Grand Canyon

Myself and the Ol' Lady are going to the Grand Canyon this August and I washoping to find some trails that lead to the river and or to camp at (near the river) as opposed tobeing on a campground with kids and people in general. Anyone have any goodidea of what would be good? **I am heading from Phoenix so the North rim wouldbe too far. Also, I am more or less a beginner on off-road trails but with thatsaid I am also fairly skilled.**
Thank you!

 

Easy. Peach Creek (Springs?) Road. It's on an Indian reservation so you'll have to get a permit somewhere in Peach springs. Look it up online.

The trail is easy; a passenger sedan could theoretically travel 99% of the trail.

 

You'll probably need a permit to camp anywhere within the Grand Canyon back country. The Grand Canyon National Park website has a lot of information about these remote trails. My wife and I did this 6 years ago.

 

You need a permit to camp anywhere in the canyon I've been there several times. You might wanna look into hiking the Kybob trail and camp anywhere along the trail and then make your way to Bright Angel trail, it should take you like two days to hike it. Ive done it two it's a lot fun and it will put along water falls and the river as well. But you need to contact the park for permits.

 

North or South Rim? North Rim is a lot of National Forrest and free camping. It's out of the way but 90% visitors go to South rim from Flagstaff. Completely different eco system. Can't speak for camping by the river as I think maybe the south rim for that

 

It would have been the south rim but we decided to go to Lake Mead instead. Know of any privet camping around there? Thanks for the Grand Canyon info however, Ill keep that in mind.

 

I raft there pretty much every summer, it's a fantastic place to go! Peach Springs Road, as mentioned above, is going to be the easiest way to get down there but it's not particularly scenic at Diamond Creek compared to what you'd see elsewhere in the canyon. It's not cheap either - the Haulapai charge something like $80 per vehicle and per head, so if you take the wife and truck down there it's going to cost you around $250.

As for hikes, I'd recommend you do your research and be very honest with yourself about your abilities, especially if you go in August. It is unbelievably goddam hot down there and you need at least a gallon of water per person per day, probably more. You won't feel like you're sweating at all but if you lean against a nonporous surface for a couple minutes you'll find it's soaked from sweat when you sit back up. Dehydration is probably the #1 killer down there.

I'd recommend checking out the parks site and seeing if you can make a reservation at the Bright Angel Trail campground right by Phantom Ranch. It's a couple hundred yards from the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon and the trail is very well maintained. Make sure you get on the trail before sunrise, especially on your way back up. Stop in the shade and rest frequently and if it's warm out and you run across a stream, soak yourself down in it. If you run across a mule train, always stand on the inside of the trail to let them pass; they can be kind of pushy.

Also, August is monsoon season down there so the danger of flash floods is very high - keep that in mind when researching trails and campsites. Flash floods are probably the #2 killer.

edit: Forgot to mention shoes. Don't take brand new hiking boots down that trail unless you're looking to ditch a couple toenails. If you don't have a good pair of broken-in boots, use a worn out pair of running shoes instead. And spend some money on good hiking socks. And trim your toenails down. We do hiker exchanges at Phantom on our rafting trips and somebody always has their toenail fall off a couple days later because they ignored the above advice.

 

Thanks a lot! Ill keep all that in mind! Any ideas on Lake Mead? We decided against the Grand Canyon this year. I wanted to bring my 4x4 away from camp grounds and get a more privet spot.
Thanks again!

 

Sorry, if it's anything accessible from the river I know all about it, but I don't know very much about Lake Mead or 4x4 trails and campsites. I'm sure there's tons of areas that fit the bill though.

 

Sorry I can't help with Lake Mead. I tend to stay further north and remote like the Escalante country in Utah down to Glenn Canyon you can 4x4 the old Mormon Trail and places like that.

 

Sub. My friends and I are looking to visit the grand canyon after graduation. I read about permits required to camp near the canyon. Is there anywhere that offers free, or cheap camping? I know in national forests, you can just go in and camp anywhere you want to. Is there anything like that at the canyon?

 

Im heading to the Grand Canyon end of May (as well as Antelope Canyon) and was wondering about Doesn't have to be hard core as ill be alone with my family but somewhere the typical tourist won't go.