(guided camping tour)
Meet: Grand Canyon National Park
Visit: South Rim, Bright Angel, Indian Garden
Length: 4 days
Hike Rating: Moderate-Strenuous, 5-7 hours/day, 3000'-5000' elevation gain/loss
| Departures*: | Jan 5-8 | Feb 9-12 |
| Jan 12-15 | Feb 16-19 |
| Jan 19-26 | Feb 23-26 |
| Jan 26-29 | Mar 1-4 |
| Feb 2-5 | Apr 21-24 |
| Tour Cost: | $1395 per person |
| $400 single supplement |
| *Permits for hiking the Grand Canyon are available 4 months in advance, and we will add future dates as they become available. |
The Grand Canyon deserves its reputation as one of the Natural Wonders of the World. At 277 miles long, 6000 ft deep and up to 18 miles wide, the scale is simply stunning. Most visitors to the Grand Canyon never get beyond the rim, and that's a shame, since to truly experience the grandeur of the Grand Canyon you need to hike down into it. Better yet, is to hike to the bottom and spend a couple nights inside the canyon. On this guided tour, we'll do just that. You'll start with 1 night in a comfortable lodge at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, meet your guides, and talk about the hike to come. You will then spend 3 days and 2 nights hiking the South Kaibab to Bright Angel loop. Organized and run by our good friend and Grand Canyon veteran Matt Brown, we will provide all the necessary camping gear - tents, sleeping pads, backpacks - and your experienced guides do all the work to make your tour as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. This is truly an experience for the ages!
After arriving in Phoenix, most of our Grand Canyon hikers will rent cars to drive to the park. Your guides can either meet you there or you can meet in Prescott, our hometown. Prescott is an easy 2 hour shuttle ride from the Phoenix airport and we'll be happy to arrange to meet you there for the 2½ hr drive to the Grand Canyon South Rim. Spend your first night at the rim at the comfortable El Tovar hotel and enjoy a wonderful dinner at the hotel restaurant as you meet and talk about your hiking tour.
For the next 3 days, you'll be hiking in the heart of the Grand Canyon. The rush of the modern world falls away as you descend into the canyon, the river threading its way below you as the rim rises above. You'll spend one night at Bright Angel campground at the Colorado river near the legendary Phantom Ranch. The next day you'll hike up along the Bright Angel Trail to Indian Garden campground and enjoy more great views of the river and canyon before hiking back up to the South Rim on your last day. Expect to reach the rim around noon, and you can depart anytime after that.
Our days will start with breakfast at our hotel or campground, prepared by your guides, which gives us the energy needed for the day ahead. Then we'll be out on the trail, exploring the wonderful landscapes the Grand Canyon has to offer.
Each morning, you'll be handed a lunch to carry, and at a mid-point along the way we'll choose a beautiful spot to stop and enjoy our picnic. We get a lot of compliments on our imaginative lunches - making them something to look forward to as well!
We should finish our hike around 4 pm, giving you time to wash up, relax, or perhaps do a bit of looking around on your own. Dinner the first night will be at the luxurious El Tovar restaurant, and on the next two nights will be prepared by your guides while you relax. The Grand Canyon is particularly well suited to fall, winter and spring hikes. Cold weather at the rim (it often snows at the rim in winter) is ideal for hiking, and warmer temperatures near the bottom are comfortable without the overwhelming heat the region experiences in the summer. Temperatures at the bottom of the Canyon are typically 25-30 degrees warmer than at the rim, so we can enjoy cool days for hiking and comfortable evenings at camp.
Day 1 To get to our Grand Canyon hiking tour, you can fly to the Phoenix airport and rent a car to drive to Grand Canyon National Park. Alternately, you can take an airport shuttle to our home base in Prescott, meet your guides there, and transfer with them up to the Grand Canyon. Prescott is a charming small town tucked at the base of the Bradshaw mountains, and would be a great place to spend additional days. After arrival at the Grand Canyon, take a short walk along the rim, and settle in to your comfortable lodge, either the El Tovar or Maswik. Dinner pre-hike meeting at the classy El Tovar restaurant. (El Tovar or Maswik)
Day 2 You'll start hiking in the morning, trekking down into the Grand Canyon on the very scenic South Kaibab trail. The trail is steep, almost 4800' downhill, but you will have all day, so there will be plenty of time to stop and take in the vistas. You'll pass Ooh-Aah point and Cedar Ridge as you descend layer after scenic layer, deep into the Canyon. Eventually you'll reach the Colorado river, surrounded by rocks approximately 2 billion years old, and you'll reach the oasis of Bright Angel campground. Bright Angel Campground sits along Bright Angel Creek, and is a very pleasant camp shaded by huge cottonwood trees, with bathrooms and running water. Perhaps you'll visit nearby Phantom Ranch for an afternoon drink while your guides set up camp and prepare dinner. (Bright Angel Campground)
Day 3 Continuing through the inner corridor of the Grand Canyon, you'll hike along the Colorado river and up the Bright Angel trail. Today you'll hike about half-way out of the Grand Canyon, reach Indian Garden campground shortly after lunch. Indian Garden is another beautiful campground, filled with cottonwoods and providing bathrooms and running water. You can take an afternoon detour out to Plateau Point, an easy walk from Indian Garden to one of the best viewpoints in the Canyon. (Indian Garden Campground)
Day 4 After breakfast in the morning, you'll continue up on Bright Angel trail, hiking 3000 feet up (about 4 hrs) to return to the Grand Canyon South Rim, and depart for your post-tour destinations.
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| Arrive: | Plan to arrive the day your trip starts at the latest. If you're taking a shuttle from Phoenix to Prescott, check Shuttle U or Prescott Transit Authority. |
| Depart: | Plan departure for the day your tour ends at the earliest. Ask if you would like to extend your trip with nights in Flagstaff, Sedona, Prescott or Phoenix. |
| Dates don't work? Please ask about self-guided or private guided tours of the Grand Canyon. Permits become available 4 months in advance, and many additional dates are possible in the fall, winter or spring. Or check out our similar Arizona Red Rocks or Northern Arizona Highlights tours, which both visit the rim of the Grand Canyon. |
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