Grand Canyon Rim to Rim (in one day) in AUGUST! | SK to NK | Tips & Tricks

We documented our first time hiking the Grand Canyon from Rim to Rim in August 2022. We started on the South Kaibab trail at 4:45 AM, had a slight mule-related delay right away, and finished at 4:00 PM at the North Kaibab trailhead.
Quick stats:
-21 miles
-11 hours
-50,000+ steps
-4,860+ feet down and 5,850+ feet up
-high temp of 107°
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Delta Rust by Andy Ellison RK2MR9EIOW5VMNGA
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Glimmer by Andy Ellison RIHAFYDHSFKLFCI0
Humid Blues by Desert Dive JRNBFHELE55HSOSN
Old Skool by Ghost Beatz EMXMERIXDPE4GFHW
Indi Heart Magazine by Reel Life SY0QTQH9ZTVXUHBN
Cause for Celebration by Reveille ABGV4KEW2KMGG6XP

[@ageingungracefullypushingt7135]

So, last Sept at the age of 71 I completed R2R N to South, SOLO, in 14hrs. I have been training all summer and am returning in two weeks to do the SK to NK. Just want to be able to say I completed R2R2R.

[@susgrant8010]

Kudos to you! I'll watch for you!

[@bobtolford3001]

Very enjoyable video. Thanks.

[@manng1214]

What an accomplishment! Congratulations!

[@climbnride58]

I enjoyed your video. You guys made it look easy. Dehydration is no joke.

[@sonofabutcher7003]

One of the best GC hike videos out there! Thanks for creating and posting it. Glad you included the training segment. Too many newbie enthusiasts underestimate the difficulty and overestimate their abilities. The danger for the unprepared can’t be overstated…people die down there every year. Happy trails:)

[@puttphotography8147]

Thanks so much for the feedback! So glad our video is helpful!

[@rakkasan2007]

Great vid. Like after actions report.

[@austinado16]

WOW guys!! Pro job; the training, the gear, the video, and the prologue!! You really did this well trained and well geared up! Good job resolving that phase of feeling bad. That can be pretty gnarly in the canyon. I ran R2R a couple days after you were there, with my daughter, who was 22. My 9th in 8yrs, and her 6th. I'm heading back for a solo R2R on Oct 16th. It's a lot of fun to run there, so I hope you go back. If you do, you can save a lot of weight by switching to Naked Running Bands (what we use), or their vests...or a race vest by one of the 4 main companies. If you go north to south rim, and climb out on the Bright Angel Trail, there's enough water stops that you only need to carry one 21oz Camelbak soft flask. And switch the poles out for the sweet carbon fiber versions! We have videos posted of our runs there if you decide to run and want to see how we do it. You guys did fantastic!! Thanks for sharing the adventure, and how you put it together with training/nutrition/gear.

[@Tbpker22]

Good video of your experience hiking the Canyon!

[@robbsterino]

Great video, very helpful as I prepare to hike this!

[@irishwarrior35]

This is so great. M yhike is on the books for May 19 2023. This was super helpful as I am starting to train for the adventure.

[@jeschrumpf]

Best video of hiking the rim I have watched so far and I have watched many. Great info at the end about food, training etc. You made the complete how-to video of Rim to Rim. Professional job! Thank you.

[@justinprice6033]

Great video!! I'm hiking the Grand Canyon Rim 2 Rim on September 7th. North to South. My first time! Thanks for sharing your experiences. Ordering a Frogg Togg & Cliff Gels today!!

[@puttphotography8147]

Enjoy! It's an incredible hike! We'd do it again in a heartbeat!

[@Vic-Meow]

Yay, best wishes to you for a great hike!

[@paulaaguilar5307]

You guys are some great hikers! That looks like some speed-walking with those packs on. Love the video!

[@thomtompkins9696]

great job the two of you , such a great video! Very informative for those of us considering the R to R. Thank you.

[@ASTHECROWFLIESHIKING]

On my bucket list! Great video. New follower here. Crow✌️

[@MoviesSam]

Great video guys. I did it back in May (with an overnight at Cottonwood CG) and reliving that through your video was awesome. Congrats, it is quite an accomplishment.

[@abetownneufeld6057]

Beautifully done guys.. great prep and amazing execution:)

[@lorettamoran]

I appreciate the discussion at the end regarding the dehydration on the hike down. We are coming from Michigan and summers here are humid!! Our son lives in Raleigh and he says it’s the same there. I’ll definitely bump up my water on the way down. I’m not good about drinking on any descent.

