What’s special about the South Kaibab Trail, besides the fact that it goes all the way down to the river, is that it’s less traveled. It also takes a shuttle ride to get to which can turn people off from attempting it. The main reason it’s such a gem though, is because the sunrise from Skeleton Point is to die for.

Skeleton Point is 3 miles down the canyon wall which is the easy part, obviously. The more difficult part is the ascent so always bring tons of water. Like way more than you think you need. Even in the winter it can get hot with that sun blaring down on you. Also always bring snacks and make sure your SD card has plenty of space on it because you’re going to want to take tons of pictures. At least I always do. So obviously, the hike roundtrip from the rim to Skeleton Point is 6 vertical miles. You can though, get to the bottom at Phantom Ranch which is a 7.1 mile vertical hike (14.2 roundtrip) that sees you descend 4,400 feet. The Park admonishes people to not even attempt the rim to river and back up again hike in one day but if you’re in good shape and you’ve got enough water and food, and you know what you’re doing, you can absolutely do it in one day, possibly even be back up by lunch time.

The trick to being at Skeleton Point by sunrise is of course the waking up part. That and the shuttle. Both times I’ve hiked to the spooky spot, I woke up before 4:00am, packed up my sleeping bag and gear, drove to the Visitor Center, and then hopped on the eastbound Orange Shuttle at 4:30am, which is the first trip they take in the morning. It’s usually a very empty bus but the only way to get there, unless you walk to the trailhead, is by this bus. You can’t park at South Kaibab. I like this shuttle system because it alleviates the parking nightmare but I know it can turn sour like in Zion. I hope they don’t adopt the get your tickets beforehand approach like Zion anytime soon but I have no doubt that it’s inevitable.

When you start the hike, it’s going to be dark and cold so bring a flashlight or a headlamp, lots of layers, gloves, and a warm hat and be sure to have room to store them once the sun rises, ‘cause it warms up quickly. Walking sticks may help alleviate some stress on your knees if you’re into that. They certainly helped me when I borrowed my French friend’s who told me about this sunrise hike. And of course bring lots of water and some snacks. Watch for ice on the trail too! Very importantly though, do not, under any circumstances, play music from a speaker while hiking. Please don’t be that A-hole. You should be enjoying the natural splendor that is the canyon anyways. When you reach Skeleton Point be sure to take a minute to breathe it all in and meditate or pray or just think. The kind of view you’re enjoying is a blessing. As is the canyon itself.

Shout out to my French friend, Matthias, who enrolled in a program that allows foreign nationals to work for the park service when he was young and one of the jobs he was given was to build and clear trails at the Grand Canyon. He said it was tough work but it gave him a ton of insights into the park. One of the very special pieces of wisdom he learned and then later very graciously imparted onto me was this very South Kaibab Trail info.