Should you hike the Bright Angel trail to the Colorado River and back in one day?
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- čas přidán 4. 09. 2024
- A lot of people embark on the Bright Angel journey without any prep. To be honest, it is not a crazy difficult hike but what makes this trail hard for a lot of people is the Arizona heat. As you descend deeper into the canyon, temperatures gradually increase and it can feel like you are in a soup bowl if you happen to be at the bottom on a hot summer day.
With a little bit of planning ahead, this is a totally doable and absolutely memorable adventure.
I did this in one hot summer day many years ago in the late eighties. I started late around noon (big mistake) and hiking down to the Colorado river was easy and took about 3 - 4 hours. The only water supply was in the Indian garden about half way. Going back up was a real challenge. About half way back up it became very dark and my flashlight ran out of power. Luckily, the moon was bright and trail was clearly visible. Going up was so tough and I had to stop every 50 yards. The whole trip was me alone and took about 12 hours. I took only one sandwich and 3 apples and a bottle water with me. This is the lifetime challenge which I am always proud of.
Thanks for sharing your story! Its definitely a bucket list hike. That's crazy you did it with so little water! Glad you made it out safely with a story to tell.
@@LunarLanderXplor The apples helped. Definitely, it is recommended to bring as much as water you can (3 liters?).
great video and so much peace what a great accomplishment you have done solo congratulations
Thank you so much! Definitely a bucket list hike, it was challenging but so worth the effort.
Very informative, I was looking for exactly that. Thank you and beautiful video.
Thanks for watching!
Awesome job! Such beautiful views. I was there in June last year and wanted to hike down bright Angel trail but we listened to the rangers warning to us about the heat wave and advised us not to hike down.
So much credit to you for hiking it solo.
I want to get more into solo hiking and solo camping but it always makes me nervous but I know I can do it if I get past the nerves.
Thank you! Such an awesome hike. Definitely one to be careful with, and need to plan ahead. I brought a Garmin In Reach in case of emergency.
When I was 12 years old in the early 1990's I did this hike with my dad. It was August, I had no prior hiking experience and all we brought was water and some peanut butter sandwhiches. We'd fill up our water bottles and drench ourselves head to toe at the water stations and be bone dry by the next one. A challenge and a great memory. My wife would kill me if I attempted it with one of my kids today!
Did the hike with no hiking experience? That is insane haha. Glad you made it out safely.
This is such a fun hike in the Spring like around end of March, the temps are nice, thousands of Spring Breakers in the Canyon in huge groups heading down to Plateau Point, everyone singing and being happy. Fun hike especially coming back out.
It is definitely a wonderful hike! Long, but worth the effort for sure.
Congrats on a beautiful Solo adventure! And congrats on 2k subscribers!
Thank you! :)
Thank you and bless you!
Thanks for watching! :)
Nice job! I did this in March. There was ice at the top on the trail but really comfortable rest of way. High was about 85 at the river. You did good starting really early. I started at 7:30am. My kned was hurting near bottom. Coming up was better but overall it was harder than I anticipated. And i hike a lot of vertical in the heat in Arizona. It was awesome though. Great video!!
Thank you! It was an amazing, but challenging 1-day hike. Definitely need to be careful for the sun & heat!
There is a great beach there to just chill for hours.
So nice down there!
Looking forward to the next video!
Thanks so much for watching!
Awesome hike - well done!
Thanks!!
Great job and thanks for the video!I'm planning to head out there in a few weeks to do this.
Thank you!! Good luck on the trip! Its hot right now, so definitely plan ahead, bring lots of water, and be prepared for a difficult hike back up in the heat.
Great video. Just missing some footage of the last 3-4 miles. Just did the hike in the middle of June. It was hot -105 in the canyon and no shade anywhere and the last 3 miles were really tough. The rest was spot on. One of the best videos i have seen about this hike. And I can say I agree with the park rangers that I would not recommend it in 1 day in the summer, if not fit and even then the heat packs a punch - at each opportunity I soaked my clothing including the cap with water.
