South Rim of the Grand Canyon Oct 31

words and photos by Sharon Bader and Lee Lau unless otherwise noted.

We’ve been to the East side at Lee’s Ferry. North Rim. Time to visit the South rim. We booked a room at Thunderbird Lodge. We decided to stay in a hotel this time cause they tend to be right on the rim, unlike the campsites and we thought it would be a lot colder, but it wasn’t. Here we did our yearly hike – down the South Kaibob trail to Skeleton point, 650m below the rim.

St. Georges || Red Canyon – Thunder Mountain || Gooseberry Mesa Area || Monument Valley || Red Rocks in Las Vegas.

Interior of the Watchtower. One of the first view points into the Grand Canyon as you drive in from the East.

Yup, its Grand!

Inside the South Rim Visitors Center.

Getting ready for the sunset on the south rim. Great use of the MEC Reflex Jacket!

Kolob Studio.

View of the Tonto plateau which goes from 2091m at the top to 1140m at the Plateau. The river is at 776m. There is a trail on this plateau that connects Bright Angel to Grandview trail.

El Tovar in the distance. South Rim’s first luxury lodge.

Lookout Studio.

Deer at Sunset in front of Thunderbird Lodge where we stayed.

and Sunrise!

Sunrise

Monday we did our yearly hike down the South Kaibob Trail. We hiked down to Skeleton Point.

Exerpt from:

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/South_Kaibab_Trail.pdf

MAP

The South Kaibab Trail is a modern route, having been constructed as a means by which park visitors could bypass Ralph Cameron’s Bright Angel Trail. Cameron, who owned the Bright Angel Trail and charged a toll to those using it, fought dozens of legal battles over several decades to maintain his personal business rights. These legal battles inspired the

Santa Fe Railroad to build its own alternative trail, the Hermit Trail, beginning in 1911 before the National Park Service went on to build the South Kaibab Trail beginning in 1924. In this way, Cameron inadvertently contributed much to the greater network of trails currently available for use by canyon visitors.

Locations/Elevations
Mileages
Rim (7260 ft / 2213 m) to Cedar Ridge (6120 ft / 1865 m):

Cedar Ridge (6120 ft / 1865 m) to Skeleton Point (5220 ft / 1591 m):

Skeleton Point (5220 ft / 1591 m) to the Tipoff (4000 ft / 1219 m):

Tipoff (4000 ft / 1219 m) to Bright Angel Campground (2480 ft / 756 m):

Rim (7260 ft / 2213 m) to Bright Angel Campground (2480 ft / 756 m):

1.5 mi (2.4 km)

1.4 mi (2.3 km)

2.6 mi (4.2 km)

7.0 mi (11.3 km)

Maps:

7.5 Minute Phantom Ranch Quad (USGS)

Sky Terrain Trails Map, Grand Canyon (Sky Terrain)