Best Trails in Grand Canyon National Park

Really nice short trail. The views are amazing and it's not very tough, just perfect hike for half a day. It'd have been so much better if there were no mules on the trail.

Killer day hike. Leave early and spend time at the point. Take snacks or lunch and plenty of water.

did this three times before. While it is challenging, the views you get to see down at the skeleton point worth the effort. On average , it took me about 3.5-4 hours round trip. Lots of water needed

Amazing!

Amazing hike! Great views and not that demanding. We took our 7 and 5 year olds and they made it with no problems. Just be careful for the cliff edge. It's a long ways down!

Difficult trail with built in steps. Pretty steep inclines. Legs/knees started tiring at about 5 miles. Would train on stairs for this trail in the future. A great way to see other views of the Canyon for sure. Glad I did it.

Exposed and susceptible to wind gusts so be prepared with sun production.

My group of 3 hiked to Hermit Creek in April and camped for two nights before returning. The creek is lovely and we enjoyed lunching by the rapids. The campground is basic, with two composting toilets and a bar for hanging packs. You can quickly access the creek below for water; be sure to use a filter. Hermit Trail is just as tough as advertised. We knew it would be steep and rough. We didn’t expect the areas that felt quite dangerous, as we tried to get over slide areas or sections that has mostly loose rock on the incline. If you are afraid of heights, this isn’t a trail for you. The views are stunning, however, and there is little traffic on the trail. I’m glad I did it, but won’t repeat this adventure.

Amazing! Definitely a “bucket list” thing! It was a hard hike out, fairly easy down though.

The most beautiful hike I've ever been on.

This was my 1st big hike of the year, I had been training for what I thought would be enough preparation for this big 9 mile hike. Hiking is nothing new to me, but these larger distance hikes are; although, I had been power walking and doing light jogging for 30 minutes 3 to 4 times a week, for 2 months. It was tough the last 2.2 miles of the trail going back up to bright angel trail. My gps said i was keeping a pace on 1.5mph going down and then coming up I was 0.91 mph and then the last couple miles I dropped down to 0.75-0.80, of course I took more breaks going up.

So we began our hike at 6:30 in the morning, and arrived at Indian gardens at 10:30 that same morning, rested and had our lunch, then started our way back up around 11:22 p.m. and after much strenuous pushing, we arrived back to the top of bright angel trailhead and 8pm that evening. This was a challenge for me but I accomplished it, I am not to thrilled with my time but I know with more training I can cut that time down. Now I know to increase my jogging pace a little longer and maybe a little harder and start working out my legs. With that being said, it was a beautiful hike and despite my minor meltdowns, I would do this hike again. For me, there is something about working out with a hike, you make your way to the destination and you have to make your way back, and with treadmill workout or gym workouts, it is so easy and tempting to just stop and not continue.

Going down I drank about 107 oz of water, about 32 oz of that was vitamin water.
Going up 132oz of water.
I ate 1 bag of store bought jerky, one of the smaller bags, and packed myself 3 granola bars and had 2 cans of Vienna sausage, and finished a store bought trail mix, and 2 sneakers. (apologies for the lack of measurement information). keep in mind I ate hearty the night before and hydrated all week, I was averaging about a gallon a day for 5 days before my hike. This is definitely in the books for another hike. I hope my information was helpful.

I am 5' 1'', and 265 lbs. with about 2 months of jogging.

Total time was about 13.5 hrs, about 8 hrs of that was going back up from Indian Gardens to Bright angel trailhead.

It was a beautiful hike, with such vibrant scenery. Majority of the hikers were kind and had good hikers etiquette.

A good short hike to add to your one day GC iterenary.

Amazing hike into the canyon! The views were tremendous. My husband and I started around 11 and ended at 2:30. We brought 3 liters of water and lots of trail mix and fruit. Winds were about 30 mph but wasn’t a hazard. Highly recommend this trail to anyone visiting the GC. The orange shuttle takes you about 1/4 mile from the trailhead.

