Monthly Archives: March 2025

Backpacking, Hiking, Places, Trip Reports

TR-Grand Canyon Backpacking January 2011

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(There is a separate Trip Report for the car camping on that trip here.)

Gear, Lessons learned

Route

South Kaibab-Bright Angel Campground-Bright Angel Trail

  • 1/10/2011 (10:41 a.m.1) South Kaibab Trailhead->Bright Angel CG (4:15 p.m.)
  • 1/11/2021 Bright Angel CG (9:39 a.m.) to Grand Canyon Village (5:27 p.m.) via Bright Angel Trail

Locations/Elevations Mileages

South Kaibab Trail

Location2ElevationDistance
South Kaibab Trailhead7260′start
Cedar Ridge 6120′1.5 miles
Skeleton Point5220′3.0 miles
Tipoff4000′4.4 miles
Bright Angel Campground2480′7.0 miles

Bright Angel Trail

Location3ElevationDistance
Bright Angel Campground2480′start
River Resthouse2480′1.8 miles
Havasupai* Gardens3800′5.0 miles
Three-Mile Resthouse4748′6.5 miles
Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse5729′8.0 miles
Bright Angel Trailhead6860′9.5 miles
*Formerly Indian Gardens

Planning

While at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center at the end of 2007, I’d overheard a couple discussing with a NPS ranger backcountry permits for the Bright Angel site, at the bottom of the canyon near Phantom Ranch. I made a mental note to consider this in the near future. It’s a popular overnight and back hike; some folks pay $$ for the indoors at Phantom Ranch or a cabin but I was only interested in the backcountry sites. (My parents had hiked down and stayed at a cabin in 1978.) Aside from New Year’s Eve, there were almost always walkup available permits for Bright Angel this time of year. I made a mental note to come back soon for an overnight hike to the bottom and back. I returned for this trip in January of 2011.

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Admin, Trip Reports

TR- BBNP, BBRSP (partially canceled)-January 2025

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This was planned for a couple of days a Paint Gap 3, then on to Big Bend Ranch State Park/Fresno Vista, for three more days.

Gear

Trip Report

Not much to report here; I’d booked two nights at Paint Gap 3 (formerly Paint Gap 4, note the name change) to be followed by three more over at Fresno Vista in Big Bend Ranch State Park. I’ve stayed at both of these spots many times.

So things on this trip didn’t end up as planned, in many ways. But that’s o.k.–what’s the saying, “a bad night in the backcountry is better than a good day at work”? Yeah, I know that’s not it but whatever.

Things started roughly, out of Austin. As I was checking the air in my tires before departing I discovered a sheet metal screw in the tire. I went down the street to a local shop and got it repaired quickly. Fortunately it wasn’t too close to the sidewall.

Continue reading TR- BBNP, BBRSP (partially canceled)-January 2025 →