Hi friends,

I am headed to the Grand Canyon for 3 nights the 1st week of June and will be camping on the South Rim. We could not get a backcountry permit (my fiance and her brother will be along and scheduling was an issue) so now I am trying to find some really great day hikes we can do. Any suggestions? We plan to do south kaibab to bright angel the first day so I was hoping you might suggest a good hike for the following 2 days. Thank you ahead of time!

Jason

My wife and I really enjoyed our hike from Grandview Point out to the end of Horseshoe Mesa. On the way back we dropped down to Cave of the Domes; the only cave in the Park which you can legally enter without a permit.

From the South Rim, the Horseshoe Mesa and your own South Kaibab suggestions are very scenic. If you can handle a very long day, "Plateau Point", about 1.5 miles from Indian Gardens on the Bright Angel trail, offers a spectacular "overhang" off the Tonto Platform formation; above the confluence of the Bright Angel Creek and the Colorado River. The Bright Angel itself can be a pack mule highway, but even that has it's own charms...

There are signs suggesting dayhike turnaround times down the corridor. One caution if going up the Bright Angel trail is avoiding climbing "the Devil's corkscrew" in the heat of the day. Pretty scenic looking down on it from the top but even that's a long day.

@will - cave of the domes sounds great! Thank you for the suggestion. Not having a backcountry permit has made this somewhat of a nightmare. The cave should also be a welcome refuge from the sun! I will collect the beta

@hk - the overhang at the tonto platform formation looks like the type of view you don't want to miss. Thank you for sharing! This is exactly the type of vista we were hoping for.

Thanks again and safe travels
Jason

1+ on Plateau Pt. Leave the Bright Angel trailhead early, go out to the Point, chill around Indian Gardens during the worst heat of the day, and climb out to the top once things cool down. Having piped water available at regular intervals is convenient, lightens the pack, and is reassuring for new or less experienced hikers.

Sunrise at Plateau Point, a couple days before Thanksgiving. We had the place to ourselves. YMMV.

@Ryan-great suggestion. My fiance and I are strong hikers and have many 12hr + days under our belts but I am worried about her younger brother though (this will be his first time out) so I really want to make this an enjoyable experience. I think this is the perfect way to ensure he will enjoy being on the trail.

@Will-woa. Nice shot brother. How about having all that to yourself? So rare these days. Thank you for giving me a great photo of what we have to look forward to!

>> We plan to do south kaibab to bright angel the first day...

As in to Bright Angel campground at the river? Or down to the Tonto and come up BA Trail? Just be prepared for a really hot hike in June, especially South Kaibab. (I would personally have no interest in being on the Tonto in June...)

Hermit to Dripping Springs is a nice hike. If you're relatively strong hikers, at the junction of Boucher and Dripping Springs, take Boucher out toward Yuma Point. Truly great views, much cooler (temp-wise) than the Tonto and away from the crowds once you get below the Kaibab switchbacks on Hermit (most dayhikers sort of peter out at that point.)

Have fun!

Edited by DetroitTigerFan on 05/06/2011 13:11:54 MDT.

>>Hermit to Dripping Springs is a nice hike. If you're relatively strong hikers, at the junction of Boucher and Dripping Springs, take Boucher out toward Yuma Point. Truly great views..


Thanks Sumi. We are headed back up BA after a little lunch in the shade. 105 is summer around here so no worries about the heat as we will have plenty of water and are prepared for the sun. Yuma point looks interesting and I do like the no crowd factor (all too difficult these days which is why I prefer winter hiking). Thank you, this looks to be a nice detour from the crowds.