North Kaibab Trail Hike

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August 26

Today’s plan is to hike about 2 miles down into the Grand Canyon on the North Kaibab Trail. Destination: Supai Tunnel, about 1,400 vertical feet. But first, we needed to move our tent and gear to a different campsite since I was unable to secure reservations for the same site for two nights at the North Rim Campground. So, we carried our ten about 100 yards to our new site, where fortunately the people occupying it the previous night had already left.

Probably the highlight of camping at the North Rim Campground is this wonderful outdoor cafe we found about 3 minutes from our tent!

After settling in at our new campsite and having breakfast at the site (and coffee on the above veranda) we set out for the North Kaibab Trail trailhead. It was just about a mile to the trailhead from the campground. Considering how difficult we expected this hike to be, and we did NOT want to hike an extra mile back to the tent afterward, we drove there. Parking was tight so we had to get creative…but we managed. We didn’t hit the trailhead until around 11:30 am, so any parking at all was a bonus.

It was about 80 degrees, so not awful for the Grand Canyon in August, but hot enough. And we knew it was going to get hotter as we descended so we took enough water to probably fill Lake Michigan. The trail started out rocky and steep. Though the least trekked trail down to the canyon from the rim, it is still popular enough with mule riders, so there was a measure of mule dung negotiation required. There were not many people on the trail, either. We encountered probably 30 people or so on the round trip.

At about 1/2 mile in we came to a perfect photo op landing where others were also, so we swapped pics to avoid bad over-50 selfies.

The hike was hot but not too bad, and as we approached the Supai Tunnel, about 2-miles in we began contemplating continuing the extra mile to the Redwall Bridge. That is as far as the rangers recommend hikers go without checking in with them first.

We got to the Supai Tunnel in about 1.5 hours, with stops for photos and views.

Once beyond the tunnel we were able to set our eyes on the Redwall Bridge, about one mile away. So, of course, we decided to go for it. Why not, we’re here. Why not? Because we will then need to hike UP thee miles! The heat was just too much for our brains, so we went for it.

Down, Down, Down…It took about another 45 minutes to reach the bridge. Here, we celebrated our accomplishment and had lunch.

Redwall Bridge North Kaibab Trail — Em on the Redwall Bridge

A well-earned lunch break on the Redwall Bridge.

It took us about three hours to hike up the three miles we just hiked down. With the lack of shade most of the way, and it being fairly steep most of the way up we can see why so many people only go as far as the Supai Tunnel when not hiking all the way down to camp, or doing a through hike up the South Rim. But no regrets here…it was a great hike and a great accomplishment. We got a warm welcome back as well.

Deer at North Kaibab Trail — The deer welcomed us back up on the north rim.

After a bag of dehydrated something for dinner we enjoyed a beer for sunset along the north rim near our campsite. A glorious ending to a glorious day of hiking the canyon.