GRAND CANYON RIM TO RIM ADVENTURE

SOUTH RIM GRAND CANYON

The weather man forecast, 30% chance of rain for all four days; but God gave us a light sprinkle the first day and sunny weather during our adventure. That is why it is important to pray all summer, for good weather and safety. 

NORTH RIM GRAND CANYON

DESCRIPTION: Backpacking the Grand Canyon from the North Rim to the South Rim. Four days of hiking and three nights sleeping at backcountry campgrounds on the Corridor Trail. We hiked down the North Kaibab trail and up the Bright Angel Trail. 

DAY ONE  Travel to the Grand Canyon 

DAY TWO 

North Kaibab Trailhead ~ Elevation 8,241' Parking can be hard to find. The trail begins at the lower end of the parking area. This is a good place to pray and take pictures, before your journey. 

NORTH KAIBAB TRAILHEAD

JOURNEY DOWN THE NORTH KAIBAB

Coconino Overlook Hiking down a forest of fir trees, you will come to an overlook. This is a great place to drop your pack and take pictures.

COCONINO OVERLOOK

 

Supia Tunnel ~ Elevation 6,800' 1.7 miles from the North Rim Great rest area, with restrooms and water. The tunnel is the gateway to the classic Grand Canyon. 

SUPIA REST AREA

GET OFF YOUR FEET

SUPIA TUNNEL

NORTH KAIBAB TRAIL

RED WALL

NARROW IS THE WAY

Roaring Spring ~ Elevation 5,200' 4.7 miles from the North Rim You'll come to a sign, it is a 1/2 mile drop down to the day use area. There are restrooms; but we found the water line was broken.

Resident House (Helicopter pad) Water is available outside the residence, near the trail.

WATERFALL AT COTTONWOOD

Cottonwood Campground ~ Elevation 4,080' 7 miles from North Rim. Pick your campsite and set up your tent. Display your permit on your tent. The campground has restrooms, water and an emergency phone. Make sure you pack out all your garbage. 

DAY THREE 

Ribbon Falls 1.6 miles from Cottonwood Campground Leave early in the morning while it is still cool. You'll be hiking over 8 miles, and there's lots of exploring & fun. 

LEAVING COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND

EARLY MORNING HIKE

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

On the North Kaibab trail, you come to a sign to Ribbon Falls. Cross a bridge and find a place to drop your pack. This is a wonderful place to wet yourself and cool off. There is no water and no restrooms from Cottonwood to the Phantom Ranch. 

RIBBON FALLS

RIBBON FALLS CAVE

UPPER RIBBON FALLS

GRAND CANYON  RIBBON FALLS

THE BOX

Phantom Ranch 7 miles from Cottonwood Campground Before 4pm, the snack bar is open, where you can get ice cold tea or lemonade, apples, bagels and other goodies. During the evening, if you have made your reservation, you can get a steak dinner, vegetarian chili dinner or beef stew dinner. You can ask if they have any meals available too. Phantom Ranch has dorms, cabins and showers for guest who have booked their stay one year in advance. 

PHANTOM RANCH

Bright Angel Campground ~ Elevation 2,480' Beautiful campground, with a running stream nearby to cool off in. You'll find, flush toilets, a sink for washing pots & pans, a pole to hang your back pack, and metal boxes to protect your food from the wildlife. There was even a Ranger talk, the night we came. 

BRIGHT ANGEL CAMPGROUND

DAY FOUR  The ranger advised us to begin early, because of the hot temperatures in the bottom of the canyon. We prayed at the Bright Angel trailhead. 

Silver Bridge This bridge is for hikers only. The mule trains have to cross the black bridge, which connects with the South Kaibab trail. The Colorado River was muddy brown, and the views at the bottom where wonderful.

SILVER BRIDGE SIGN

SHORT WAY TO BRIGHT ANGEL TRAIL

SILVER BRIDGE

COLORADO RIVER

JOURNEY UP THE SOUTH RIM

WONDERFUL DAY WITH JESUS

River House ~ Elevation 2,480' 1.5 miles from the Bright Angel Campground Take off your pack, and enjoy this stone shelter, lay down and put your feet up. This is the only restroom available until Indian Gardens. There is no water available. 

MULES PASSING US

Indian Gardens Campground ~ Elevation 3,800' 4.7 miles from Bright Angel Campground On the way to Indian Gardens, you'll have great views, and even see small water falls. Indian Gardens Campground has covered shelters over the picnic tables and has lots of critters. Set up your tent and go on a day hike to the overlook. 

Plateau Point 1.5 miles (each way) from Indian Gardens. Enjoy a level hike to this Grand Canyon overlook, pictured above. Make sure you bring snacks, water, flashlight, and a camera. There is a water available sometimes at the overlook. This is a great place to watch the Sunset. 

