Grande Canyon - general RFI + gear for early May

[Desk Jockey]

I have a permit for a hike from the south rim to the river and back at the beginning of May. 4 days - hermit trail to the river, tonto to bright angel campground and out on bright angel. 30-35 miles.

I have a solid hiking background but limited experience in AZ. Have been to the Grand Canyon before but only day hiked short stretches at the rim. Closest I have come for backcountry AZ hiking is canyon de Shelly but that was january and mixed snow.

A couple of quick questions or concepts for comment:

Weather - any input on temps and weather both at the rim and at the bottom at that time of year are helpful.

Boots - I am thinking midweight hikers (Crispi Thor or asolo fugitive) but could I get away with a lighter boot/shoe like a merrell Moab mid.

Shelter - I plan on carrying a tarp, if it’s needed. Are bugs an issue in the lower part of the canyon?

Water - nalgene and an MSR drom bag for camp. Maybe a bladder as well for the trail. I planned on a gravity filter but have pumps and steri pens if that would be better.

Any other general tips and considerations are appreciated.

Thanks

 

[LaHunter]

I’ll be doing a RTR hike from the N Rim to the S Rim in mid May for the first time. Info I have is that is could be in the 30s and possible snow up top and 20-30 degrees warmer in the bottom in early to mid May. Not sure about bugs, but scorpions and rattle snakes live in that area.

 

[Buckshotaz]

Weather: At the top of the rim it could be very cold and maybe snow, at the river it should be hot.

 

[LostArra]

Daughter and I went down South Kaibab and back up on Bright Angel in one day in October. Weather was not an issue. Warm but not brutal. Bright Angel has water along the way so you don't need to carry much on the hike back up. We took a trekking pole each and I'm glad I did. The trails get a lot of traffic with small loose gravel.

 

[Poser]

Insects shouldn’t be much of an issue but they aren’t entirely dormant either. A tarp should be fine but I’d shake out your boots etc before putting them on -never know when a centipede might crawl in. I once had a spider in my tarp in AZ in December. It was sluggish and not a threat.

 

[RoJo]

Weather - At the Rim, snow is unlikely but possible in May. At the river it could get a bit hot in May, possibly approaching or exceeding 100. May is generally a dry month in AZ, but rain is possible.

Footwear - I am not familiar with the Hermit Trail, but I personally wouldn't hesitate to use lighter weight footwear, even low top trail running shoes if your load will be light.

Shelter - A tarp will be fine. There could be some bugs (gnats, mosquitos) near water (the river).

Water - the gravity filter will be enough, I always carry some tabs as a backup. There is usually potable water available at Phantom Ranch and various places along the Bright Angel trail.

Enjoy!

 

[TradAg02]

I did R2R (N Kibab - Bright Angel) mid June (2018). There were so many drinking bottle filling stations along the trail that I dumped the 3 liters I had in my pack and just ran my nalgene bottle (I had a steri-pen if I got in a bind).I’m not familiar with the trail you are going to be on, but you may not have to carry or filter too much if you plan accordingly.

For the main trail my Solomon Speedcross trail runners were fine.

I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable going floorless and I don’t even own a tent. I don’t care for creepy crawlers while I’m trying to sleep.

Trekking poles were a must as the erosion steps are spaced for a mule’s stride making them awkward for me.

I can’t speak to the temps in May, but I dropped in just after daylight at 40 degrees. It hit around 100 as I entered the box and then passed through Phantom ranch (around 9-10am) and was 98 when I came out the south rim around 1pm. I’d like to go back for R2R2R and would think mid May would be good so that it isn’t so hot at the bottom.

I wore shorts and a mid-weight soft shell, which I quickly shed for a long sleeve quick drying tech-t. The sun burned my calves pretty good and I had a small gap on both hands where there was a space in my gloves that burned as well (remember sunscreen). I saturated my wide-brim hat, neck gator and shirt at each water station. Bring crocs or river sandals if you plan to wade into the river as it is rocky.

I used the gps on my phone, it had gaps in my track and couldn’t pick my location up in several locations. The main trails are well marked, but I’d bring a paper map since you are venturing off.



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