Hike The South Kaibab Trail for A More Immersive Experience at the Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon in Arizona is incredibly vast, making it one of the natural wonders of the world. Spanning 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and 1 mile deep, it’s hard to imagine such a beast until you see it in person!
For many visiting Grand Canyon National Park, standing at the top of an epic vantage point is enough to be blown away by it’s majesty. While we agree peering down from the top is impressive, we craved to go deeper into this behemoth of a canyon.
Luckily if you only have one day in the park, this is totally possible! South Kaibab Trail is just one of the many beautiful hikes in the park that take you down into the Grand Canyon itself.
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Prior to arriving, we stayed overnight at the beautiful mountain town of Flagstaff, about 1.5 hours from the park. Not the closest drive compared to other lodging but the prices are much more affordable. Plus, Flagstaff surprisingly has some of the best pizza we’ve ever had along with some great local breweries.
The South Kaibab trailhead is located on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Park in the visitor center parking lot and take the free shuttle bus on the orange route to the Kaibab Rim.
During the crowded summer months, shuttle buses are the primary mode of transportation eliminating traffic jams. There is no parking available near the trailhead. After you get off the shuttle, fill up your water at the free water station just outside, and head up to find the South Kaibab trailhead towards the right.
The start of the trail is at very top of Kaibab Rim. From here, you’re already met with jaw dropping scenic views of the Grand Canyon. But we came here for more than just views, so let’s hit the trail!
Hike Details – South Kaibab Trail to Cedar Ridge
- Length: 3.1 miles to Cedar Ridge, out and back
- Elevation Gain: 1,177 ft
- Difficulty: Moderate – Strenuous (wear good hiking shoes!)
- Time to Complete: 2 – 4 hrs (depending on your stamina for incline)
- No water along the trail – only at the top near the trailhead
- Little to no shade – be cautious during summer months
- Watch out for mule droppings!
Know Before You Go!
While 3 miles out and back doesn’t sound too bad if you’re an avid hiker, South Kaibab Trail takes you down into the canyon meaning you’ll have to hike all the way back up.
For me, the way back up was brutal. It took me twice as long coming up than it did to get down. It may have been even longer considering we were hiking during summer and carrying heavier packs.
Be aware of these factors and allow yourself more time than you normally would for a standard 3 mile hike.
South Kaibab Trail Length
This post covers hiking to Cedar Ridge and back for a total of 3 miles. South Kaibab Trail technically goes all the way down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and crosses the Colorado River.
It is highly recommended that you do not hike from the rim to the bottom and back all in one day. The average person is not capable of such a rigorous hike. People have suffered severe sunburns, dehydration, and debilitating exhaustion.
Hiking to the bottom and back is a total of 14 miles round trip and 5,000 feet in elevation.
Besides Cedar Ridge, there are multiple other locations you can hike to:
- Rim to Cedar Ridge – 3 miles roundtrip
- Rim to Skeleton Point – 6 miles roundtrip
- Rim to Tipoff – 8.8 mile roundtrip
- Rim to Bright Angel Campground (bottom of canyon) – 14 miles roundtrip – DO NOT ATTEMPT IN ONE DAY
Be Cautious When Hiking During Summer
Since we only had half a day paired with intense summer heat, we decided to hike to the closest point which was Cedar Ridge. Please be careful hiking during summer as temperatures can reach as high as 100°F.
Hike safely by bring ample water to stay hydrated along with the top 10 hiking essentials for hiking.
Read more on how to hike safe during the summer months from Adam of YourHikingGuide.com.
The Trek Down South Kaibab Trail
The first part of the trail mainly consists of switchbacks, quickly taking you down the side of the canyon.
This part of the canyon is home to Kaibab Limestone which is where the trail gets it’s unique name from. Surprisingly, Kaibab limestone was formed at the bottom of the ocean, but today it now sits 9,000 feet high at the top of the Grand Canyon.
After hiking through a few long switchbacks, the trail straightens out taking you along the side of the canyon wall.
This part of the trail is a little less steep than the switchbacks but still involves a moderate decline. The views are incredible all along the trail and the marked view points are just insane!
Ooh Aah Viewpoint – .8 mile from Trailhead
If you don’t want to hike all the way to Cedar Ridge, choose to hike only .8 miles to reach the Ooh Aah Viewpoint (yes that is literally what it’s called).
For many, this makes for a good turn around point if you wish to not continue further down the trail to Cedar Ridge.
