A bucket list item for me was a one day Rim-to-Rim hike in the magnificent Grand Canyon! Amazingly, the opportunity presented itself a few months ago and I took advantage of it.
In October of 2024, our group decided to hike from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the South Rim in one day! This has been a bucket list item for me for years so I jumped at the chance. We drove from Lehi, Utah to the North Rim and stayed in cabins. Then, we hit the trail at 6 a.m. the next morning. We had 13 people so we divided up into 2 separate groups to avoid congestion. The sun rose quickly and illuminated the spectacular rock formations. This video will give you a feel for what it’s like to hike across the Grand Canyon in one day. It’s over 20 miles total. We descended into the Grand Canyon dropping over a mile in elevation, then across the Colorado River and back up the South Rim. We started in the dark and ended in the dark. We started around 6 a.m. and finished around 8 p.m. About 14 hours total with about 12 hours of actual hiking time. We learned some lessons along the way about staying hydrated and always nibbling or eating frequently, also some ideas about how best to train and some other tips are in the video. Thanks to Craig and Kim who invited me on this adventure! Thanks to Marian who was our shuttle driver and thanks to everyone in our hiking group as we cheered each other on when the going got tough. The temperature was over 100 degrees at the bottom of the canyon near Phantom Ranch, even in October!
I trained on McBee Hill’s steep slopes but, after the hike, I realized I could benefit from even more training. It seems like many, many flights of stairs would be helpful as it would mimic what you face when descending into the Grand Canyon and climbing back out!
I love putting together videos of my adventures and this Grand Canyon hike was no different. I hope you enjoy this video!