Grand Canyon
Over 5 million people visit the Grand Canyon annually, but less than one percent actually venture beyond the canyon rim. Far fewer ever reach the bottom of the canyon, roughly 5,000 feet below the South Rim. When visiting National Parks, especially the most crowded ones, I try my hardest to avoid crowds. While doing so, there is a sense of peace, solitude, and true nature that few visitors experience. Late in the winter of 2018, I found a single opening for a spot at Phantom Ranch, the only set of cabins located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. This became an obvious anchor point for a winter Grand Canyon outing.
Planning my trip in winter eliminated about 90% of typical crowds and a government shutdown got rid of even more. But adding Phantom Ranch into the equation, I was preparing to be with no more than a few dozen people in a park that welcomes millions a year. Even mother nature added to the park’s remoteness, dumping about 8 inches of snow and forcing road delays along the park rim and across all of Northern Arizona (there was even snow on cacti in suburban Phoenix)!
After a slow drive through Northern Arizona and a night on the South Rim, I was ready for the half-day hike down to Phantom Ranch. With the North Rim closed in winter, my plan was to take the South Kaibab Trail 7 miles down to the canyon bottom and return via the 9 mile Bright Angel Trail. Winter on the Canyon Rim is freezing. Most mornings, the rim hits near freezing temperatures and a half foot of snowfall certainly added to the coldness. I watched the sunrise at Mather Point around 7am and went back to rest for a midday departure into the canyon. Once the temperatures rose, I began my long journey down the South Kaibab Trail. At least this direction, the hike was almost entirely downhill and only mildly strenuous. The South Kaibab Trail hosts panoramic views of the Grand Canyon. Ooh Aah Point, Cedar Ridge and Skeleton Point all give sweeping views of the canyon layers. Every layer of the canyon I descended into made way for new temperatures. While the canyon rim required full winter clothing, the Tonto Platform (the main canyon plateau) required just cool weather clothing and the canyon floor felt like summer with 70 degree temperatures. Some hiking along the Tonto Platform got me to the final set of switchbacks. This time, the temperature was nice and the views were excellent. Every switchback got me noticeably closer to the Colorado River as I descended down a final valley. Finally, I had reached the Colorado River Bridge signaling just a mile until Phantom Ranch. The views above the Colorado River feel more like a mountain range than a Canyon– the pictures could fit within a Yosemite portfolio (minus the redness of the rock). Before I knew it, I was at Phantom Ranch.
I checked into the cabin just before sunset and after a quick dinner, went to sleep early to prepare for a pre-dawn wake up. Getting out of the canyon is evidently much more difficult than going down, so starting early gives plenty of time and allows the rim to warm up once you arrive. The cabin night was unremarkable, it was about 12 bunks all filled with Grand Canyon travellers. My alarm came sooner than ever and I got ready for the 9 mile Bright Angel Trail trek. Sunrise in the canyon was gorgeous with oranges and pinks glowing the surrounding canyon peaks. Compared with the sweeping views from the Kaibab Trail, the Bright Angel Trail has up close views as it traverses individual canyon valleys. Unlike the way down, every mile further along the trail got colder and required more layers. Once I was 4 miles in, I was back to hiking through 1-3 inches of snow with shoe spikes and winter clothing. The final 3 miles of the hike entirely consists of switchbacks. And when I say it was awful… it was awful. After climbing thousands of feet out of the canyon, looking up and seeing switchbacks as far as the eye can see was certainly not a fun experience. If that wasn't tough enough, at high elevations the snow had turned into slick ice. Step by step I powered through the canyon, eventually hitting the 2 mile mark, 1.5 mile mark and the 1 mile mark. With 1 mile left, I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and picked up my pace– I was over 5 hours into the hike. And, after passing through the upper tunnel, I reached the canyon rim. I rushed into the Bright Angel Lodge where I could warm up and catch up on messages (there is no service inside the canyon).
Although Phantom Range was the highlight of my trip to the Grand Canyon, following my hike I watched a few more sunsets, sunrises and took some night photos. Here are some photos from the rest of my Grand Canyon National Park adventures!
