The Dragon Bravo Fire has forced 25.5 miles of the Arizona Trail to close from the Clear Creek Trail junction just north of Phantom Ranch to the Kaibab Plateau Trailhead at the Park/Forest boundary along Forest Road 610. Highway 67 is closed south of the Kaibab National Forest/Grand Canyon National Park boundary. Please avoid the AZT within Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim until further notice, and check back for updates.
Read More
Location
- South Kaibab Trailhead to North Kaibab Trailhead
Length
- 21.4 miles
Resources
- MAP
- PROFILE
- TRACK
- Waypoints: GPS | MP
- Arizona Euro-American History
- A Guide to the Arizona Trail at Grand Canyon website
- USGS Topographic Maps: Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Point
- Grand Canyon National Park map
- BLM Information Center maps
Southern Trailhead: South Kaibab Trailhead
- GPS Coordinates: 36.05335° N, 112.08344° W
Access
There is no overnight parking or camping at the trailhead. You must take a shuttle from Grand Canyon Village, near the intersection of US 180 and AZ 64. Information is available within the Park Guide you’ll receive at the entrance kiosk, and also at the Visitor Center.
Northern Trailhead: North Kaibab Trailhead
- GPS Coordinates: 36.21699° N, 112.05666° W
Access
The parking area is on the east side of AZ 67, 41 miles south of Jacob Lake and 2.3 miles north of Grand Canyon Lodge. The trailhead is at the south end of the parking lot.
Trail Route Description
Passage 38 crosses the Grand Canyon from the south rim to the north rim. This physically strenuous and awe-inspiring section follows the well-maintained South Kaibab Trail that descends sharply from the south rim to the Colorado River, then ascends steeply to the north rim on the North Kaibab Trail. Your hard work will be rewarded by the sheer beauty of the Grand Canyon and what is possibly the most scenic section of the Arizona National Scenic Trail!
This section completes the epic “rim-to-rim” route and is both spectacular and challenging. In fact, many people see the route through this section as a bucket list experience on its own.
Prepare yourself for extreme changes in elevation and climate, a variety of ecosystems, and a journey through two billion years of geological history that is unlike anywhere else in the world!
The journey begins on the South Kaibab Trail, a high-quality trail with scenic vistas, little shade, and no water. The trail makes a stunning descent of over 4,000 feet within the first six miles, following a series of switchbacks down the canyon wall to meet the mighty Colorado River.
After passing by Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon, the trail becomes the North Kaibab Trail, where it continues gently toward Cottonwood Campground. After this landmark, North Kaibab truly begins its arduous climb out of one of the world’s deepest canyons. It ends at the North Kaibab Trailhead at an elevation of 8,000 feet, where temperatures remain cold and snow may persist into late spring.
There are no words or photographs that can convey the magnitude of the Grand Canyon’s unique landscape. The only way to appreciate the canyon’s grandeur is to hike into its depths, a place that gets fewer than one percent of the park’s total annual visitors. A short side trail leads to Ribbon Falls, one of the most photographed features within the canyon’s inner gorge. Don’t miss it! To learn more about the cultural significance of Ribbon Falls to Zuni people, watch this short video (courtesy of Grand Canyon Association and Grand Canyon Trust).
Grand Canyon National Park requires a camping permit, and camping is only allowed in developed campgrounds (along the AZT, that’s Bright Angel and Cottonwood). Although Grand Canyon backcountry permits can be very challenging to obtain, you can apply through recreation.gov. The Park has set aside two small sites for AZT thru-hikers (each site is 1-6 people, so for the two sites a total of 12 hikers per night are available) at Bright Angel Campground from April 4 – May 31. Hikers are also welcome to try to get a last-minute walk-up permit from the Backcountry Office on the South Rim or North Rim. For those last-minute permits, you may still have to wait a day or two to get through. Attempting to camp in Grand Canyon without a permit is not recommended and will guarantee you a big ticket…this is, after all, one of the most heavily patrolled parks in the National Park system. And while hiking through the entire canyon in a day is possible, a magical part of the AZT experience is camping within the canyon — one of the seven natural wonders of the world. So do your best to score a permit and camp in Bright Angel and/or Cottonwood.
For the ultimate guide to the Arizona Trail to the Grand Canyon, please check out this comprehensive website developed by trail steward extraordinaire and Grand Canyon expert Forrest Radarian.
