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 in all its splendor 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!
From North to South Rim: cross the Grand Canyon in five days
Varied habitats teeming with rare and endangered species
Feel the mighty Colorado River carving through layers of ombre rocks
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. You’ll then have a trip briefing and a gear check with your guide. Meet your trip buddies over a welcome dinner at 7 pm.
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Kanab
Meet your guide and your group at 9 am at the Dreamland Safari Tours office at 406 East 300 South, Kanab, Utah 84741. You can leave cars or extra bags there. Get transferred to the North Rim and start the backpacking trip! After lunch on the trailhead, continue the descent into the canyon. Establish camp for the night.
Meals: Breakfast and dinner
Accommodation: Camp
Today you’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: Camp
On the last day in the Canyon, you’ll be ascending to the South Rim. Expect up to 4,400 ft (1,341 m) of vertical gain. You’ll get picked up at the trailhead and returned to Kanab. Check into your hotel for a well-deserved rest. Meet with your team and your guide one last time for 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
What you get on this adventure:
What’s 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.
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.
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.
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, which will usually be at your hotel at 5 pm.
57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in the Grand Canyon please refer to Grand Canyon National Park Operations Update.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
You can secure one of the set dates with a $500 deposit upon booking. The remaining amount is to be paid 30 days prior to departure, at the latest. 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…
Secure your early bird spot with a 10% deposit! This tour gets sold out very quickly, but with early-bird booking, you’ll be the first one to know. Pick the month that suits you best and we’ll let you know once the dates are live—don’t risk missing out on your bucket list adventure!
