Day Hikes, Grand Canyon

November 29, 2023 1:57 PM

Looking for day hikes in the southern rim, with a dog, between Dec 15,2023 and Jan 5, 2024 What can you suggest?
posted by falsedmitri to Travel & Transportation around Coconino County, AZ (1 answer total)

With a dog? Rim trail will be it. Not that it’s bad at all, the views are great and no steep climbs. Dogs are not allowed below the rim - don’t try it because the rangers can ring you up big time if you do. You can also hike along the paths inside the park boundaries away from the rim. You need to pay attention and stay away from deer or elk, as they can get aggressive and you don’t want to be on the wrong end of one of those. Keep in mind that it can be really cold there. Temps that time of year can get down as far as a few degrees below zero F. Typical low temps will be in the teens or 20s. There is a kennel there, and if you’re able to get a spot for your dog, you can hike Bright Angel Trail down a half mile and then back (it’s closed beyond the half mile point until mid-April.) Also if you don’t have the dog you can hike South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point or Cedar Ridge. Keep in mind that if you do that you’re probably going to need to have show traction devices as the upper parts of the trails can have snow and ice. If you go beyond Cedar Ridge you’d better be a very strong hiker with lots of water, because that trail is very steep going back and there’s no water along the trail. And again, you can’t do Bright Angel or South Kaibab with your dog. But they would appreciate getting walked on the rim trail!
posted by azpenguin at 3:00 PM on November 29, 2023