PLATEAU POINT

AMAZING OVERLOOK

GRAND CANYON COLORADO RIVER

DAY FIVE 

Begin your journey at sunrise. Today, you'll climb up 2/3 of the elevation of the Bright Angel Trail. 

INDIAN GARDENS

Three Mile House ~ Elevation 4,920' A great place to take your pack off. There is a shelter, restrooms, water, and an overlook for great scenic photography. You only have 3 miles left to the top! 

THREE MILE HOUSE

Mile and a Half Resthouse ~ Elevation 5,720' Water and restrooms are available.

 

BIG HORN SHEEP

Upper Tunnels Once you have reached the two tunnels, you'll be nearing the South Rim.

South Rim ~ Elevation 6,860' You'll come to the trailhead sign. This is a great place to take pictures. Take the Rim Trail to the left, to the view areas outside the Bright Angel Lodge. There are restrooms and food available.

BRIGHT ANGEL TRAILHEAD

WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE

THANK YOU JESUS

KOLB STUDIO

RIM TO RIM SHIRTS

DESERT VIEW

 WATCHTOWER

DAY SIX  Travel back home. 

RATINGS: DIFFICULT

GEAR: Backpacks should be under 30 lbs, before you add water. Make sure you bring one gallon bladder, or water bottles. It is important to eat salty foods and drink electroylites.  Wear sunglasses, hat and put on sunscreen. Bring dehydrated food for evening meals. Make sure you cook and try out your menu before you take it backpacking.

CONDITIONING: You need to prepare yourself by hiking long distances, carrying weight, and camping in deserts. Much prayer is needed. This should never be your first backpacking experience. Each time you backpack, you learn what gear is needed for light weight packs. 

PERMITS: Are required for backpack camping.  No permit needed for Day use. 

Friends of Outdoors With Jesus joined us on this private adventure.  This was not an advertise club activity.  

LAKE BLANCHE

An enjoyable day with Jesus and good friends in the mountains. It was a wonderful Labor Day, with cool breezes by the lake. Back in the city, it was a hot day.

LAKE BLANCHE TRAILHEAD

DESCRIPTION ~ One of the most popular trails up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Both day hikers and backpackers enjoy hiking to the three alpine lakes. Lake Blanche is a beautiful red rock lake.

ARRIVING AT LAKE BLANCHE

RATINGS ~ Intermediate

Not recommended for beginners & kids. On the trail, we saw some kids make it all the way to the lake with their parents. 

MILEAGE ~ 2.8 miles to Lake Blanche,

ELEVATION GAIN: 2,720' 

HIKE TIME ~ 2 1/4 hours up, and 1 1/2 hours down.

LUNCH BREAK AT LAKE BLANCHE

DIRECTIONS ~ Big Cottonwood Canyon begins at Wasatch Blvd, and Fort Union Blvd (70th South), in Salt Lake City. Travel up the canyon 4 miles to the S curve. The trail head is up the paved road to the right. Parking may be difficult to find, so you might want to park on the road.

RESTROOMS ~ At the trailhead during the Summer.

WATERSHED ~ Big Cottonwood is a protected watershed area. No dogs allowed in the canyon. Also, you are not allowed to wash, wade or swim. This is our drinking water.

WILDERNESS ~ Group size is limited to 10 persons in Wasatch Wilderness areas. Backpackers need to camp 200' away from water & trails in a previous used site. 

RESTING ON RED ROCK

GREAT EXERCISE

CHARLIE'S ANGELS

LAKE BLANCHE ~ BIG COTTONWOOD

PARK CITY TO WANSHIP ~ RAIL TRAIL

It's incredible how God gives us the weather we need. Normally, this is a hot mountain bike ride, with no shade; but He gave us clouds and a cool breeze. 

UNION PACIFIC RAIL TRAIL

DESCRIPTION ~ One of the best Rail to Trails in the state of Utah. The trail is a 3 mile paved parkway, that leads into a 23 mile dirt and gravel, doubletrack. It is non-technical, and a ride for all levels of bicycle riders. This trail is a non-motorized trail. You'll have fun coasting down the hill to Wanship, between the I-80. 

DIRT AND GRAVEL 

RATINGS ~ MODERATE

MILEAGE ~ 27 miles loop total out and back.

ELEVATION GAIN: 750' 

RIDE TIME ~ 1 1/2 hours Park City down to Wanship. 2 3/4 hours from Wanship up to Park City. 

RESTROOMS ~ Promontory & Wanship

DIRECTIONS from SLC: Drive east on I-80 up Parleys Canyon to Park City, take the Kimball Junction and turn right, travel to Park City and turn left on Kearns Blvd; turn right on Bonanza Blvd, make an immediate left turn on Prospector Ave and drive past the strip mall, turn right into large parking area and look for the Union Pacific Rail Trail sign. Drive time 40 minutes. 

