One of the Seven Natural Wonders, the Grand Canyon

High on Andrea’s bucket list, the week we spent in the Grand Canyon area was a mixture of tourist chaos and solitude, totally dependent on whether we were located at the top of the canyon rim or in the depths of the canyon floor. The highlight definitely being our 3 day hike down to Phantom Ranch and the Colorado River.

We had decided to only visit the south rim as the drive to Utah’s north side was a five hour trip – I had hoped that we might have been able to hike from rim to rim, then back, but the distance and time prevented us from doing that. We settled into the Mather campground for 3 nights where we fortunately had WiFi for Andrea close by, and pay showers, something we’re always excited about!

Our biggest concern was not being able to spend any time inside the canyon due to the fact that a permit is required to stay in any of the campgrounds located below the rim. Most of the camp sites are up for grabs well over six months in advance on recreation.gov, although a very small amount are made available the day prior to the reservation. We weren’t optimistic so the first thing we did upon our arrival in the park was to head to the Wilderness Center, where all permits are issued, to get the latest scoop. Everything is on a first come first served basis, where we lucked out by being given a low enough number that allowed us to return the following day to get an even lower number for the days we required, in our case number one – this ensured we were guaranteed two nights at the Bright Angel campground at the canyon floor. These last minute campsites are only for a maximum of 2 nights whereas prior reservations are available for longer periods.

There are many different trails leading to the bottom of the canyon, with the vast majority of hikers using the South Kaibab and Bright Angel trails, the latter having an intermediate campsite, Indian Falls, and access to drinking water. The South Kaibab trail has only toilet facilities, but offers great views most of the way down.

We chose to hike down the more scenic South Kaibab trail after Andrea finished work on Friday morning, returning sometime Sunday via the Bright Angel trail – with only 6.3 miles/ 4680 ft down and 7.8 miles/ 4460 ft back up I felt we needed to get in some additional mileage on the Saturday! The round-trip hike to Rainbow Falls would get us in a further 12 miles, which incidentally turned out to be far tougher than we expected.

As well as the hike down, the scenery on the canyon floor was amazing, with side canyons along the Colorado River, waterfalls, pinnacles, formations and walls looming overhead. Being at the bottom also ensured we were away from the vast crowds of tourists gathered around all the viewpoints up above. Other than hiking down the only other way to get to either the campground or Phantom Ranch was by mule, something that required booking a year in advance – most day trippers only make it a certain way down inside this vast canyon, providing the few who get to stay close to the river a serene experience.

We both agree that having some kind of fixed infrastructure, specifically a warm lodge selling wine and cold beer, close to the primitive campsites we tend to spend a lot of time in is a huge bonus. Even though we’ve lucked out on the weather, with little to no rain since the week long deluge at Glacier National Park, it gives us a means to escape our current lifestyle! Phantom Ranch was certainly minimal, providing overpriced meal sittings, as well as shade from the sweltering heat of the canyon floor. Some day it will be a nice change to experience lodge style accommodation!

Due to the heat, even at this time of year, we followed the advice of the Park Services and departed for the canyon rim bright and early. With full packs we made it in time for a late breakfast at one of the Xanterra lodge restaurants, something greatly appreciated. It was surprising that unlike Saturday morning we saw no rim-to-rim runners – the early morning canyon this time of year is alive with trail runners, some heading from north rim to south rim and back, and some just running to the canyon floor and back up. Either way the weather makes this a tough affair. Maybe something to add to the bucket list!

Besides the Bottom
Other than hiking down to the Canyon floor we did find a few other fun things to do – both morning and evening are perfect times to hunt out a place for a classic sunrise and sunset, easier said than done with the bus loads of Japanese tourists on the same schedule. With the roads along the rim being out of bounds for all motorized traffic, with the exception of park buses, it was great to take the bikes out, stopping at the endless viewpoints along the way. Then there was the National Geographic IMAX theater in Tusayan on the edge of the park entrance – neither of us were very impressed with the documentary, Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets.

We were fortunate that our route took us into the Grand Canyon at the best time of year, after the brutal summer heat had left, but before the lower campgrounds become even harder to get into. Apparently permit requests for the lower canyon were just starting to heat up when we arrived, and continue on through the winter.

September 29th – October 6th 2014