Difficulty
- Difficult
Season(s)
All year. Snow may be present after winter storms
Water
Water can be found at the Colorado River, Bright Angel Campground, Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Creek, Cottonwood Camp and Roaring Springs. Check the online Arizona Trail Water Report for current information at https://aztrail.org/explore/water-sources/.
Notes/Warnings
- All water found in creeks and springs should be purified prior to use.
- Mountain bikes are prohibited from being ridden in the canyon. You may carry your bike on your back but the wheels must never touch the ground. You can also send your bike to the other side of the canyon on the TransCanyon Shuttle while you hike across.
- Horses are not recommended in the canyon. Please contact the Backcountry Office for more information.
- A reservation and permit are required to spend a night below the rim. Day hiking does not require a permit. For more details on this, go to the Permits page.
- North Rim facilities are closed from mid-October to mid-May.
For more information
- The Passage Steward
- Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023 (928) 638-7888
- Backcountry Information Center, Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023 (928) 638-7875
- BLM Information Center (602) 417-9300
Current Passage Info
Grand Canyon National Park Announces Inner Canyon Trail and Campground Reopenings
October 7, 2025
Several upcoming changes to inner canyon operations will go into effect in the coming weeks at Grand Canyon National Park, including trail and campground reopenings and ongoing closures related to major infrastructure repairs and safety concerns. The updates are part of phased recovery efforts following the Dragon Bravo Fire and continued work on the Transcanyon Waterline. Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Campground Reopening Beginning Nov. 1, 2025, Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Campground will reopen to overnight guests. On the same date, the lower South Kaibab Trail below The Tipoff will reopen to the public, restoring access to Phantom Ranch and other areas along the Colorado River corridor. In coordination with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), park staff have installed stream gauge monitoring along Bright Angel Creek to help evaluate flash flood risks. A warning system for Phantom Ranch is expected to be installed in the near future, providing additional tools to help protect visitors and staff. North Kaibab Trail Access Update On Nov. 1, 2025, the lower North Kaibab Trail will reopen from Phantom Ranch to the Clear Creek Trail junction, approximately 1/2-mile north of Phantom Ranch. Twenty-five miles of the North Kaibab Trail north of there remains closed...
Read More
AZT Reopens on North Kaibab
October 3, 2025
On October 1, the Kaibab National Forest reopened 11 miles of the Arizona National Scenic Trail between the Kaibab Plateau Trailhead at the Park/Forest boundary and Forest Road 213 near Telephone Hill Trailhead. Passage 40 is now completely open! However, 29 miles of the AZT between The Tipoff (4.6 miles north of the South Kaibab Trailhead) and the Park/Forest boundary along Passages 38 and 39 remain closed. Since the Dragon Bravo Fire had significant impacts to the trail and surrounding landscape, visitors should be aware of hazards associated with traveling within a burn zone. This includes: Watch for falling trees. Even if the tree looks robust, it might be at risk of falling because of damaged root systems and fire-loosened soils. Watch for falling branches. Look up often and be aware of fire-weakened trees, snags and overhead dangling branches. Do not sit down and take a break under a fire-weakened or dead tree. Windy days are especially dangerous. Don’t go out in a burn area if it’s forecast to be windy. Leave the area immediately if the wind picks up and there are hazards around you. Don’t make camp below burned trees. Rainy weather can be very dangerous. Rain increases the likelihood of landslides and flash floods....
Read More
Arizona National Scenic Trail Thru-Hiker Update for Autumn 2025
September 10, 2025
Arizona National Scenic Trail Thru-Hiker Update for Autumn 2025 After a dry winter and a parched spring, we all knew this could be the worst wildfire year in recent history. But we held out hope for a bountiful summer monsoon season. Instead, we keep seeing heat records being broken and rainstorms yielding just a few intermittent drops. Living in the Southwest during a prolonged drought is challenging, and despite our efforts to maintain and improve the trail; enhance water sources; and make the Arizona Trail the premier long-distance trail in America, attempting to walk or ride 800 miles gets more intense every year. The White Sage and Dragon Bravo fires have impacted almost 100 miles of the Arizona Trail this season. Through recent reports from agency staff assessing the damage on the ground and from the air show us that approximately 35 miles were directly impacted. Some good news is that only 2% was a high intensity burn; 26% was moderate; and 65% was low intensity. The Arizona Trail Association is working with the US Forest Service to reroute the AZT around the most severely burned areas on the Kaibab National Forest, utilizing trails and dirt roads to provide a...
Read More
