Grand Canyon MUni

[unicycle6869]

Thanks for all the helpful info guys, especially you Underdog. Sounds like you are the most experienced and I think we'll take your advice and not Muni in the grand canyon but might consider bringing them anyways for riding around Flagstaff/Sedona.

Now a question or two about not Muni'ing, but the Grand Canyon. Should we just go there and see it and not venture down into the canyon, or is it worth it to hike down some of it and back up it in a day (I know you can't go all the way to the river and back up in one day), but is it worth it to go halfway down or 3/4 of the way down? I think we'll only have one day to spend at the canyon, so what would people suggest we do? Thanks in advance for any advice!

[tholub]

Originally Posted by Spudman

They have logs in the path every ten feet or so to stop erosion and each one is followed by a foot drop from all of the people that have walked on it before you.

That sounds totally awesome.

But I agree, the traffic and exposure are just too high on the touristy trails near the Canyon.

[underdog]

To answer unicycle6869; you get a very different perspective of the canyon by hiking down into it. I highly recommend it. An earlier post in this thread mentioned that over 90% of visitors never go below the rim so going in sets you apart from the crowd. Since you only have one day, I'd recommend the Bright Angel Trail. The trail head is right by all the lodges in the South Rim Village (this is where you'll be anyway). The easiest thing to do is go down the the 1 1/2 mile resthouse on the trail. This will give you a taste of what it's like to hike in the canyon. If you're still feeling energetic, the next obvious turn around point is the 3 mile resthouse. Those in really good shape can go to the Indian Garden Campground at 4 1/2 miles. This is half way to the bottom. You'll be looking at spending about 6 hours of your day to go to Indian Gardens and back, if you're a pretty strong hiker. Don't forget that if you're really tired when you get to wherever you're going to turn around that you're going to be hating life very quickly. It's after you turn around that you've got to start climbing. Carry plenty o water. And take some snacks to keep your energy up.

I agree with your earlier statement that the mules probably cause as much or more damage than a Muni would but to change it you'd be battling 150 years of the history and traditions of the old west. Not likely. And, I think it would involve changing policy at the national level since I think most national parks have the same kinds of rules. Dang!

[unicycle6869]

Great, thanks underdog!!

Last question; if I could talk my girlfriend into 2 days, would it be worth hiking down to the river, camping and then hiking back up the next day? And if so what would be the best route/campsite?

[uniprincess]

Jamey, we can't stay two days, because we might be going there with my dad and rose.... also, there is a ton of stuff we are going to be doing with them for the rest of the week, so we need all the days we can get, and right now, we only have 6 days with them.

[unicycle6869]

Honey,
We can talk (aka argue) about this later, not on this forum, OK! I might be willing to not go to Vegas and instead spend an extra day at the canyon if I get positive feedback from people saying it's worth it to hike in, camp and hike out.

[maestro8]

Originally Posted by underdog

Anybody wanna try to land that one and ride out of it?

That depends... what is the roll-out like?

[johnfoss]

All right, break it up you two...

Bright Angel is the trail my pictures show us walking on. It's very scenic, though I'm sure they all are. That's the mule trail also.

When's the last time you hiked up 5000'? If you don't have an answer to that question, save it for when you have more time. I think you'd be good with the 1.5 mile walk. Remember you probably only expend 15% of the total hike energy on the way down. Or less. That's what makes canyon hikes so dangerous. Don't even think about going any further without food and water.

But I wouldn't recommend eating up too much of the day with hiking, because you can see a lot of different vistas by driving to some of the various scenic points along the rim, like this one:
http://unicycling.smugmug.com/gallery/146871/9/5403376
That spot is about half an hour east of the main visitor center, lodge, Bright Angel area.

Then if you get tired of looking and want to ride, shoot down to Sedona. The last part of that Grand Canyon album are Sedona pictures, starting with the one below. We didn't have time to do a jeep or other tour, and I could feel those trails calling me! Sedona starts here:
http://unicycling.smugmug.com/gallery/146871/11/5403572

[unicycle6869]

Great, thanks John for the info!

Now I have another question; Anyone take the mules down and back into the grand canyon? Worth it? Expensive??

[uni_bear]

Seven years ago my wife and I hiked in and out over two days with another couple - none of us being in the greatest of shape. We actually stayed at Phantom Ranch overnight so we did not even need ot pack much in - this was the first week of March so it was so cool that it snowed at the top the night we were at the bottom. Going in - relatively easy - Kaibab trail - 7.5 miles. Coming out - brutal - Bright Angel trail - 10 miles, but you only gain 1/3 of the elevation in the first five miles so the next five are much more challenging (plus we were trudging through four inches of snow for the final three miles). We started at 7 a.m. and reached the top at about 3 p.m. When we went out for dinner, three of us were so sore we could not get out of our chairs without an assist from the one that could.

All that said, it was a highlight for both my wife and I. Would I do it again? Absolutely, and I think I'd even prefer to backpack in. Would I work more diligently at getting in shape - no doubt. I'd love to spend several days kicking around at the bottom. Absolutely incredible beauty from top to bottom.

[steveyo]

You two, (unicycle6869 & unipricess) judging by your reputations, would have a nice day of exercise doing half of the vertical of the Grand Canyon if you bring a gallon of water each.

With enough water you might both be able to do the whole enchilada, 1 mile vertical, down and up, but it might lessen your enjoyment of the incredible experience of being inside the monstrous thing. Unless you're both hardcore endurance athletes in addition to being uni-experts.

Just getting down inside it is fantastic.

...
Also, let me say johnfoss, this is a spectacular photo. That area of the country is pretty photogenic, but nice picture!

[johnfoss]

Originally Posted by steveyo

this is a spectacular photo. That area of the country is pretty photogenic, but nice picture!

Thanks! You can order prints up to 24 x 36" if you want, and the resolution will hold. I know this because I ordered one such print from one of my other canyon shots. The one you linked was taken about 1/4 mile further east than that touristy area with the tower. Sorry, can't remember the name of that area, but it's the furthest-east "big" tourist area, with a very large parking lot.

Mules? We would have done it if it didn't require VERY advanced reservations. Don't know how far in advance, but check it NOW to see what the wait is!