Priority Rim to Rim
Grand Canyon Backpacking Tour
Backpacking Gear Included
|Fresh Meals Prepared Daily
|Professional Wilderness Guides
Priority Rim to Rim
Grand Canyon Backpacking Tour
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Cost:
$3999 (4 day)
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Type:
Backpacking
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Length:
4 days
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Difficulty:
Moderate to Difficult
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Mileage:
25+ miles
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Elevation change:
10500 Ft. (Down 5800 | Up 4700)
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Season:
May – November
Adventure Details
Priority Rim to Rim Details
Guaranteed Permit Placement in your first month of choice for a guided Rim to Rim Backpacking Tour! LIMITED AVAILABILITY!
Whether you are working with a limited travel window or want to upgrade your guided Rim to Rim tour experience, the Rim to Rim Priority Trekker Package is for you!
Hiking Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon is one of the most iconic hikes in North America, which makes permit acquisition extremely difficult for both the general public and guided tour companies.
Here at Discovery Treks, we always have more hikers that want to embark on a guided Rim to Rim Backpacking Tour with us in a given month than we receive in permit spaces through the permit lottery. Due to this high demand, we are pleased to offer our Priority Trekker Package for those hikers that want to guarantee their ability to hike Rim to Rim during a specific timeframe. For the months with the highest demand, we set aside a limited number of spaces based on historical permit acquisition data to service our Priority Trekker clients, while leaving the majority of the remaining permit spaces for our general booking clients.
The months with the highest demand for a guided Rim to Rim Backpacking Tour with Discovery Treks are May, early June, September, October and November. Permits at the Grand Canyon are issued through a lottery process and we generally place all our clients onto the permits we receive based on initial reservation date; however, we understand that not everyone has the ability to book a guided Rim to Rim Backpacking Tour with us a year or more in advance to ensure their ability to go during a specific timeframe. This is where our Priority Trekker Package comes into play. Not only do you get guaranteed placement in your first month of choice, but you also get the following upgrades to your tour:
Priority Trekker Inclusions
- Priority Booking Placement - Guaranteed Placement in your first month of choice
- Hotel Stays the night before and following the hike
- Gear Upgrades
- New Inflatable Sleeping Pad ($100 value - yours to keep!)
- Solo Tent Upgrade
- Sleeping Bag Liner
- Camp Coffee Mug
- Dietary Restriction Meal Plans included at no extra cost (vegan, gluten free, paleo etc - specific dietary plans may not be possible with mostly shelf stable items used for backpacking tours; please inquire if you aren't sure about backpacking food options for your specific dietary plan )
- Discovery Treks Swag Bag - includes "I hiked Rim to Rim - Grand Canyon" Shirt (short or long sleeve) as well as many other great items!
- All aspects already included with our general Rim to Rim Backpacking Tour
General Tour Inclusions
Discovery Treks Grand Canyon Rim to Rim tours are all inclusive tours which include:- All meals from lunch day 1 through lunch day 4
- An experienced Wilderness First Responder Certified Grand Canyon Backpacking Guide
- Transportation From Phoenix
- Necessary pro-quality backpacking gear including 65 - 75L Osprey backpack, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, trekking poles, double occupancy tent (single tent upgrade available for $50)
- All permits and fees
Round trip transportation to the Canyon is included and departs from Phoenix, so unlike other tour options departing from Flagstaff, you do not need to rent a car for this trek - saving you hundreds on car rental fees!
Payment, Refund and Cancellation Policy
We require a $500/p deposit upon booking your Priority Trekker Rim to Rim Backpacking tour. The remainder of the tour cost will be due when you are placed onto a confirmed permit approximately 3.5 months prior to your preferred trek date. Cancellations made after you have been placed onto a confirmed permit are non-refundable. We very strongly recommend acquiring travel insurance to protect your investment.
