Rim Trail Grand Canyon: Hiking the South Rim in 3 Days

The best Grand Canyon hikes from the South Rim are the South Kaibab Trail (turn around at Ooh Aah Point at about 1.8 miles round trip, Cedar Ridge at about 3 miles, or Skeleton Point at about 6 miles) and the Bright Angel Trail (the 1.5-Mile and 3-Mile Resthouses, or Havasupai Gardens at about 9 miles round trip). For an easy walk with non-stop views, the paved Rim Trail along the edge is hard to beat. All the below-rim trails go steeply downhill first, so the hard climb is on the way back.

The Rim Trail is the paved, mostly flat path that runs right along the edge of the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park, and it is the signature easy walk of the whole area. It links Mather Point, the Yavapai Geology Museum, the historic village, and a string of overlooks west toward Hermits Rest, with free shuttle stops all along it. Because you can start and stop almost anywhere and ride the shuttle back, the Rim Trail is usually where hiking the South Rim begins, and it suits any fitness level.

The Rim Trail, the main paved rim path on the South Rim, runs roughly 13 miles end to end, from the South Kaibab trailhead area in the east out to Hermits Rest in the west, though much of the eastern stretch is paved and nearly flat. Almost nobody walks the full length in one go. Most people pick a short segment, such as Mather Point to Yavapai Point (a little over a mile), and use the free shuttle to skip ahead or ride back, so you can tailor the distance to your day.

The best day hikes from the South Rim fall into two groups. For easy Grand Canyon South Rim trails that stay up top, walk the paved Rim Trail between Mather Point, Yavapai Point, and the village. For steeper below-rim day hikes, take South Kaibab down to Ooh Aah Point (about 1.8 miles round trip) or Cedar Ridge (about 3 miles), or Bright Angel to the 1.5-Mile or 3-Mile Resthouse. Every below-rim option is downhill first and uphill back, so turn around with energy to spare and never try to reach the river and return in one day.

The Rim Trail is the best easy hike on the South Rim. It is paved and nearly flat for much of its length, runs right along the canyon edge, and links Mather Point, the Yavapai Geology Museum, Yavapai Point, and the historic village. You can walk as far as you like and ride the free shuttle back, which makes it ideal for any fitness level or for your first day at altitude.

The best things to do on the South Rim are walking the paved Rim Trail, hiking partway down South Kaibab or Bright Angel, watching sunrise from Mather or Yaki Point, riding the Red Route shuttle along Hermit Road for sunset at Hopi Point, and driving Desert View Drive east to the Desert View Watchtower. A guided Hummer or 4x4 tour out of Tusayan is a popular add-on that pairs a backcountry drive with a short hike.

Two to three days is ideal. That gives you time for the easy Rim Trail and the village viewpoints, a full day on the corridor trails (South Kaibab and Bright Angel), and a day for Hermit Road at sunset plus the Desert View Watchtower drive. Three days lets you slow down, adjust to the 7,000-foot altitude, and catch both sunrise and sunset over the canyon.

South Kaibab has the best views because it follows an open ridgeline, but it is steep with no water and almost no shade, so it is best for a shorter out-and-back to Ooh Aah Point or Cedar Ridge. Bright Angel is a bit more sheltered and has seasonal water at the resthouses, which makes it the better choice for a longer hike down toward Havasupai Gardens. Whichever you choose, remember the climb out takes about twice as long.

No. Hiking from the South Rim to the river and back in a single day is strongly discouraged and can be deadly, especially in summer. The descent is easy but the climb out takes about twice as long in far hotter inner-canyon temperatures. Turn around at Ooh Aah Point, Cedar Ridge, or a Bright Angel resthouse, carry plenty of water, eat salty food, and save the river for a permitted overnight trip.

The in-park lodges (El Tovar, Bright Angel, Maswik, Yavapai, Thunderbird, and Kachina) put you right on the rim and are run by the concessioner Xanterra. They book up to a year ahead, so reserve direct at grandcanyonlodges.com as early as possible. If they are full, the town of Tusayan just outside the south entrance has hotels and is a short drive or shuttle ride from the rim.

Spring (April to May) and fall (September to October) are the best times, with mild rim temperatures and good below-rim hiking weather. Summer is crowded and the inner canyon gets dangerously hot. Winter is quiet and the snow-dusted rim is beautiful, but the steep trails can be icy, so carry traction devices if you plan to hike below the rim.

Leashed dogs are welcome on the paved Rim Trail and around the developed village on the South Rim, but they are not allowed below the rim on any inner-canyon trail, inside the park lodges, or on the shuttle buses (service animals excepted). If you want to hike South Kaibab or Bright Angel, the park runs a kennel near the village where you can board your dog for the day, and it is smart to reserve ahead. Never leave a pet in a parked car in the Arizona heat.

Not right now: after the August 2026 flash flooding, Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground and both river bridges are closed with no reopening date (nps.gov/grca key messages), so no route reaches the river from the South Rim. When they reopen, reaching the river means an overnight trip, not a day hike. Most people either camp at Bright Angel Campground on the canyon floor, which requires a backcountry permit, or stay at Phantom Ranch, the only lodge below the rim, whose cabins and dorm beds are booked far in advance and are often awarded by a lottery more than a year out. A few visitors ride down on a guided mule trip instead. Either way you descend one corridor trail (usually South Kaibab or Bright Angel) and climb back out on a later day, which keeps you out of the deadly trap of trying to reach the river and return in a single day.

Passport cancellation stamps are available at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center plaza, at Kolb Studio and Verkamp's Visitor Center in the historic village, at the Tusayan Museum, and at the Desert View Visitor Center near the watchtower. Each location carries its own stamp design, so stop at more than one if you collect them.

There is no official "East Rim": people usually mean Desert View, the far east end of the South Rim, about 25 miles past Grand Canyon Village on Desert View Drive. It has the Desert View Watchtower and some of the widest views of the canyon and the Colorado River bending east.

Mather Point and Yavapai Point, both a short walk from parking near the visitor center, and Desert View at the east end are the easiest drive-up views. Hermit Road's overlooks (Hopi Point, Mohave Point) are reachable by car too, but only from December through February; the rest of the year the road is shuttle only.

Yes, it is one of the busiest weeks of the year. Parking at Mather Point and the village fills by mid-morning, and the free shuttles run at their most crowded. Arrive at popular overlooks before 8am, or plan your day around the shuttle rather than driving.

The canyon runs about 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and close to a mile deep at its deepest point. The oldest rock exposed at the bottom is nearly two billion years old. It became a national park in 1919, and the South Rim alone draws several million visitors a year.

Yes. Tell us your dates and we check what is still open for the plan on this page, then send it back with a booking link for each night and the total. Nothing is charged and nothing is held, and you pay the normal rate.