South Kaibab Trail

The trail exists because of a long-running dispute over the older Bright Angel Trail, which was controlled for years by Ralph Cameron and later by Coconino County. After Grand Canyon National Park was created in 1919, the National Park Service tried to take over that route, and talks with the county stalled. In December 1924 the Park Service announced it would build its own trail instead, widely called the Yaki Trail while it was under construction.

The National Park Service's own history of the project says two crews of roughly twenty men each worked from opposite ends, one down from the rim and one up from the river, drilling and blasting through hard limestone in winter weather. Park Service director Stephen Mather chose the name Kaibab over the Fred Harvey Company's preferred name, Phantom Trail. The trail was dedicated on June 15, 1925, at a total cost reported as just under $73,000, and it shortened the walk between the rim and the river by about 3.5 miles.

Hiking down is a walk through the canyon's rock record. The upper trail crosses the Kaibab Limestone and Toroweap Formation, and about half a mile in you can see a small dome where evaporite minerals pushed up through the limestone above. Lower down the trail passes the Coconino Sandstone, Hermit Shale and Supai Group, cuts through the Redwall, Muav and Bright Angel layers, and finishes across the Tapeats Sandstone and the dark Vishnu Schist near the river.

Distances below are from the rim trailhead and are approximate.

Ooh Aah Point, about 0.9 mile down, is named for the reaction people tend to have when the eastern canyon comes into view. Cedar Ridge, about 1.5 miles down, has toilets and is a common resting place for hikers and mule trains; O'Neill Butte, a Supai sandstone tower, stands close by. Skeleton Point, about 3 miles down, is where the trail begins to drop steeply through the Redwall Limestone. The Tipoff, where the trail meets the Tonto Trail, is about 4.4 miles in, and below that the trail averages a very steep grade, around 22 percent according to the Park Service. The Black Suspension Bridge crosses the Colorado River near the bottom, and the trail ends at the Bright Angel Campground area, roughly 7 miles from the rim, with Phantom Ranch a short walk beyond.

• The Park Service describes South Kaibab as strenuous and notes there is no water along the trail until you cross the river, so hikers carry all they need.
• Shade is scarce.
• The trailhead sits off Yaki Point Road, which is closed to private vehicles; visitors reach it by the free park shuttle or the Rim Trail.
• Many people simply walk to Ooh Aah Point or Cedar Ridge and return, which gives a real taste of the trail without committing to the long climb back.
• Heat, sudden storms and loose footing are all genuine factors, so check the National Park Service for current conditions, shuttle operation and any backcountry permit rules before you go.

Yaki Point and Mather Point are both a short distance along the rim, and the Bright Angel Trail starts near Grand Canyon Village. On a Voyzo private tour, your private driver and vehicle can deliver you to the shuttle connection for the trailhead and collect you from the village side afterward, so a short rim-side hike does not need a car shuttle or a return climb to a parking lot.