After Bearizona and the Mary Colter Watchtower, we hit the South Kaibab Trail for a super short hike late in the afternoon.
Access to the South Kaibab Trail was blocked on one side of the road –we assumed this meant only the Grand Canyon shuttle was allowed access to the trailhead. So we parked nearly a mile away and walked to the trailhead…. Only to discover that tons of vehicles ignored the road block. 
After nearly 5 years in Arizona, we should know by now that road signs are merely suggestions…
The South Kaibab Trail, along with the Bright Angel Trail, are considered the superhighways of the South Rim –they are the 2 shortest routes to get to the bottom of the canyon. South Kaibab is approximately 6.3 steep miles. To me, this sounds easy considering we’ve done longer hikes…. but most hikers get to the bottom in 4-5 hours and going back up takes an average of 7-8 hours. 
This is why they drill into your head not to attempt hiking there and back in one day. It sounds so tempting though!
Since we started at 2 in the afternoon, we opted to just hike to Ooh-Aah Point. We’ve hiked along the North Rim but never actually into the canyon.
Crazy switchbacks eh?
Makes one feel pretty insignificant.
FYI, mules traverse this trail often and it’s pretty evident at the beginning of the trail… Poop everywhere!
View enlarged –View from Ooh-Aah Point. Oooooooh. Aaaaaaaah.
Can I just stay here? I don’t want to hike back up.
Going back up is no joke –heavy breathing & heart pounding hard the entire way up. I can see why it takes… FOREVER to hike back up from the bottom.
Isn’t this crazy? Even in person the Grand Canyon seems surreal.
Squirrel!
Going down is a MILLION times easier than going up!
It is ABSOLUTELY breathtaking no matter where you look. It certainly wet our appetites for a trip to the bottom of the canyon for white water rafting next year!
| South Rim, Grand Canyon, AZ | |
| www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm | |
| All Year Rounds, 24/7 | |
| $25/vehicle | |
| 1.4 Miles Round Trip | |
I’ve been absent from your awesome blog for a few weeks. I have some catching up to do. I thought of you guys today as I took my son to the Tonto Natural Bridge. It was so cool in person. We had fun bouldering along the stream.
In May we are planning our Grand Canyon Trip. This trail looks like a good option. How do you think it would be with kids? We would plan on carrying 1-2 of the kids.
Awesome! I’m glad you guys enjoyed the bridge.
For the South Kaibab trail, it depends on how far along you guys are planning to hike in. If it’s just to Ooh Aah Point, it’s do-able with kids but I would be vary cautious about letting them walk on their own if they are young. The drop-offs are very steep on the entire trail so if you do let them walk on their own, hold their hand! Also, the trail does does not have any coverage from the sun so it’s best to do it in the early morning since you are going in May. I was told that the Bright Angel trail, which is similar to South Kaibab, offers shade coverage so you might want to check that out.
It will be tough going back up with kids in tow (we thought it was tough and we were only carrying water!) but if you take plenty of water breaks, you will be OK.