Arriving at this viewpoint, I think I did let out a long “Oooooh” without even realizing it.
Less than a mile into the canyon made for some killer views! Compared to the top of the rim, you can enjoy 360° panoramic views once inside the canyon.
After pausing to enjoy the landscape and hydrate for a bit, we were ready to continue onward.
Second Viewpoint – Not Named But Worthy of One
South Kaibab trail continues downward and wraps around another bend eliminating some of the views temporarily. Although after just .2 miles you’ll turn a corner and once again reach another spectacular viewpoint, this one is overlooking the canyon and Cedar Ridge below.
I preferred this spot over the “Ooh Aah” viewpoint since you’re further immersed in the canyon. You’re standing on a small rock platform that extends out over the edge without any cliffs blocking your view like before.
An incredibly scenic view only 1.3 miles down.
Around this time the wind really started to pick up. And I mean painful wind like small rocks and sand blowing against your skin and in your eyes. Wind was present on and off throughout the hike but it grew a lot worse by the time we reached this point.
Alongside punishing winds, we were hot and getting tired and decided to head back.
Turns out we were only .2 miles away from reaching Cedar Ridge! Even though we didn’t make it to Cedar Ridge we had a clear view of it from where we were last standing.
Based on our circumstances, we were beyond satisfied with how far we came and all that we saw.
The Trek Up South Kaibab Trail
I wish I can say hiking back up was just as fun as hiking down. Well I can’t. The heat, winds, and heavy pack I was carrying all contributed to a rough time hiking back up.
I naturally struggle hiking uphill (as do many) so that was expected, but I didn’t think these factors would slow me down as much as they did. About every 5 minutes I needed a break, and every 10 minutes, a small sip of water.
Throughout the hike we saw a variety of ground squirrels wandering about. On the way up, we found one that was hiding in the shade completely sprawled out on its belly. People would approach it very close too and it would not budge.
Poor little dude. Probably trying to recoup from heat exhaustion!
I wasn’t in nearly as bad shape as that squirrel. But still, it made me feel my weakness was completely rational based on the conditions outside.
Nathan was fine for the most part even with carrying all his heavy camera gear. Chuggin along at a steady pace with those ridiculously toned legs. (whatever Nathan!)
By the time we reached the base of the switchbacks, I’ve probably stopped at least 15 times. The good news is that sun was behind the cliffs in the late afternoon, meaning most of the switchbacks were in the shade! I was able to pick up my pace a little just by being out of the sun.
It’s crazy how much the sun zaps the life out of you. I was so happy when we finally reached the top and were back on flat land.
It’s insane the difference between 3 miles in and out of a vertical canyon vs 3 miles hiking over anything remotely flat!
Don’t Ignore Your Limitations
Besides myself, I saw numerous people fall victim to the climb back up. Many people huffing and puffing, verbalizing out loud how they even got themselves into such a situation.
Well it’s easy to when you’re enjoying the way down!
Know your limits and be aware of how difficult it is to return. The only way back is on your own two feet.
Despite my seemingly stressful trek upwards, I still felt the hike was totally worth it. What you see along the trail is way more impressive (comparatively of course) from what you see at the top of the rim.
Next time, I would like to venture further than we did. Maybe even make it to Skeleton Point during the colder or winter months. Generally we do prefer to visit national parks in winter vs summer due to a number of reasons, but in this case you work with what you have!
It’s not that we don’t recommend doing some hiking out here in summer but your options are way more limited. Got to hike smart and come back for more during the fall or spring!
Include The South Kaibab Trail On Your Next Trip to the Grand Canyon
If you’re visiting the Grand Canyon, we highly suggest you take on one of the trails. Viewing the canyon from the rim is definitely scenic but we feel it doesn’t compare to the views you see once inside the canyon.
If you have half a day, a hike down South Kaibab Trail is perfect for achieving those epic views within the canyon. If you have a full day, hike further down the trail and be fully engulfed in the beauty that is the Grand Canyon.
One day we hope to hike the full South Kaibab Trail from top to bottom and camp at the foot of the cliffs along the Colorado River.
For more beautiful desert hiking, visit our favorite trail in Arizona known as Devil’s Bridge Trail in Sedona. If hiking isn’t big on your list, be sure to check out the many tours and other outdoor activities you can enjoy while visiting the Grand Canyon.
Check out our video below from our time at South Kaibab Trail!
Have you hiked the Grand Canyon before? What was your favorite trail?
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