GEAR ~ Water, energy snacks or lunch, sunprotection, extra tube and tools to change flats, helmet, pump, first aid. We recommend that you put thorn liners or sealant.

BREAK AT WANSHIP

RIDING UPHILL TO PARK CITY

WHITE PINE LAKE ~ TONY GROVE

God created some beautiful mountains and lakes in the Tony Grove area, near Bear Lake. We left at 10am and hiked to White Pine lake by noon and returned to our vehicle by 3pm. If you want an all day adventure, this will be a real treat for you.

WHITE PINE LAKE ~ TONY GROVE

DESCRIPTION: A wonderful hike taking you through alpine meadows, and down a pass to a beautiful alpine lake, by rock walls. During wildflower season in July, this trail is one of the wonders of Utah.

WHITE PINE LAKE TRAIL

RATINGS: Moderate

MILEAGE: 4 miles each way to the lake.

It is .2 miles to the junction to Mount Naomi from the trailhead.

ELEVATION GAIN 1,344'

HIKE TIME: 2 hours up to the Lake and 2 1/4 hours return.

On the return, you'll have to climb up a hill, that's why it takes longer.

OUTDOORS WITH JESUS

TRAILHEAD: Tony Grove Lake & campground area, up US 89, Logan Canyon. From Logan, drive up 19.6 miles, turn left, make another left and drive 7 miles up to Tony Grove lake.

PARKING FEE: 

DRIVE TIME: from Salt Lake City 2 1/2 hours, and 120 miles, each way.

GEAR: Make sure you bring plenty of water for the warm days. Bug spray, energy snacks, sack lunch, camera, hat, sunglasses, garbage bag, sunscreen, toilet kit, hiking pole and first aid.

WHITE PINE LAKE

PITTSBURG LAKE

Fun day hiking with Jesus. Pittsburg Lake is hard to get to, but its a beautiful with a miners cabin. You can see the backside of Sugarloaf peak and the Devil's Castle.

PITTSBURG LAKE

TRAIL #35

DESCRIPTION ~ This is a steep, Mount Olympus type climb up a rocky mining road to a beautiful alpine lake.

PLACE OF SOLITUDE

DIRECTIONS ~ Enter American Fork Canyon and drive past Timpanogos Caves. Turn left at the fork in the road on SR 144, and drive by Tibblefork Reservoir. Head straight on the dirt road (do not go up the hill). This dirt road requires high clearance vehicles, such as trucks or SUVS. Keep driving straight on the road for 5.2 miles. (Do not take the road to Forest Lake.) You'll come to a fork in the road with a sign to Pittsburg Lake trailhead. Turn left and follow the road straight up the hill. Do not take forest road 422 or 596. Eventually, you will cross a stream and enter the trailhead parking lot with a large boulder in the middle.

RESTROOMS available at Tibble Fork Reservoir. Sorry no restrooms at the trailhead. 

HISTORIC LAKE CABIN

RETURN DRIVING OPTION ~ Take forest road 085 over the top of the mountain to Wasatch Mountain State Park in Midway. You can drive to US 40 and take I-80 back to Salt Lake City.

DRIVE TIME ~ It took 1 hour & 10 minutes to drive from the bottom of American Fork Canyon to the trailhead. It was slow driving over the rough, rocky road; shared with ATVs and dirt bikes.

MILEAGE ~ 1.5 miles to the lake, 1400' elevation gain.

HIKE TIME ~ 1 hour up and 45 minutes down.

RATINGS ~ Intermediate 

GEAR ~ American Fork Canyon is hot during the day & cold at night. Make sure you bring plenty of water and a jacket. It is highly recommended to bring hiking poles, because of all the loose rock. Bring a map, flashlight, food, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, and first aid.

FEE ~ American Fork Canyon  fee  

LEGACY PARKWAY

It was a dark rainy morning and God gave us a wonderful afternoon bike ride. The air was fresh, no bugs, and the temperature was mild like a Spring day.

LEGACY PARKWAY

500 South Trailhead to Farmington Station 

Description: Enjoy riding your bicycle on the Legacy Parkway. There are park benches, wooden bridges, tunnels, and sunflowers along the way.

Mileage: 18 mile loop

Bike time: 1.5 to 2 hours depending on rest stops

Trailhead: 500 South (west of the Legacy Highway)

Directions: Take exit 4 on the Legacy Highway.

No restrooms are available on the trail.

Ratings: Moderate

Gear: Make sure you wear a helmet, bring water, bike tools, extra tube, pump, and jacket.