Guarantee Disclaimer
Having been in business for many years, we are able to make a reasonable estimate of how many permits we will receive from the permit lottery for a given month. Using that historical data, Discovery Treks sets aside a very limited number of spaces well below our expected total permit acquisitions every month in order to service our Priority Trekkers and satisfy our Permit Placement Guarantee. To be eligible for the Permit Placement Guarantee, you must provide us with no less than a 2 week window of availability as we never know what exact permit start dates we will receive. While highly unusual, there are circumstances out of our control that may limit our ability to acquire permits at our historical acquisition rate. These circumstances can include but are not limited to trail closures, campground closures, park closures, unexpected permit cancellations, weather events or other acts of God that may derail our ability to acquire a permit for a given timeframe. In the unlikely event that we are unable to place you on a permit in your first month of choice, you will be entitled to a full refund.
Upcoming Tour Dates
Adventure Itinerary
Day 1:
Your Grand Canyon guided backpacking tour begins with an early morning pick-up at your Phoenix hotel. We then transport you to the North Rim via a five and a half hour drive to the North Kaibab trailhead, passing over the Marble Canyon Gorge and through the Arizona Strip below the Vermilion Cliffs and up through the Kaibab National Forest. We begin our descent starting at about 8000 feet elevation. The Phantom Ranch at the Colorado River is over a mile down in elevation and fourteen miles in distance. You will be carrying a backpack weighing approximately 35 to 37 pounds. It will contain your personal belongings along with the food and camping gear we provide. This is the only trail on the North Rim that has pack horses and mules allowed on it and it is considered the main route to the river below. On this first day, we hike down seven miles to our first campsite at Cottonwood Camp. At this point we have already left the dense forest of the North Rim far behind and descended into the semi-arid desert of the lower canyon environment.
Day 2:
On the second day of our Grand Canyon Rim to Rim hike, we leave after an early breakfast and hike another seven miles down to the Bright Angel Campground adjacent to Phantom Ranch. There is so much to see here. The historic Phantom Ranch was built by the well-known architect Mary Colter back in the 1930s and is nestled into a canyon facing the river. Side canyons beg to be explored if you have the energy after a day of hiking, or you can sit by the river waiting for a raft to go by. This is a popular, well-traveled trail, so you will see many visitors from all around the world during our time here.
Day 3:
On the third day of our Grand Canyon guided backpacking tour, we cross the Colorado River on an extension bridge and hike four miles up the Bright Angel trail to our next camp at Indian Garden. A large artesian spring gushes from a cliff at this verdant campsite. In the afternoon, we offer the option to hike out to a viewpoint above the Colorado River.
Day 4:
On our fourth and final day, we finish up our trip with a four and a half mile hike up the trail to the South Rim. By midday we arrive at the South Rim at an elevation of 7000 feet. A great time to stop for an ice cream cone to celebrate!
Pickup Locations
Our Grand Canyon Rim to Rim hike and guided backpacking tours start and end in Phoenix, AZ; saving you travel time and money on your travel expenses compared to leaving from Flagstaff, AZ. Transportation from our Phoenix Hotel Partner is included in the cost of the tour. We do not pickup in Flagstaff, AZ as orientation is mandatory and takes place in Phoenix, AZ the night prior to the hike.
What to Bring
Our camping and hiking trips include roundtrip transportation from our Scottsdale hotel partner, all pro-quality gear, permit and entrance fees and all meals required for your adventure. This includes tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cooking supplies, trekking poles, and daypacks and/or backpacks. We are happy to accommodate food allergies and most dietary restrictions. Please include your preferences in your Registration Form so that we can prepare accordingly.
Gear Included
Discovery Treks Grand Canyon Rim to Rim tours are all inclusive tours which include:- All meals from lunch day 1 through lunch day 4
- An experienced Wilderness First Responder Certified Grand Canyon Backpacking Guide
- Transportation From Phoenix
- Necessary pro-quality backpacking gear including 65 - 75L Osprey backpack, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, trekking poles, single (solo hikers) or double occupancy (groups of 2 plus) tent
- All permits and fees
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
Don't see a tour date that works for you?
We may still be able to schedule additional tour dates that fall within your travel window.
Please call our office to inquire at 480-247-9266.