Thanks! Definitely agree its a tough hike. Always hard to film the whole time when focusing on the beauty all around haha. But yes, would not recommend doing this in one day for most people, definitely need to bring a lot of water & emergency supplies, and ideally not hike during the peak summer heat months. Glad you did it & made it safely in one day!
Wow, you did it in one day. I’m hoping to do it late November. Just hiked Humphreys Peak.
Yup all in one day!
Wow, I remember when you guys first started the channel!!! Congrats on 2K subscribers!!! So happy for you guys….Great video too!!!
Thanks!! Yes can't believe its been just over a year since we started doing CZcams videos. So much fun to look back and see all the trips we have done. Thanks for following along!
One of the best experiences I've ever had in my life was making this same hike. I did it at the first of July and it was brutal hot. Next time I will try to do it at a cooler time
Definitely a tough hike, especially with the heat & climbing back up to the rim! Gotta be careful on this trail.
Very nice!
thanks!
Amazing! New follower here. Crow✌️
Thanks for watching! ✌️
Awesome video 🙂
Thank you for watching :)
@@LunarLanderXplor 🙂
Awesome footage. That warning sign is enough to humble me enough not to try.
Thanks! Definitely not an easy hike :) have to plan ahead & be careful.
Good job 👏
thanks!
Thank you for this lovely documentation of your GC journey! Could you tell a little more about those last 6 miles ascending in 90° heat? How was that for you?
It was very challenging! Fortunately Arizona is a dry heat vs being too humid, so it was manageable. Definitely not an easy hike, but it was worth the struggle.
I'll recommend the windslayer for better gopro audio for windy conditions. Nice trail!
Thanks for the tip! We will definitely look into this option!
We hiked down South Kaibab to Phantom Ranch on day 1. After an overnight at PR we hiked to Ribbon Falls and back to PR on day 2. Another overnight at PR and then hiked out on Bright Angel on day 3. I wouldn't hike out on SK as there was no drinking water available when we were there. BA has drinking water at multiple locations and makes the best route for your hike out. Also, the BA gradients are a little less onerous although the last 3 miles coming out are nasty, 1000 feet elevation per mile for 3 miles. I think a person would need to be well above average fitness (or young) to go up and down the same day. My 2 cents.
I should add that we did this hike in January a few years ago. We had snow on the SK down to about the 5000 ft. elevation level and then the trail was clear of snow the rest of the way down. No snow on the BA coming out. Rim temps were low 20s while canyon floor was mid 50s. Wore crampons in the snow and ice. Hiking poles were beneficial. A great time of the year to visit the Grand Canyon and hike. Reservation required at Phantom Ranch.
Sounds like an amazing adventure! Thanks for the tips!
If you guys want to do any camping up in the flagstaff AZ area I’d be stoked to drive up my RAV and meet up with you guys.
That would be awesome! Next time we are in AZ we are down :)
How long it took you from Abgel trail to the river?
Around 3 hours down and 6 hours up.
Lmao the notorious
What? Lol
I’ve never heard someone refer to it as that. I googled it and nothing came up. I’ve been thinking of why someone would call it notorious. Maybe because so many people are on the trail at all times.
You missed the Indian drawings at the top of trail also.
Where are you originally from?
Bosnia 🇧🇦
Hi, my friends and I are looking to do this hike in April. How long exactly did the hike take for you to complete? What time did you start/finish?
Hey, it took me about 4 hours down and 5-6 hours up. I started at 6am and made it to the Colorado River a bit before 10. I started hiking back up at around 10:30 and made it up between 3:30 and 4. (I checked my photos metadata). This includes all brakes I made along the way to fill up water and eat. April is a perfect time to hike Bright Angel. Have fun!
Did you change the name of the youtube channel? I saw it and now it looks like it remains the same.
Haha no we did not. Accidentally changed the name but switched it back once we noticed!
should you? why. for me the whole idea is to be in the canyon. not to see how fast I can get out.
You need a permit to spend a night in the canyon, which can be hard to get. Still am awesome hike
Agreed