Everything I Wish I’d Known Before Hiking Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon

I’m a sucker for an epic, difficult-to-plan backpacking route. I get a kind of thrill from completing a journey that most people would find difficult or overly complicated. Many backpackers can probably relate to this.

That’s why rim-to-rim hiking across the Grand Canyon appealed to me. Not only was this a physically difficult route, but traveling from one point to another could also be logistically difficult. It seemed like exactly the kind of hike I was looking for.

So, last July, with my husband and parents, I hiked from the North to the South Rim for three nights. We stopped at Cottonwood, Bright Angel, and Indian Garden campgrounds along the way, taking a leisurely walk that gave us plenty of time to rest.

Now that the North Rim has reopened in 2025 following the historic Dragon Bravo fire, it’s a perfect time to start strategizing your own rim-to-rim adventure. Here’s what I did right and what I wish I’d known before arriving at Grand Canyon National Park.

Plan to Filter Water

While filtering water on a backpacking trip may seem like a given, the trail from North Kaibab to Bright Angel has several water spigots at rest shelters at the bottom and back of the canyon. You might be tempted to trust them and skip bringing a filter. However, during my hike, all these water sources were not operational. If I had trusted them completely I would have been in trouble.

Bring a light water filter like sawyer squeeze. This provides peace of mind but also means you can carry less water, especially as you get to the lower part of the canyon, where access to the Colorado and tributaries is practically ubiquitous.

Arrange pickup or dropoff

Multi-day point-to-point routes typically require shuttling from one trailhead to another, either at the beginning or end of your trip. Of course, you can self-shuttle, if there are enough people in your party to do so and you don’t mind the extra drive time. You can also book shuttle from companies like Trans Canyon ShuttleWhich usually charges per passenger.

However, shuttles can be a faster addition to a family of hikers. Instead, I joined Grand Canyon Facebook groups and online communities and located other people who were hiking the same route and wanted to carpool to the start.

The solutions proposed by some members in those groups were very creative. A couple swapped car keys with another passenger while trekking rim-to-rim in the opposite direction. The stranger drove their car, which was parked on the North Rim, back to his car on the South Rim so that no one had to drive the several-hour route twice.

Choose your season wisely

Timing is of the essence when planning a rim-to-rim trek. The North Rim is closed from mid-October to mid-May each year (depending on the season). This makes it impossible to reach or leave that point in early spring or late autumn.

Then, in summer, the valley becomes extremely (sometimes dangerously) hot. The hot summer sun, combined with the high sandstone walls nearly a mile above the river, makes this route a hotbox. The valley floor can be 30 degrees hotter than the top. Temperatures in July can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit, making the valley one of the hottest places on Earth. Due to the dark color of the rocks, Temperature in the sun can reach 130 degrees or more.

My family could only coordinate a trip in July. This meant that we were running from one shadow to another, constantly dunking ourselves in the river, and getting wet in the streams during free time. My recommendation? Plan in advance and hike the route in seasons such as late spring or early fall if possible.

take your time

This route might seem entirely doable in one or two nights, but I had planned a three-night trip anyway. I was hesitant about the timeline, but it turned out to be the right decision. Because we were in no hurry, we stopped and rested as often as we wanted, planned each day to avoid the hot afternoon sun, and explored the paths along the mesmerizing waterfalls. A short itinerary does not allow for that much free time.

We stayed one night each at Cottonwood, Bright Angel, and Indian Garden Campgrounds along the way.

Permits and Fees

The first time I backpacked into the canyon, I showed up at the backcountry permit office, put my name on the waiting list, and two days later, I was on the trail. But that was in early October. If I wanted a chance to score preferred campsites in July, I needed to apply early for permits and reservations.

So, as soon as the dates I wanted appeared, I applied for the Early Access Lottery entertainment.gov. The lottery starts from the 16th of the month and remains open till the 1st of the next month. You choose your date exactly five months before your desired start day. You have to stay on top of this, especially for the lottery: If I had missed the two-week window or not been selected for the early access lottery, I would have had to wait two more months to make general reservations for whatever dates and camps were left.

Permits are $10 per lottery application and $15 per person per night (plus the normal park admission fee if you don’t have an annual pass).

Fortunately, advanced planning, strategic dice rolling and relying on the kindness of strangers meant that my journey from the North Rim to the South Rim was mostly successful – even if almost unbearably hot.