Wednesday October 11, 38.1km/23.7mi

North Rim Campground Jct (77.1/8230ft) to Mather Campground (100.1/7030ft) (AZ) + 0.7mi to North Rim Campground

We started hiking at 6:30, just a couple minutes after the sun rose. It was a quick 10 minute walk back to the trailhead, where they had posted all of the usual information. The elevation profile is always a little intimidating.

I thought the sign for mules was hilarious with the illustration.

The temperatures were just above freezing, so we started hiking in all of our clothing layers to stay warm.

As we descended further the temperatures gradually warmed, and the increasing sunshine helped as well.

The Coconino overlook is an iconic photo spot on the North Kaibab Trail. It’s even better in the morning light.

We continued descending all morning…

… Through the Supai tunnel…

… And a little later down through the red wall layer of rock.

It should have been a fast hike down, but I kept stopping to take photos of all the amazing scenery.

I’ve hiked this Trail a few times before, but those were in winter or in darkness, so it felt like a whole different trail when it was in the warm Autumn daylight.

After we had descended about 2,000 ft, the temperatures were much warmer and I was stripped down to shorts and a sun shirt. The red rock at this level also really helps absorb the heat.

I loved the sections where the trail was clinging to the side of a cliff.

The spot where Roaring Springs emerges from the cliffside is always an amazing sight. Where does all that water come from?

We took a break at the Manzanita Creek rest area, where they had bathrooms and picnic tables and a water spigot. We got back on the trail, which followed the Bright Angel Creek all the way down to the Colorado River.

It was easy hiking, and there were a ton of other hikers going the opposite direction, so to entertain myself I greeted everybody in French. Phrases such as “Comment ça va?” and “Bonjour” didn’t yield many responses, but I did meet two people who actually replied, haha. After a little more hiking, we had a view from just above cottonwood Campground:

We could see the South Rim, our objective for the end of the day. The last few miles before Phantom Ranch, the trail weaved through a deep dark canyon right next to Bright Angel Creek.

We stopped at the Phantom Ranch cantina for a cold drink and some snacks. There were a bunch of tourists there, and the cantina seemed understaffed, so it took forever to get a drink. But it tasted so good on a hot day!

I used my cook pot, since they give you a discount if you bring your own drink vessel. We sat in the shade and snacked for quite a while, and eventually we left and started hiking again. We arrived at the Colorado River within a couple of minutes and crossed over the Black Bridge.

It was now 3:45pm, and we had 2.5 hours of daylight left. I was not optimistic about reaching the top before darkness, which was 6 mi and 5,000 ft above us. Nevertheless we tried our best and moved uphill at a good steady pace. I didn’t take many photos at all, since I was focused on the climb and had hiked this trail a few times before.

We got up to Skeleton Point, just over halfway between the river and the rim.

Soon after this it got dark, and we hiked an hour with headlamps on. We arrived on top of the South Rim at 7:45, and very glad to be done hiking uphill.

It was very windy on top, and we still had two miles of flat hiking to get to the main Grand Canyon village and Campground. To make things more interesting, the trail had been rerouted recently, and the map no longer matched what was on the ground. After some headlamp navigation and running into a herd of sleeping elk, we finally arrived at the Mather campground at 8:45 and setup our tents. I was starving, so I walked the 5 minutes over to the Yavapai Lodge to get a late night meal.

The small pizza was mediocre, but the elk chili really hit the spot. I finished my dinner really quickly, which I’m sure the staff appreciated since they closed 5 minutes later, ha! I wandered over to the main lounge area, and sat in one of the couches while I recharged my devices and updated my journal. Once all that was finished, I walked back over to my tent, surprising some elk in the darkness. It was easy to fall asleep after that long exhausting day.