South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon, AZ

The South Kaibab Trail, South Rim, Grand Canyon, AZ: Trailhead elevation 7260’, 3 miles to Skeleton Point, 2060’ elevation change.

Hiking in the Grand Canyon is exhilarating, sometimes strenuous, and always visually exciting. South Kaibab Trailhead is accessed only by the free shuttle bus. However nearby on Desert View Drive is an unmarked parking lot with a vault toilet from which it is a short walking distance to the trailhead. Also at the trailhead is a spigot providing Grand Canyon water. South Kaibab Trail ultimately leads to the Black Bridge where it connects with the North Kaibab Trail. From there it is a short 1.8 miles to Phantom Ranch at an elevation loss from the South Rim of 4700’.  The elevation loss from the North Rim to Phantom Ranch is 5740’. A guide and friend at Wildland Trekking has run from South Rim to North Rim and back to South Rim in an astounding 18 hours. That being said the Kaibab Trail, North & South, call for serious respect. They may be rated intermediate in the Grand Canyon as a 3 out of 5 rating; in Yellowstone they would be rated a 5. On a sunny August day we departed the South Kaibab Trailhead with our Wildland Trekking guide at 8:00AM (My personal opinion is that one should leave at 6:00AM, just at first light, in order to reduce the amount of time in the desert sun). South Kaibab Trail follows the canyon wall with switchbacks, thus a continuous decent, and incessant exposure to the sun and no water. The first stop is Ooh Aah Point providing a photography moment; this is 0.9 miles from the trailhead at an elevation change of 600’; considered easy not by the elevation drop, but by the shortness of this hike. From here we hike 1.5 miles to Cedar Ridge; total elevation change is an additional 540’ (1140’ elevation loss from the trailhead). This is where the mules make a rest stop on their ascent from Phantom Ranch to the South Rim; there is a vault toilet and no water. This provides a panoramic view up and down the canyon and an opportunity for more photographs. We continued hiking to Skeleton Point at which time the total hike is 3.0 miles with total elevation change of 2060’. Since we had come this far we hiked another 10-15 minutes in order to view the Colorado River and Bright Angel Campground,aka Phantom Ranch Campground,(Phantom Ranch is out of view and just 0.3 miles above the Campground; we stayed at Phantom Ranch 4 years ago). Many hikers choose to stop at Cedar Ridge for lunch as it is the halfway point. As previously stated we hiked a little further for the view and started back up before having lunch. On the ascent past Skeleton Point we opted to stop for lunch in one of the few spots that afforded shade. This is below a cliff wall of sandstone and is easily identified since a section of the sandstone is pockmarked. After a hearty lunch, prepared by our Wildland guide, washed down with a cold Gatorade for that extra zip of energy we set off to climb back out. Let me state at the outset that we consider this a strenuous hike. It involves two elements that will tax your will: unrelenting desert sun directly overhead; and stairs, forever stairs. Even at my age I can plod along on intermediate trails for hours; throw stairs into the mix and my energy goes south; the stairs are taxing. Let me add that stopping frequently to snack on quality energy bars and constantly drink water both during the decent and the ascent is imperative. Since June we had been hiking in Custer State Park, Yellowstone NP and Glacier NP. Thinking we were ready we tackled South Kaibab Trail; without that prior training this hike would not have been possible. This is a great hike, however know your limits and do not attempt to collect bragging rights as this trail will win. The trail offers many photographic opportunities so make frequent stops to document the landscape as it changes in color with the sun’s movement and any random cloud cover.

The Takeaway: South Kaibab Trail from trailhead to Skelton Point is an exhilarating hike with a 2060’ elevation change in 3 miles. This is an exposed trail so there is no hiding from sun and wind; the trail is marked by the incessant stairs that sap energy. We categorize this as a strenuous hike–the ascent; do not underestimate this trail. Go to  www.rickpicks.com for more photographs, other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.

P.S. For an enjoyable slideshow, versus scrolling thru the pictures below, follow this link to my Google Photos. My recommendation would be to cast the slideshow to your HD Smart TV which will provide more vivid and colorful pictures than your phone or laptop. Note that the pictures appear somewhat hazy due to the California wildfires, in particular the Dixie Fire and the Caldor Fire.