I'm planning a mid-May trip from the North Rim, across the corridor (with some side canyon exploration), along Tanto plateau, and up hermits trail to the South Rim.

I have 3 questions...

Pack: Do you generally have to carry enough water that carrying the extra 2-3 pounds of external frame pack is worthwhile ? Is the trail steep &/or rocky enough that the lower center of gravity & more side-to-side stability of an internal frame pack is significantly better ?

Tent vs Tarp: Do the scorpions &/or snakes snuggle up to sleepers to stay warm at night ?

Pad: Is the ground essentially all rock &/or hard-pack, or are there softer / sandier places to offset the lack of cushiness of a foam pad ? Are there enough cactus or other prickly plants that relying on an air-pad is risky ?

Thanks.

Going down, you'll have water all the way.

Going up Bright Angel you'll have water along the way.

Going to Hermit in 110° heat you can probably get by with 4 liters to Monument. Up Hermit, 4 liters will get you to the spring. And then 4 liters to the top. So, 8 pounds max for water. Or less depending on how fast you walk and how you do in the heat.

What is the weight of the rest of your kit?

"Tent vs Tarp: Do the scorpions &/or snakes snuggle up to sleepers to stay warm at night ? "

Personally, I like a bug bivy. It's the mice that bother me.

"Pad: Is the ground essentially all rock &/or hard-pack, or are there softer / sandier places to offset the lack of cushiness of a foam pad ? Are there enough cactus or other prickly plants that relying on an air-pad is risky ?"

Hard-pack for the most part. The pointy things are pretty much beat down, so an air mat is low risk, but not zero.

I'd take a Ridgerest or a Thermarest Prolite mattress. My tent is a TT Moment and for the GC it's great but a good tarp W/ net will be very good as well. Try to cut down on weight as much as possible to make the loooong ascent more enjoyable.

And never let a muleskinner leading a string of tourists stop for his "tour talk" and force you to wait to get by. Tell the egotistic 'skinners to move along. Keeping pedestrians waiting, especially backpackers, is just plain bad manners.

Edited by Danepacker on 11/24/2010 23:18:57 MST.

I've been hiking various parts of the Canyon for 15 years, and have spent the vast majority of my nights out in the open, enjoying the stars. I've never had a close encounter with either a scorpion or a snake, and certainly not at night.
The ground you sleep on will be almost entirely rocky and hard packed. The only sandy spots are along the Colorado. Bright Angel campground has a few sites with enough dirt to hammer in a stake.
I concur with the other comments re pack weight and water. May will be hot, maybe very hot. Try to keep other items as light as possible to accommodate the necessary water weight.
Have a great trip!

I liked cowboy camping in the Grand Canyon too, with the exception that I found it pretty windy; the continuous wind in my face occasionally made me wish for a tent, and found me somewhat vainly attempting to stack pack/gear into some sort of wind shelter. Not horribly bad, just somewhat annoying.

Of course it *can* rain; I had a poncho tarp and some cord and trekking poles to put up a shelter just in case. That was my only rain gear too, which seems about right to me, since I didn't use it (a light windshirt was nice to have however).

I had no problem with insects or snakes or the like, though I did have a ringtail jump on my chest --- they really will curl up with a human at night like a housecat. I unfortunately reacted to the sudden impact and scared it off.

I just slept with my food but reading elsewhere it sounds like some sort of rodent proofing would be wise, Ursack Minor or one of the wire mesh options might be good, or just try to do a low hang perhaps.

"...it sounds like some sort of rodent proofing would be wise..."

There are ammo cans at the main corridor campsites, so protection is provided.

Elsewhere - depends on site usage, but I use the Ursack Minor, just to eliminate the issue. Many don't bother, and do just fine.

Pack: Internal frame to haul plenty of water. In the summer, it can get REALLY hot out there, so I recommend always having 6-8 liters of water when starting out from any water source. Yeah it sounds like allot, but it means you should have enough water for yourself or for others you may encounter who need water. This is the desert after all, where water = life.

Tent vs Tarp: Either way you should be fine.

Pad: I'd be more worried about sharp rocks in some parts than I would about plants, but I use a therm-a-rest prolite out there and I've never had a problem. But I always carry a patch kit just in case.

Beware the red squirrels. They seem cute, but they're cunning and aggressive extortionists that will try anything and everything to get your water and food. I've seen someone put their pack on the ground and walk 20 yards away, and within a minute, a red squirrel was drinking from the hydration mouthpiece.

Will the Granite Gear Vapor Trail or similar packs from ULA (Circuit), or Gossamer Gear (Mariposa Plus) "comfortably" carry 4-6 Liters of water along with lightweight gear (ie: main gear = Tarptent Cloudburst, 32 degree 600 fill down bag, full length Thermarest Prolite, 200 Wt fleece jacket, hat, liner gloves, shorts & t-shirt, 1.1L pot w. cannister & stove inside). Or do I need a pack with a more substancial internal frame & cushier straps?

ps: The sleeping bag & clothing choices seem strange because I'm prepared for 35-45 degree temps on the North rim, 90 degree temps in canyon, and 70 degree temps on the South plateau. (Apparently the snow melts off the N. Rim roads in early May...)

Figure 6 liters at 12 pounds-
Assume 12 pounds for gear-
Leaving 6 pounds for food, for four days -

I have carried 35#-40# in a Vapor Trail in relative comfort for many trips.
[I don't do that any more ;-)]

I pack "tight". I get a lot of internal support by cramming it all in, and then using the compression straps to the max.

YMMV

Edited by greg23 on 11/27/2010 20:33:34 MST.

I live in Flagstaff and hike in the Canyon obsessively.

SHELTER- For GC hiking, I almost always cowboy camp, but do carry a full coverage tarp for my shelter (Golite Shangri-La), since finding protected places in many areas can be difficult, and the Canyon is windy and sandy. I use a light bivy (Titanium Goat Ptarmigan)- There are lots of scorpions down on the river beaches, less so on the Tonto level, but it's not uncommon to lift up your pad in the morning and have one hanging out there. It's easy to find spots that are clear of uncomfortably large rocks. There are decent impacted sites in most of the major side canyons the Tonto crosses East of Boucher. There's prickly stuff and sharp rocks EVERYWHERE, I wouldn't bring an inflatable.

WATER- Your particular route is actually very well watered- There's water all over the North Kaibab and Bright Angel trails, and there is reliable water in Monument Creek at the Tonto level and below. I suspect your longest potential water haul is only about 11 miles between Bright Angel and Monument, though that'll be a hot hike out in May.

All the trails on your route are in good condition and well used- No technical stuff.

If you haven't gotten your permits yet, I'd recommend hiking down Monument Creek and camping a night at Granite Rapids. AWESOME beach and a great rapid.