South Kaibab Trail

South Kaibab Trail is a 6.3-mile, one-way route from South Kaibab Trailhead near Yaki Point to the Colorado River. It drops 4,860 feet on maintained dirt, following an open ridge through the canyon’s rock layers and into the inner gorge. This is a long, steep descent, not a rim-to-river-and-back day hike. Rangers recommend hiking down South Kaibab and using Bright Angel Trail for the climb out because South Kaibab is steep and has no water. Allow about five hours for the one-way descent, with more time for stops. If you camp in the canyon, you need a backcountry permit; Phantom Ranch lodging requires a reservation.

For a shorter outing, decide on your turnaround before you start. Ooh-Aah Point is 0.9 mile down and 1.8 miles round trip; the trail opens to a wide canyon view there. Cedar Ridge is 1.5 miles down and 3 miles round trip, with a restroom and no water. It’s a sensible first canyon hike. Skeleton Point is 3 miles down and 6 miles round trip, and gives the first view of the Colorado River. The park advises day hikers to turn around by Skeleton Point. Those are steep descents, so leave energy for the climb back to the rim.

The trailhead is south of Yaki Point on Yaki Point Road, but private vehicles can’t reach it. Take the Kaibab Rim shuttle from the Visitor Center Shuttle Terminal or the Hiker’s Express from the Backcountry Information Center, Bright Angel Lodge, or the visitor center; parking is available at the Backcountry Information Center. There’s no water along the trail. Fill up before leaving and check what’s available at the rim that day. No food stop is identified along this corridor, so carry what you’ll need. Pets aren’t allowed on this inner-canyon trail.

The trail drops immediately in switchbacks cut into the cliff, then traverses the ridge toward Yaki Point before another descent to Ooh-Aah Point. The view opens suddenly there; there’s no sign marking the spot. From Ooh-Aah, another roughly 0.6 mile reaches Cedar Ridge, where O’Neill Butte stands across the canyon. Past Cedar Ridge, the route bends around the butte, reaches a flatter ridge stretch and a second mule rail, then drops more steeply to Skeleton Point. Beyond it, the trail crosses the Tonto Plateau to Tip-Off and descends into the inner gorge toward Black Bridge.

Most of the route has very little shade, and the canyon walls block sun only at certain times of day. Summer heat can make the climb back from any turnaround much harder; start in the cooler part of the day. The upper trail can be icy in winter or early spring. Mules also use this narrow trail. When they approach, step uphill and away from the edge, stay quiet and still, follow the wrangler’s directions, and wait until the last mule is 50 feet past before moving again.

South Kaibab follows a ridgeline rather than dropping through a side canyon. Its designers chose the exposed route partly to keep most of it in sunlight, and it crosses eight major geologic formations. As you descend, look for the pale Coconino Sandstone; its slanted bands preserve the pattern of ancient windblown dunes. Drill and blast scars from trail construction are still visible on the upper switchbacks, alongside the stone retaining walls that hold the path to the cliff.

The route was first called Yaki or Yaqui Trail for its start near Yaki Point, then took the name of the nearby Kaibab National Forest. A historical account translates Kaibab from Paiute as “mountain lying down,” a name for the Grand Canyon. The National Park Service built the trail between December 1924 and June 1925 under park engineer Miner Tillotson. Later, the Civilian Conservation Corps built an exhibit case at Cedar Ridge for fern fossils exposed during trail construction.