Nice hike. Took us 2 hours there and 3 back including a break for lunch at dripping springs. Nice views throughout and not many other people. Ran into a few on the trail. The springs is not spectacular, but it’s interesting.

wowoowowowowowow that was the coolest thing I did at the Grand canyon, definitely strenuous and took me 7 hours I'm somewhat in shape and I was sore the day after, bring a loooot of water not for beginners I'd say especially in hot weather

Hardest run I’ve ever done. Ended up clocking 20 miles total in 5:35 from South Kaibib to the bottom in just under 2 hours . Phantom Ranch was a nice leg but the climb back up was rough. I’m a FL runner and not used to the elevation but hammered thru . 3 hours + back up and found out it’s well over the 15.5 claimed. Would be an awesome 2 day hike but unless you are well prepared (nutrition, water , training) don’t try to do in a single day (as many of the signs pointed out)

We did the hike only up to the 1.5 mile point plus a little bit further, before turning back. The views are amazing, lots of switchbacks to drink up the views and you’ll be able to get some great pictures

As noted by others, the view doesn’t change that much all the way through but it is such a breath taking view so I personally really enjoyed it

We also did the South Kaibab trail hike which had more variations of views (but not as ‘breath taking’ imho). So recommend doing South Kaibab if you can only do one, but highly recommend both

PS. Hopi Point is very close by via the red shuttle, this is rated as the best place to see sunset and can confirm it was awesome!

Started at 5:45am (just before sunrise, so it was nice and cool) and arrived at the river at 7:45am, mostly running down since the grade on the trail was perfect for running. From there I took a half hour break and ate a bunch of food and started my way back up Bright Angel Trail. I arrived at the top at 12:30pm while taking 10-15 minute breaks at each shaded rest site since there was effectively no shade on the way up at that part of the day. Be sure to bring ample supplies and if you havent hiked at this level of difficulty I strongly advise you DONT hike this trail. If you are still interested go to the Backcountry office in the park and ask them for advice about this trail since they will take into account your level of experience and plans for the hike.

a hard hike but well worth it.

Great trail to see the Grand Canyon. It could get very windy and kick up a lot of dust at times. Overall it was a very fun challenge.

I started at 10:40AM at South Kaibab TH. This trail does not offer any shade. I made it to the junction of Black Bridge and River Trail by 1:00PM and I took River Trail as I did not need to resupply my water. Hiking River Trail, I took few pictures and stopped at the river for 5-10 minutes. I started back up at 1:40 PM (from the rest station) and made it up to the top at 5:05PM. it took me 6 hours to complete this trail. Notes: I did not stop for lunch and did not eat anything while hiking except I drank 16 once of gatorade at the bottom of the canyon and at the top, I had a handful of nuts and dry fruit.
The South Kaibab trail does not offer ANY shade in the first part of the day.
Bright Angel is excellent choice for shade in the afternoon. I barely saw the sun on my way up from Canyon to the parking. 90% shade. Perfect between 1:00PM and 5:00PM. I had 64 ounces of water and 32 ounces of gatorade and I did not resupply my water; however, India Garden offered some easy and fast option.
Another note: I soaked my hiking shirt and hat in the water> that kept me cool to the top (3,5hours).
Happy hiking! be safe!

A bit crowded with people, but awesome views of the canyon. Going back up is pretty tough, particularly when the wind kicks up dust and sand. Trail maintenance is excellent.
We had 4 L of water for 2 people in early April, but ran out on the ascent. Definitely bring 3L/person and some trail mix with your lunch, and enjoy it!

We started our hike just after 9AM and made it to the 3 mile point around 11. The way down is easy, the way up is definitely challenging! We made it back around 130PM. We brought about 3 liters of liquids (2 liters of water and 2 Gatorades). We wore layers, wore a long sleeve and vest on the way down and just wore a t-shirt on the way up. Definitely a great way to see the canyon! We went on a Sunday and there were a decent amount of people but I wouldn’t consider it really crowded, so I’m assuming the people who commented that it was too crowded went on a Saturday or are used to trails without a lot of people.

prepare yourself for a treat. prepare yourself for a challenge. what an awesome trail all around.

