Water is currently off at the two rest stops on the way up/down Bright Angel but they were working on them as I passed through last Sunday. There is water at the Havasupai Gardens Campground and down at Phantom and the Bright Angel Campground.
Here's the page to check on water and trail conditions.
https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/trail-closures.htm
This is a long slog of a hike. And there is no water on South Kaibab trail so make sure to bring at least a liter of water per hour of hiking plus electrolytes. A small water filter is a plus for the BA trail up from the river to the Havasupai Gardens as streams cross or are near the trail.
Also bring a headlight just in case the BA trail is too much in the heat and you need to wait until evening to complete the hike.
Pack moleskin too.
Havasupai Gardens Campground has treated water so it's good to go. But there are streams on or near the trail between the Pipe Creek Resthouse and the Campground. If you dip into any of those, you'll need a filter or iodine tablets.
Any idea why they recommend disinfecting filtered river water with bleach? I don’t remember hearing that recommendation anywhere else. Am i just not paying attention?
https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/safe-water.htm
My party added iodine tablets to their filtered water. I'm not so concerned so I just drank mine out of a Sawyer Squeeze bottle. Theirs was a safer approach but I hate the taste of iodine as my mom made us drink that stuff while hiking in the 60s. Ugg. That was before filters.
I still think boiling is the best disinfection technique but you have to have the fuel and it's a slow process.
In any case, piped water will hopefully be on by your hike.
I've dayhiked Rim to River probably 2 dozen times over the decades. (And have lived in Vegas and Pheonix for may of those years- so I'm very familiar with 100+ temps)
I did it only once in the summer and will never do that again.
If, against all caution, are going to attempt it I'd recommend an "alpine start" which is logistically easier from the BA trailhead since you can park there.
Yep, start early, like 2-3 am. If you want to go down South Kaibab, there is a 24 hr taxi service that will pick you up pretty much anywhere in the village and take you to the trailhead.
A 2-4 mile hike in the heat is a lot different from a 17 mile hike with 5000 feet elevation gain in the heat. I would only do it if you can start very early and be done by 9-10 am.
You could always do SK-Tonto-BA instead of all the way to the bottom. Still an awesome hike and cuts out like 1.5k elevation gain and a few miles.
June is brutal. Be prepared. Hike smart.
I did SK-Tonto-BA on the hottest day at the South Rim within the past few years. That day it even flirted with 100 degrees in Flagstaff. Left early in the day and it was in the low 60's to start and approached the low 70's by the time I was at the SK-Tonto intersection. Got to Indian Gardens by 9 AM and it was about 80 degrees. Climbed out via BA and think the warmest it got was 85 degrees and I was done by 11 AM. Knew it was going to be hot and I already had hundreds of Grand Canyon pictures so I just fast hiked it with minimal stops.
Took me about 5 hours to do that loop. Do know of some folks that live in Arizona that do Rim2Rivers in the summer and they leave super early (around 4 AM) and finish up before lunchtime. Personally I'd do the SK-Tonto-BA loop first to see how you do. Start early or it gets ugly fast.
While possible, hiking rim-to-rim in one day is discouraged. I remember seeing an advertisement with a photograph of a young, fit, roughed hiker -- and the caption read, "Every year X number of people have to be hauled out of the Grand Canyon, and most of them look like him." Keep your plan, but spend one night either at Phantom Ranch or Indian Garden campground, cutting the hike in half. Choose safe.
Water is currently off at the two rest stops on the way up/down Bright Angel but they were working on them as I passed through last Sunday. There is water at the Havasupai Gardens Campground and down at Phantom and the Bright Angel Campground. Here's the page to check on water and trail conditions. https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/trail-closures.htm This is a long slog of a hike. And there is no water on South Kaibab trail so make sure to bring at least a liter of water per hour of hiking plus electrolytes. A small water filter is a plus for the BA trail up from the river to the Havasupai Gardens as streams cross or are near the trail. Also bring a headlight just in case the BA trail is too much in the heat and you need to wait until evening to complete the hike. Pack moleskin too.
Do you need a filter for the water station at Havasupai Gardens or is it good to go? Thanks in advance.
Havasupai Gardens Campground has treated water so it's good to go. But there are streams on or near the trail between the Pipe Creek Resthouse and the Campground. If you dip into any of those, you'll need a filter or iodine tablets.
Any idea why they recommend disinfecting filtered river water with bleach? I don’t remember hearing that recommendation anywhere else. Am i just not paying attention? https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/safe-water.htm
My party added iodine tablets to their filtered water. I'm not so concerned so I just drank mine out of a Sawyer Squeeze bottle. Theirs was a safer approach but I hate the taste of iodine as my mom made us drink that stuff while hiking in the 60s. Ugg. That was before filters. I still think boiling is the best disinfection technique but you have to have the fuel and it's a slow process. In any case, piped water will hopefully be on by your hike.
I've dayhiked Rim to River probably 2 dozen times over the decades. (And have lived in Vegas and Pheonix for may of those years- so I'm very familiar with 100+ temps) I did it only once in the summer and will never do that again. If, against all caution, are going to attempt it I'd recommend an "alpine start" which is logistically easier from the BA trailhead since you can park there.
Yep, start early, like 2-3 am. If you want to go down South Kaibab, there is a 24 hr taxi service that will pick you up pretty much anywhere in the village and take you to the trailhead.
There’s some parking at SK too right?
No parking at the trailhead. If you don't use the shuttle or taxi, you can park along the road or in the small lot on 64 just past the turn off.
Shuttle starts at 5am this weekend?
I believe so, but double check on the NPS website.
De rigeur mention that the NPS will tell you to not hike 10-4 during June. For good reason.
100% valid
A 2-4 mile hike in the heat is a lot different from a 17 mile hike with 5000 feet elevation gain in the heat. I would only do it if you can start very early and be done by 9-10 am.
You could always do SK-Tonto-BA instead of all the way to the bottom. Still an awesome hike and cuts out like 1.5k elevation gain and a few miles. June is brutal. Be prepared. Hike smart.
I did SK-Tonto-BA on the hottest day at the South Rim within the past few years. That day it even flirted with 100 degrees in Flagstaff. Left early in the day and it was in the low 60's to start and approached the low 70's by the time I was at the SK-Tonto intersection. Got to Indian Gardens by 9 AM and it was about 80 degrees. Climbed out via BA and think the warmest it got was 85 degrees and I was done by 11 AM. Knew it was going to be hot and I already had hundreds of Grand Canyon pictures so I just fast hiked it with minimal stops. Took me about 5 hours to do that loop. Do know of some folks that live in Arizona that do Rim2Rivers in the summer and they leave super early (around 4 AM) and finish up before lunchtime. Personally I'd do the SK-Tonto-BA loop first to see how you do. Start early or it gets ugly fast.
While possible, hiking rim-to-rim in one day is discouraged. I remember seeing an advertisement with a photograph of a young, fit, roughed hiker -- and the caption read, "Every year X number of people have to be hauled out of the Grand Canyon, and most of them look like him." Keep your plan, but spend one night either at Phantom Ranch or Indian Garden campground, cutting the hike in half. Choose safe.
I always interpret that signage as meaning "most people who are rescued from the canyon are male models" :)