[@schuylerputt6689]

Thank you so much for the kind words! We made this video to “pay it forward” and give back to people since videos like this were so helpful for us. We are originally from Indiana, so I know that midwestern summers can be just as hot as those in the southeast, if a little shorter!

[@Vic-Meow]

Great video but omg you made it look so easy. Your pace was impressive! I did the SK to camping at PR and up the BA the next day with hubby. I'd like to try BA to NK next -- but definitely camping one night, maybe two, along the way. Thanks for your video!

[@garyjump4903]

Nice video. I'm 68 years old and planning to trek the canyon in October. Your attitude and training is inspiring. ♥️

[@puttphotography8147]

Thank you!! Best of luck on your hike!!

[@piratesting]

Great video. It will help me in my training for Oct 23. Looks so beautiful.

[@emadcox]

one of my favorite adventures you've done-- your filming is so great- capturing not only the highs bt the lows as well-- way to go living life to its fullest!!!!! you all are such an inspiration and one of the reasons I'm hiking the CT with my boys and doing RAGBRAI with them net year too!

[@monicathompson3071]

Great video! You’re not kidding about the Raleigh humidity though! We’ve spent a lot of time in Durham due to husband’s lung transplant. The heat and humidity is no joke there. Having hiked in AZ and Utah in the summer is also no joke, but I’ll take it over heat with high humidity! Hoping to do R2R next year.

[@MikeRavert]

So awesome! Great video, I'm hoping to do R2R this year and this was super inspiring!

[@schuylerputt6689]

That’s what we want to hear! We were so inspired by others videos while we were training that we wanted to add to what is out there.

[@ranpat86]

Great video. I have to say when I first began watching the video I was like I can do that. Then as the video went on and I was seeing how many hours you were on the trail I realized I can’t do that! I’m a 58 retired USAF veteran who is still very active but you all took it to the next level! Someday I will make it out to the Grand Canyon to see this marvel. I think sometimes people overlook the amount of training and time it took for you both to prepare to hike the Grand Canyon. Never stop moving…It’s the secret to a long healthy life!

[@ricksandoval5304]

Great vid thank you

[@RoadTripper0123]

wow!! The Grand Canyon is really grand. This is such a wonderful and beautiful video. This is such a wonderful video. it's the best!!👍Rim to rim trail difficulty is the hardest, right?

[@scottwynn1128]

October 15 is my day

[@puttphotography8147]

Enjoy every moment!

[@austinado16]

Have a great time Scott. I'm running R2R the next day.

[@brandontiev7663]

Which direction are you going? We may run into each other at some point!

[@austinado16]

@@brandontiev7663 I haven't been able to get a cabin on the NR for the 14th, so that I could leave on the Saturday, the 15th, I'm running it on Sunday, the 16th. I'm going North to South.

[@tonygrace5553]

Really good video and input (tips and tricks). The only thing I can add to all that good stuff is 1 possible 'equipment' item. For a lot of folks, it may be useful to bring along some form of blister/chafing protection. Think vaseline, Glide, or some form of water-soluble lubricant. Any of those should work. Thanks again for sharing a great video.

[@byeck63]

Really great video. Very informative, especially where you filmed some parts of the walk I haven’t seen before. I’m English but we lived in California for several years. It’s alarming how quickly you can lose water when it’s really hot, dry and a bit windy. The first thing you know is you don’t feel good..

[@puttphotography8147]

Yep! It was scary! We live in the humidity where you sweat and you **know** it. Not realizing how much we were sweating was definitely our biggest challenge.

[@ebchacon]

I'm sure you've been told, that you should've gone down South Kaibab, North Kaibab, then Bright Angel? Nice job and congratulations, I'll be doing this in October 2024, currently training for it.

[@Smashycrashy]

Very enjoyable video. You two had lots of bare skin, it’s fine for short runs but many hours in the direct sun you would be much better off in a sun shirt (outdoor research is very popular), I also go with synthetic pants (kuhl renegade) over shorts. Absorbing lots of sun will increase your heart rate and core temp. Two other tips would be to drink via a schedule not versus thirst and use Tailwind mix as another source of calories for long endurance hikes.

