EISPIRATEN

On Saturday Nov 29, 2025 I hiked down the South Kaibab trail to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and then hiked back up the same day. It was strenuous but not overly so: I was able to keep to (what Polar thinks is my) Zone 3 for almost all of the up leg. I'd also trained for this with two hikes down from Mt Wilson to Sturtevant Falls and to the Chantry Flats area, then hiking back up. I didn't like upside-down trails before but they have their own special-but-treacherous charm.

A month ago I'd done a GC loop where I went down 2/3 of the way and I came up on Bright Angel at night. I did the same thing on South Kaibab, coming up at night mostly by headlamp. The half moon was enough that I didn't need the headlamp for a bit, but I used it when there was a dark spot.

On the way up, I (literally, almost) ran into a guy coming down without a headlamp, but other than that and some people at or near the campground or Phantom Ranch I didn't see anyone else.

The temps got colder as I came up but they weren't so bad as long as I was in the Canyon. However, as soon as I made it to the South Kaibab parking lot, it was like a freezer and I had to put on the winter gear I'd brought. (Lacking a permit, I had to park 3/4 of a mile away).

There was very little moisture, which is a good thing because it got down to 24F as I was driving away. Way, way too cold for me.

More details and pics: https://goalhiking.org/g/grand-canyon-r ... r-day-hike

AMA.

Down and back up SK? That's bold considering the lack of water. I've only gone down SK and back up via Bright Angel. That's my favorite National Park.

I'd been to the South Rim before but didn't hike down and when I went to the North Rim I only hiked down a little bit. So, I'm no expert, but I think they shut off the water spigots on the Bright Angel trail in the winter. So, even if I'd taken that there *might* not have been a water source. Plus, it adds mileage while cutting off only a few hundred feet of gain.

No one's going to like hearing this, but I probably only drank about 1L of water on the whole hike. Not healthy, but I'd pre- and post-hydrated and I was still clear and copious. I had my Sawyer Squeeze with the pouch and an empty plastic bottle as a backup, but I was able to avoid using it thanks to a spigot at Phantom Ranch.

why not just camp down at the bottom and hike out refreshed? best night's sleep I ever got. also had the best beer of my life at phantom ranch.

abigailw wrote: Wed Dec 03, 2025 2:54 pm why not just camp down at the bottom and hike out refreshed? best night's sleep I ever got. also had the best beer of my life at phantom ranch.

Reservation/permit required for that. Planning ahead takes away some of the adventure.

And for the BA route, the creek is crossed at least five times before reaching Havasupai Garden where the creek is always flowing.

JeffH wrote: Thu Dec 04, 2025 7:38 pm Reservation/permit required for that. Planning ahead takes away some of the adventure.

Fair enough. I had a permit when I went years ago but there were a ton of empty campsites and I got the impression they were fairly easy to obtain last-minute, but who knows if that's the case now. I bet the hike is nice without carrying a bunch of camping gear!

abigailw wrote: Wed Dec 03, 2025 2:54 pm why not just camp down at the bottom and hike out refreshed? best night's sleep I ever got. also had the best beer of my life at phantom ranch.

Personally I wasn't wiped out by the hike down: I took that slower than I would have if it were at the end of the hike.

And, backpacking isn't exactly my fave activity. I tried to backpack both Langley and King's Peak and failed at both because I wasn't use to carrying weight and it really hurts my hip muscles or ITB band or something. I later did some rucking and the pain went away, but there's also setting up and breaking down camp, horrible sleep on a thin pad or an inflatable mattress, dealing with cold weather, wasting a lot of time at camp, etc. I also have a mental block about backpacking because I was wiped out on a Sierra Club WTC trip where I had the same pain and I hadn't trained with a heavy pack.

Congrats on getting to the river and back in one day. It's a big hike. I think South Kaibab has better views than Bright Angel, but both are great.