Great day hike (and my first) at the Grand Canyon! We got started around 9am and finished at 12:45pm. Pretty quick descent with lots of switchbacks and some great canyon views. Hiking poles were very helpful. The trail is rocky but easy to follow and well maintained. We stopped at the Santa Maria spring for some food and rest before starting the ascent. Walk about 100ft past the rest house for a great flat viewing point.

Very simple walk with not too much to see until you reach the canyon. Well worth it though, when the view opens up it was my favorite. Make sure you explore all the way to the point past the picnic area. We were the only people on the trail, enjoyed breakfast overlooking the canyon, and felt like we were on top of the world once we got to the edge of the point.

Amazing! Beat the crowds! A must!

Was an Amazing experience, the views Breathtaking want to go back and hike to the Colorado River

I did just the Bright Angel the previous day (till Plateau Point), and the entire hike took me only 6 hours. Based on elevation gain and distance, I calculated South Kaibab - River - Bright Angel trail to take no more than 8 hours. However, lots of Internet reports suggested a minimum of 10-14 hours. In any case, I decided to go ahead and try the hike. A bit of bad luck and really cold morning meant I didn't start until 10:40 AM; the sunset was due at 6:40 PM. So, I had to go for the kill from the word go. I run a lot and recently prepared and ran a Full Marathon, so I was in the peak of my fitness. I like running downhill, and I found it easy to run down in some part of the South Kaibab trail. There were some parts with loose sand where I had to walk but apart from that, I was doing good speed - 1.5 miles in about 25 minutes. So, I reached Cedar Ridge at 11:05, Skeleton Point at 11:30ish, and Tip Off at about 12. There was hardly anyone after Tip Off point but the scenery started getting very pretty, and I got down to the Black Bridge by about 1 PM. I met a few rafters at the beach who were travelling across the Colorado River. Since I was hiking alone, it was good to meet some humans as that place was very desolate. My next goal was to get to Indian Garden by 4PM at the latest, so I kept going at a steady pace. My lunch was just protein bars and nuts, so I could eat them as I hike. After a while on the River Trail, there were those long switchbacks but keeping my motivation high, I could climb them without any issue. After a bit of following the stream, there was a point where there was a huge rock and no clear indication of the trail. Thankfully, once I jumped over the rock, I found the trail back, and it was easy hiking from there to India Garden. I reached there at 3PM, and I knew it would take me 2.5 hours from there to the top since I did this same part the previous day. This is also the hardest part of the hike, and it comes at a time when you are really tired. So, doing the same trail the previous day helped me with the mental confidence. I met several groups on the way up who had started very very early (6AM or so), but they were extremely tired and not in a mental state to hike up. I cheered them up and gave pointers on the remaining route and reached the top at 5:40 PM. In all, it took me only 7 hours. If you really want to do it quick, try to do the Bright Angel hike till India Garden the previous day. It serves as a good practice and also prepares me mentally for the toughest part of the Rim to River hike.

I did this hike, by accident, last summer. I almost died from heat exhaustion because I had been on a massive road trip all week and was already pushing my body to the limit. I forgot my water, food, camelpack, and sunscreen. Basically everything that I needed, I left in the car. SMH-yes, this was the day I officially realized I was a moron.

The first half of the hike is straight down. I was basically running the whole time. The second half was brutal as the sun was burning me, my mouth was drier than it has ever been, and I was walking on a stair stepper for 2 hours. My mind started playing tricks on me at some point as the dehydration took hold.
All that being said, I would like to do it again but this time prepared LOL

Magnificent views and easier than I expected. There are some steep sections, but the trail is well maintained and never less than 4 feet wide.
Be sure to hike to the vantage point at Cedar Ridge.