[@LizWaddell]

Y’all made it look easy! I’m in Cary and agree about humidity/mid-day heat as a training strategy. We’re hiking N Rim - S Rim in June 2024 with an overnight at Phantom Ranch. Considering a 1-day return S-N the next day. How did y’all feel the next day? Given your level of training/preparedness do you think a 3-day rim-rim-rim would be doable/enjoyable? I’ve previously hiked Mt Whitney in 1 day (22 miles) and am starting my training now for June 2024. We hiked up Deep Gap / down Mt Mitchell trail for Mt Whitney. I’m thinking we hike down/up for Rim-Rim. Multiple times perhaps 😂

[@DouglasKubler]

Out of the countless R2R videos I've watched this is the first that made the hike seem like a "hike in the park"

[@puttphotography8147]

Hah! Thank you so much! It's not on the calendar (yet), but we'll certainly have to go back!

[@macimages4215]

The sun is different in the west and coming from the east you don’t understand that until it’s too late. You were lucky. Having lived on both coast, that’s been one of the things that surprised me the most….just how different the sun is. You’re also losing so much more fluid than you realize because it’s so dry.

[@TRUUTAH60559]

Now you gotta do a TRUE r2r, south bass to north bass trail.

[@missusd1130]

Can you camp at Manzanita? Are the here compgrounds in the canyon closer to the north than colttonwood.

[@1ivandang]

Great video From where to where? How long it took to completed? Thanks

[@ulrikeschlohauer1026]

what camera did you use to film?

[@puttphotography8147]

GoPro. We left our bigger cameras at home and are certainly glad we did.

[@Silvabeuf]

What settings did you use? It looks perfect. Want to use my go pro 10 also in april in the canyon 😊

[@almondy1963]

I could never. I caught a headache just watching the video. Great job though!

[@kitikongp]

You guys were able to drive and park at South Kaibab trailhead? I thought during May to October, only NP shuttle buses are allowed to drive that road?

[@schumi246]

I want to do this in october, I have Mt. Whitney on august 5.

[@yes2vikram]

Great video. Can you comment on what did you use for video, i am doing R2R in couple months. Need to get good memories.

[@puttphotography8147]

Yes! We used a GoPro 10 to capture it. We really thought about bringing our Canon R6, but decided it would be too heavy. Boy, are we glad we didn't bring it!! The hike was hard enough without the added weight.

[@willmrph2]

Great video! What camera were you using?

[@schuylerputt6689]

It was a GoPro Hero 10!

[@sheril8739]

How long did it take to get to PR? I love your video! Wonderful documentation of the terrain. I am doing that route in 2025 ❤️

[@schuylerputt6689]

We started around 4:45 AM and I think we made it to Phantom Ranch sometime in the 8 o'clock hour. Don't forget to drink water and electrolytes on your way into the canyon, even if you're not feeling very hot or tired!

[@sheril8739]

@@schuylerputt6689 thank you so much for the tip and reply. That timeline makes this journey seem so much more doable! I’ll be embarking at age 55 years young 🥰

[@sheril8739]

How long did it take to get from your lunch break to the end?

[@schuylerputt6689]

I think it took 3-3.5 hours from Manzanita to the north rim, walking briskly with a few short breaks

[@sheril8739]

@@schuylerputt6689 Wonderful! Your video by far has been the most helpful out of countless days and hours of research. Thank you and all the best to you both in everything

[@stephaniegarcia5934]

What time did u guys finish the hike?

[@schuylerputt6689]

We hiked from 4:45 AM to about 4:00 PM

[@missusd1130]

I hope people don't think I'm weird, but if I am ever diagnosed with cancer and allowed "make a wish" it would be to take a whole week and hike the whole of the grand canyon hike rim to rim to rim,

[@dklindsey1952]

I’m enjoying your video but can’t help but notice your little gal doesn’t really seem to ever let up. 😂

[@alejandradelpilarpizarroar5423]

Your KZbin page is very good for the excellent video 📹 of the Colorado canyon and just subscribed and I send you a big hug 🤗 from gorilla 🦍 from the beautiful city of LA SERENA in Chile 🇨🇱 and I send you lots of kisses 💁‍♀️ 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋

[@alejandradelpilarpizarroar2542]

Your KZbin page 📄 is very good for the excellent video 📹 of the Colorado canyon and I just subscribed and I send you a big hug 🤗 from gorilla 🦍 from the beautiful city of LA SERENA in Chile 🇨🇱 and I send you lots of kisses 💁‍♀️ 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