enjoys connecting with new people and helping create meaningful outdoor experiences. When she’s not in the canyon, Ronnie can be found roaming the Southwest—climbing, hiking, paddling, skiing, and exploring as many beautiful places as possible. The Grand Canyon is one of the most special places on Earth, and she can’t wait for you to experience it for yourself.

5.00

Caitlin

Backpacking guide

In 2011, Caitlin backpacked the South Rim and has been in love with the desert and this natural wonder of the world ever since. A nurse since 2009, she has found peace, solitude, and balance in the outdoors. Caitlin is passionate and enthusiastic about this awe-inspiring landscape and loves supporting others as they adventure in this space. When she’s not guiding, she’s adventuring with her husband, practicing yoga, tending their land, or frolicking in the gorgeous Rocky Mountains.

What others say about this adventure

5.00 (2 reviews)

Gentry F

We had a fantastic time and loved the support and attitude of our guides. It was difficult but worthwhile and the scenery was beyond what we could’ve imagined!!

Berlin N

THIS WAS A CHALLENGING HIKE INTO THE GRAND CANYON FROM THE NORTH RIM DOWN TO THE COLORADO RIVER, AND THROUGH DEER AND TAPEATS CREEKS AND THUNDER RIVER DRAINAGES. FANTASTIC VIEWS, LUSH RIPARIAN OASES, WATERFALLS, EXCITING NARROWS, LOTS OF GOING UP AND DOWN, SCRAMBLING, COOL PLACES, JUMPING IN RIVER, LOTS OF SUN, FLOWERING CACTI, LIZARDS AND GREAT GUIDES. THIS IS A REAL ADVENTURE! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TRIP – BUT BE IN SHAPE! VERY PROFESSIONAL AND KNOWLEDGEABLE GUIDES.

Show all reviews

Things to know

Included:
- - An experienced, local hiking guide with extensive knowledge of the area
  - 4-day all-women backpacking tour in the Grand Canyon North Rim (4 days of hiking)
  - Accommodation for 3 nights in tents with ground cloths (one-person tents available as well)
  - 3 breakfasts and 3 dinners
  - Backcountry permit
  - Cooking equipment and water filter
  - Group gear
  - First aid kit
Not included:
- - Transportation to Kanab, UT
  - Trailhead transfers — you drive your own vehicle to the trailhead
  - Lunches and snacks
  - Sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and backpack
  - Other personal gear
  - Anything not mentioned in the ‘Included’ section above
  - Insurance — recommended, available at checkout
  - Guide gratuities — optional
In order to join this backpacking tour, excellent fitness is required as well as backpacking-specific training done in advance. The most you’ll hike within a day is up to 19 km (12 mi), with up to 1,500 m (5,000 ft) of elevation gain or loss. This is a strenuous trip, and here’s what it involves:
- - Carrying a backpack weighing approximately 16 kg (35 lb)
  - Hiking on rocky, steep, and unmaintained trails in remote Grand Canyon backcountry
  - Covering daily distances of 16-19 km (10-12 mi)
  - Gaining or losing over 1,500 m (5,000 ft) of elevation per day
  - Hiking sections of trail that are exposed and near cliff edges (not suitable for those with vertigo)
  - Doing occasional short scrambling sections where hands may be needed
  - Carrying an additional 3.5-4.5 kg (8-10 lb) of shared group gear or food
Proper training is required and not optional. Prepare by hiking with a weighted pack in the same footwear you’ll wear on the trip. Inadequate preparation puts you, your fellow travelers, and your guides at risk, and evacuations from the Grand Canyon backcountry are complex and never guaranteed, even with satellite communication.
Gear:
- - Backpack large enough to carry everything you’ll need for the trip
  - Sleeping bag
  - Sleeping pad
  - Hiking poles — optional
  - Water bottle or hydration bladder (4L capacity minimum)
  - Headlamp or flashlight
Clothing & footwear:
- - Broken-in hiking boots or shoes
  - Camp shoes or sandals
  - Comfortable hiking clothes
  - Spare clothes for layering
  - Waterproof rain jacket
  - Sunhat
  - Sunglasses
Other:
- - Lunches and snacks for each day
  - Eating bowl and utensils
  - Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, tissues, etc.)
  - Camera — optional (but recommended)
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.

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Group sizes and pricing:
- - For this backpacking tour, the usual client-to-guide ratio is 4:1.
  - It takes a minimum of 4 people for this tour to operate. The maximum group size is set at 9 participants.
  - Backpacking can be arranged for larger groups — contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
- - If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  - Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to join the backpacking tour on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.
  - If your group has participants under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
The starting point of your backpacking tour is Kanab, UT. To get there, most people fly into St. George Regional Airport (SGU) or Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). From there, you can take a shuttle service, public transport, or rent a car to reach Kanab.

You will meet your guide at 8 am on Day 1 in Kanab. From Kanab, you’ll drive to the trailhead in your own vehicle, a journey of approximately 90 minutes. The first 30 minutes are on paved road, followed by dirt and gravel roads. While 2WD vehicles are generally sufficient, higher-clearance vehicles are preferred when available.

This approach is intentional and important for safety and flexibility. In the event that a guest needs to leave the trip early due to injury or severe fatigue, one of the guides will hike out with them to the trailhead. Having their own vehicle on-site allows that guest to return to Kanab independently, without a guide having to leave the group. This happens a few times each year, and the system keeps things smoother and safer for everyone.
Secure your spot with a 30% deposit upon booking. The remaining 70% of the trip price must be paid 90 days prior to departure at the latest. If you book within 90 days of departure, the full amount is required at the time of booking.
- - If canceled within 48 hours of booking, a full refund will be issued.
  - If canceled 60 or more days before departure, a 70% refund of the total trip price will be issued.
Booking fees are non-refundable after the 48-hour grace period.
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.
Secure your spot with a 30% deposit upon booking! The remaining 70% of the trip price must be paid 90 days prior to departure at the latest. If booking within 90 days of departure, the full amount is required at the time of booking.
- If canceled within 48 hours of booking, a full refund will be issued.
- If canceled 60 or more days before departure, a 70% refund of the total trip price will be issued.
- If canceled within 59 days of departure, no refund will be issued.
- Booking fees are non-refundable after a 48 hours grace period.

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