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By Root 875 0

Canyon Lodge Dining Room, give Brighty (the burro statue in the sunroom) a rub on the nose for good luck. Then get yourself a beer at Roughrider Saloon, take it out to the terrace, and gulp it in slow swigs as you absorb the wide-angle view of the canyon. (But don’t forget you’re at altitude and it sucks hiking with a hangover.) Carb load, gourmet-style, with pasta at the lodge – though you can’t go wrong with wild-caught salmon and roasted squash – and then bed down in one of the comfy little cabins at the lodge, or head back to your tent at North Rim Campground, where quiet campsites nestle beneath the ponderosa pines.

In the morning, pack up, be sure your toenails are trimmed (ignore them at your peril), and catch the hiker shuttle from Grand Canyon Lodge (purchase tickets in advance at the lodge) to the North Kaibab Trailhead (8250ft) to start down the 14 miles you have ahead of you. It may be all downhill, but it can be tough on your joints, and the temperature typically rises from 3°F to 2°F for every 1000ft you descend.

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SAFE TREKS

A few tips for safe hiking in the canyon:

Avoid dehydration and hyponatremia (dangerously low sodium level in the blood) by sipping water frequently and having a salty snack while you’re at it.

It’s tempting to try hiking to the river and back in a day – not recommended at any time of year, but particularly ill-considered in summer.

Rule of thumb: it generally takes twice as long to hike up as it does hiking down.

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The trail begins with steep switchbacks through pines and aspens before opening out to the canyon. Almost 2 miles down are pit toilets and drinking water, just before Supai Tunnel, which was blasted out of the Esplanade sandstone when the trail was built. The edge of the trail drops off dramatically on its descent to Redwall Bridge, which crosses Roaring Springs Canyon. About 4½ miles from the trailhead is a spur trail leading to the waterfalls of Roaring Springs (5200ft), a lovely place to soak your feet and rest in the shade of cottonwoods.

A short way beyond is the pumphouse, where there’s another faucet for filling your water bottle before you cross Bright Angel Creek and hike another mile and a half to Cottonwood Campground (4080ft). You could break up the descent by staying the night here, or continue along the trail, which by now has leveled off to a gentler decline. From here on down to the river, the trail meanders along Bright Angel Creek. The soundtrack of the creek will only whet your appetite for hiking the spur trail to Ribbon Falls (3720ft), a short, sweet reprieve from the main trail’s exposed desert scrub. Stand in the mist of the falls and soak it up like the maidenhair fern thriving in this cool oasis.

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ANT OR GRASSHOPPER?

Some of us plan ahead, some don’t. If you can commit to specific dates, your best bet for planning a rim-to-rim hike is to book 13 months ahead for Phantom Ranch and rim accommodations, or four months in advance for a backcountry permit.

If your life is less predictable, a limited number of backcountry permits are reserved for walk-ins, and last-minute accommodation cancellations happen. If you have wiggle room with dates, you can often luck out at the last minute.

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Three miles farther down the trail, which has passed through open canyon, it’s now a matter of getting through The Box – so called because it’s a walled-in canyon within the canyon, and as oppressively hot as it sounds. From Ribbon Falls to Phantom Ranch, it’s just under 4 miles with walls rising sharply from the sides of the trail and creek before The Box widens back up and you spy the shady cottonwoods of Phantom Ranch (2546ft). Open the creaky door, lean on the counter and order a lemonade as you check in (or before you pitch your tent at Bright Angel Campground). If you’ve reserved a dinner at Phantom Ranch Canteen, show up on time for your dinner seating or you’ll be locked out (!) and pick up a sack lunch for tomorrow on your way out.

You’ll want to avoid hiking in midday desert heat, especially during