Grand Canyon ◆ Colorado Plateau / AZ

Stand on the rim — or hike below it.

A mile down, ten miles across, and one of the few American landscapes that resets your sense of scale on first sight.

Field guide ◆ South Rim + below

Most people stop at the rim.

Six million people visit the Grand Canyon each year. Most of them never go below the rim. They take the photo, drive to El Tovar for lunch, drive back. They miss 99% of the canyon — which is the part you can only see by walking into it.

If you have one day and minimal experience: drive Desert View Drive at sunrise (skipping the main visitor center), stop at Lipan Point, walk a quarter mile down the South Kaibab to Ooh Aah Point. You'll see more in 90 minutes than most people see in a week.

If you have three days and you're up for it: get a backcountry permit and hike South Kaibab down to Phantom Ranch (8 miles, dropping a vertical mile), spend a night at the bottom by the Colorado, and climb out via Bright Angel (10 miles, brutally hot in summer). Carry water like your life depends on it. It does.

Best seasonOctober to April (avoid summer below rim)

Trip length1–4 days

DifficultyStrenuous below rim

PermitRequired for backcountry overnights

Pack the kit ◆ For below the rim

What to bring.

The canyon is a desert with one mile of vertical relief. Pack for heat, dry air, and zero shade. A 3-liter hydration system is non-negotiable. Sun layers, a real headlamp for the dark inner canyon, and electrolytes.

Shop the full kit →

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