Hiking Into The Grand Canyon

The best way to experience the Grand Canyon is to hike into it. As a matter of fact, most visitor see the Grand Canyon from the rim and only for one hour or less.

Even if you stay on the South Rim and look at the light play on the canyon and see how the colors are changing, you'll miss the great experience you get when you venture down to hike into the Grand Canyon.

Whenever your time is short, you will be able to take a day hike part way down either the South Kaibab trail or the Bright Angel Trail. Even getting three or four hours down one of these trails will take you on a geological excursion back in time. You will find markers along the sides of the trails providing you with information how old the rocks are that you are hiking through. And looking backward at the rim, you will get a totally different feel for the canyon.

Whenever your time will allowing you to get into the Grand Canyon National Park, consider to hike to the floor of it. If you made reservations for a stay at Phantom Ranch, you don't need a back country permit to make the hike. At Phantom Ranch Canteen there is some beverages and food available. However, to take meals at Phantom Ranch, you should make reservations well in advance.

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This is why everything that gets into and out of the Grand Canyon goes by mule. That great steak dinner that you may have at Phantom Ranch was packed in and all the garbage has to be packed out by mule.

May be the best way to discover several parts of the canyon is to hike down Bright Angel trail and up the South Kaibab Trail or visa versa. Hike part way across the canyon for a deeper experience. If you have some days you'll be able to hike rim to rim, only you have to plan for how to return to your starting point.

For backpackers there are campgrounds available near Phantom Ranch and spaced out across the canyon. To camp in it you need a wilderness permit. The Rangers will check on this. The campgrounds are provided with water and toilet facilities. To protect the fragile desert environment of the canyon floor it's not allowed to camp out of the campgrounds.

To obtain the permits you must apply well in advance, because there are only a limited number of permits available for each day. You should call the Park Service on the first of the month, three months in advance of the day you would like to hike.

For popular dates you should have alternative dates in mind, because it can be very hard to get through and get the reservation. You can also send your request via e-mail or Fax, but reservations by phone have priority.

Once you arrive there are only a small number of permits available, particularly for visitors from abroad who might not be aware of the requirements and the popularity of the hikes. The National Park Service says that persons arriving without permits may put their names on a waiting list for cancellations.

The hike is hard. You are hiking down into a desert environment. Be prepared for temperature and weather changes and make sure to carry plenty of water. Don't forget sunscreen. If you're taking a day hike, have in mind that the second half of your hike will be all uphill.

If all this hiking seems like a little bit too hard for you consider to book an overnight mule trips into the Canyon with stays at the Phantom Ranch. However be warned. While hikers often may end up with sore feet, mule rides may end up with sore, well you get it.

All of these trips are very popular, so plan to make sure to get your reservation well in advance and enjoy your trip into the Grand Canyon.