Parking
There is no vehicle access. Start at Cottonwood Campground on the North Kaibab Trail; reaching camp requires an inner-canyon hike. Overnight stays at the campground require a backcountry permit.
Overview
About Ribbon Falls Trail from Cottonwood Campground
Why go
- A vivid waterfall and travertine mound on a short side trip.
- A clear 1.6-mile approach from Cottonwood makes the falls manageable from camp.
Heads up
- Only works as part of an inner-canyon itinerary; there is no road access to the start.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Grand Canyon map
Full mapElevation3,688–4,042 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Grand Canyon alerts
- ClosureInner Canyon and North Rim trail closuresMentions this trailDo not enter the closed trails, bridges, campgrounds, and inner-canyon areas.Official details
- CautionFlash-flood hazard near Phantom RanchMentions Phantom Ranch, referenced in this guideRiver trips passing Phantom Ranch may encounter flash flooding with little or no warning, even when storms are not visible overhead. Check today’s hiking messages and hazards before traveling.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grand Canyon Tour Guide
Your drive to Ribbon Falls Trail from Cottonwood Campground, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Grand Canyon National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Grand Canyon audio tourMore stories near here in the app
- Bright Angel Point’s Ridge Walk
- North Rim Campground and Transept Walks
- North Kaibab Trailhead
- Widforss Trail’s Forest and Canyon
- 79 audio storiesacross Grand Canyon’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor California Condor, Bighorn Sheep, American Bison, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 73 trails, 96 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Ribbon Falls Trail from Cottonwood Campground
A short inner-canyon walkThis is a 3.2-mile out-and-back from Cottonwood Campground on the North Kaibab Trail, about 1.
This is a 3.2-mile out-and-back from Cottonwood Campground on the North Kaibab Trail, about 1.6 miles each way to Ribbon Falls. It is a compact side trip for visitors already below the rim; the much longer approaches from Phantom Ranch or Bright Angel Campground are separate route variants. The path drops about 360 feet to the falls, then climbs back to camp. Allow roughly 2 to 2.5 hours, including a stop at the water.
Follow the North Kaibab corridorStay on the established trail until the Ribbon Falls spur.
Stay on the established trail until the Ribbon Falls spur. The route follows Bright Angel Canyon to the waterfall and returns the same way. This is a short distance by inner-canyon standards, but it still starts below the rim and has no road access.
A spring-fed waterfallSpring water spills over a mossy travertine mound into pools below.
Spring water spills over a mossy travertine mound into pools below. The rounded mineral formation is the striking part of the scene as much as the cascade itself. A wider view can fit the falls, green mound and red-rock alcove together. Published height estimates disagree, so the description leaves out a number.
A place to treat with careFor the A:shiwi (Zuni), Ribbon Falls is a sacred place of emergence.
For the A:shiwi (Zuni), Ribbon Falls is a sacred place of emergence. Leave the pools and travertine untouched; the National Park Service asks visitors to take nothing and leave nothing.
Plan from CottonwoodCottonwood Campground is a below-rim start reached on foot, not a drive-up trailhead.
Cottonwood Campground is a below-rim start reached on foot, not a drive-up trailhead. Overnight camping there requires a Grand Canyon backcountry permit; a permit is not required for day hiking. The campground has toilets and seasonal water, usually from mid-May to mid-October. There is no water or toilet facility at the falls, so plan for the return before leaving camp.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Grand Canyon
718 sightingsCalifornia CondorMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
533 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
169 sightingsAmerican BisonMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,891 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
59 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
27 sightingsGray FoxMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Grand Canyon. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
