Grand Canyon Rim to Rim

Name: Grand Canyon Rim to Rim
Address: US

Schematic North Kaibab trailhead, Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel trailhead. Not a GPS track. DEM high 2,512 m at the North Rim, low 770 m at Phantom Ranch. South Kaibab is an alternate south-rim leg and is not merged. Corridor OSM relations stay related, not this line.

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Distance 35 km provisional (round figure) · Ascent provisional (DEM sample) · High point provisional (DEM sample) · 1d · SAC T3 · Ungraded (schematic ingest)

Last checked 2026-10-12

Cite this record

The Hiking World, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim, read 2026-10-12, https://www.thehikingworld.com/trails/grand-canyon-rim-to-rim

How we verify · last checked 2026-10-12

Byline

The Hiking World editorial team · author

Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.

Forecast at page generation, 2026-11-06T01:52:29.197Z

Representative point on Grand Canyon Rim to Rim: 36.104°, -112.095°, about 2512 m. A forecast, not a trail-surface reading.

At generation: 3°C, Overcast.

2026-11-05 Overcast, -3–9°C
2026-11-06 Overcast, -1–9°C
2026-11-07 Clear, 0–10°C

Source Open-Meteo. Mountain weather changes with elevation and aspect.

Official alerts

Checked 2026-09-10 against US National Park Service. No closure is in the stored alert list for this check.

Source: US National Park Service

No active NPS alerts for the park units on this route (last checked 2026-09-10).

US National Park Service is the authority — check nps.gov before you go. This desk is not the authority.

Grand Canyon National Park NPS alerts. Park-wide notices are labelled park-wide, never upgraded to a trail closure.

All official alerts

Life-safety notices on this page come from the issuer.

Sourced record

Verified and reported stay in separate blocks. A section with no source is left out. How we verify.

Permits and fees are shown once, from the permit record.

Altitude weather delta

High 2,512 m minus low 770 m is 1,742 m of relief on this record. A standard tropospheric lapse of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m implies about 11.3 °C cooler at the high point than the valley, all else equal.

That is a model (International Standard Atmosphere environmental lapse), not a forecast and not a trail-closure. Wind, snow, and storms stay in Hazards.

derived:lapse-rate · read 2026-09-10 · provisional

ISA 6.5 °C / 1,000 m · wikipedia.org · 2026-09-10

Stored line for Grand Canyon Rim to Rim, from 36.217°, -112.057° to 36.057°, -112.144°. The drawing is the simplified record, not a surveyed GPS track.

Map loads when this section is on screen.

GeoJSON

This line is a schematic. The files are not a GPS track. GPX · GeoJSON

Facts36.217, -112.057

Distance35 km*

editorial cited corridor ~21–24 mi; schematic — not walking distance; not summed pins · read 2026-09-23 · editorial · provisional

Ascentnot published

Cumulative ascent not published — stored line geometry is too coarse for a reliable DEM figure.

Descentnot published

High point2,512 m

copernicus-dem:glo-30 · read 2026-09-24 · provisional

Low point770 m

copernicus-dem:glo-30 · read 2026-09-24 · provisional

Routepoint-to-point

Days1

Seasonunverified

GradeUngraded (schematic ingest)

Catalog entry

DifficultyUngraded (schematic ingest)

SAC T3: Demanding mountain hiking. Exposed sections possible; hands may be needed for balance.
YDS Class 2: Class 2. Simple scrambling, occasional use of hands.

Elevation

Stored distance is 35 km. The chart axis follows the DEM sample (19.81 km), not the published line length.

OpenStreetMap pins only (ODbL): North Kaibab Trailhead node 5444897940, Phantom Ranch way 1014985806, Bright Angel Trailhead node 3241200192.

Live corridor relations were not ingested as this line: North Kaibab 2836789, Bright Angel 2836803, South Kaibab 2836796, River Trail 2836804.

South Kaibab Trailhead is an alternate south rim, not a fourth vertex on this schematic.

Cited corridor about 21–24 mi is editorial and was not taken from summed pins. TypicalDays 1 is a placeholder for a day crossing; overnight still needs a backcountry permit.

Water

No water sources recorded.

Permits & fees

Conditions, fees and rules change. Confirm with the issuer and local authorities before you go. This is a reference, not a substitute for local advice. Terms

Permit: Grand Canyon backcountry permit (overnight)
Booking: required
Issuer: National Park Service (NPS) — Grand Canyon National Park

Permits and fees for this year · Permit cost

Permits and fees

We are not the issuer. Fees and rules change — confirm with the issuer before you pay. Issuer page.

Quota / restriction: Day R2R requires NO permit; overnight requires a backcountry permit via Recreation.gov (corridor campgrounds, quota-gated).

Permit	Cost	Quota / restriction	Issuer	Source	Checked
Backcountry permit basic chargeVerified	$10 USD (non-refundable)	Waived for lottery winners and runners-up during the early-access month when reserved through a timeslot.	National Park Service (NPS) — Grand Canyon National Park	Issuer page	Verified 2026-10-12 vs National Park Service (NPS) — Grand Canyon National Park
Nightly use, below the rimVerified	$15 USD per person or stock animal	Day R2R requires NO permit; overnight requires a backcountry permit via Recreation.gov (corridor campgrounds, quota-gated).	National Park Service (NPS) — Grand Canyon National Park	Issuer page	Verified 2026-10-12 vs National Park Service (NPS) — Grand Canyon National Park
Nightly use, above the rimVerified	$4 USD per person or stock animal	Day R2R requires NO permit; overnight requires a backcountry permit via Recreation.gov (corridor campgrounds, quota-gated).	National Park Service (NPS) — Grand Canyon National Park	Issuer page	Verified 2026-10-12 vs National Park Service (NPS) — Grand Canyon National Park

Report a fee change or correction

Hazards

Inner canyon heat. Phantom Ranch DEM 773 m is the low pin.
South Kaibab is an alternate, not merged.

Getting there

No sourced gateway chain yet.

Getting there car-free

North Kaibab Trailhead: car-free flag unknown.
Bright Angel Trailhead: car-free flag unknown.

Trailheads

North Kaibab Trailhead car-free: unknown
Bright Angel Trailhead car-free: unknown

Questions

Do I need a permit for Grand Canyon Rim to Rim?

A permit is listed as required for Grand Canyon Rim to Rim: Grand Canyon backcountry permit (overnight). Status: Verified.

How much is the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim permit?

Backcountry permit basic charge: $10 USD (non-refundable) (National Park Service (NPS) — Grand Canyon National Park, verified 2026-10-12). Status: Verified. Nightly use, below the rim: $15 USD per person or stock animal (National Park Service (NPS) — Grand Canyon National Park, verified 2026-10-12). Status: Verified. Nightly use, above the rim: $4 USD per person or stock animal (National Park Service (NPS) — Grand Canyon National Park, verified 2026-10-12). Status: Verified.