• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Hit the Trail

Hit the Trail

Phantom Ranch, Grand Canyon, Sedona, & the Southwest

  • Home
  • Hikers Guide
    • Equipment
      • Backcountry Food
      • Backcountry Kitchen Gear
      • Backpacking Stoves
      • Backpacks
      • Boots & Footwear
      • Clothing
      • Equipment Guide
      • Equipment Rentals/Purchase
      • Flashlights and Lanterns
      • Seat Pads
      • Sleeping Bags
      • Sleeping Pads
      • Socks
      • Tents
      • The Wonder Bucket
      • Walking Sticks
      • Water Purification
    • Trails & Campgrounds
      • Bright Angel Campground
      • Cottonwood Camp
      • Desert View
      • Grand Canyon’s Corridor Trails
      • Grand Canyon Trail Descriptions
      • Havasu and Mooney Falls
      • Indian Garden Campground
      • North Rim Campgrounds
      • North Rim Day Hikes
      • North Rim Yurt
      • Pack Hauling Service
      • Phantom Ranch/BA Day Hikes
      • Phantom Ranch Area Map
      • Phantom Ranch FAQs
      • Phantom Ranch Lodging/Dining
      • South Rim Campgrounds
      • South Rim Day Hikes
      • Sedona/Verde Valley Trails
      • Toroweap & Tuweep
      • Trip Reports and Resources
      • Trip Reports – Baja
    • Safety, Resources & Training
      • Acrophobia/Fear of Heights
      • Arizona Hiking Clubs
      • Backcountry 911
      • Backcountry Etiquette
      • Backcountry Permits
      • Bubonic Plague
      • Heat Strain
      • Hiker FAQs
      • Hiker’s Links/Resources
      • Lightning Strikes/Safety Tips
      • Monsoon Facts
      • Rabies
      • Training/Physical Fitness
    • Tips & Tricks
      • Author’s Tips & Tricks
      • Boot Lacing Technique
      • Phantom Ranch Tips & Tricks
      • Readers’ Tips & Tricks
      • Rest Step for Uphill Hiking
      • Summertime Hiking Tips
      • Winter Hiking Tips
      • Women’s Tips & Tricks
  • Visitors Guide
    • General Information
      • Entrance Fees/Park Brochures
      • Events Calendar
      • Fishing Regulations
      • Fires/Smoke in Park
      • Fishing Regulations
      • Grand Canyon Distances
      • Grand Canyon Park Links
      • Grand Canyon Trivia/Facts
      • Grand Canyon Weather
      • Havasu and Mooney Falls
      • Hiking Guides
      • Indian Reservations
      • Photo Galleries
      • Ranger Programs
    • South Rim
      • Desert View
      • Havasu and Mooney Falls
      • South Rim Campgrounds
      • South Rim Day Hikes
      • South Rim Lodging
      • South Rim Mule Rides
      • South Rim Restaurants/Cafés
      • South Rim Services
      • South Rim Transportation
    • Phantom Ranch
      • Pack Hauling/Duffel Service
      • Phantom Ranch Area Map
      • Phantom Ranch/BA Day Hikes
      • Phantom Ranch FAQs
      • Phantom Ranch Human History
      • Phantom Ranch Lodging/Dining
      • Phantom Mule Ride Gallery
      • Phantom Ranch Mule Rides
      • Phantom Ranch Tips & Tricks
    • North Rim
      • North Rim Campgrounds
      • North Rim Day Hikes
      • North Rim Dining/Food Service
      • North Rim Lodging
      • North Rim Mule Rides
      • North Rim Services
      • North Rim Yurt
      • Toroweap & Tuweep
    • Sedona
      • Permitted Guide Services
      • Red Rock Pass
      • Sedona Geology
      • Sedona Information
      • Sedona Photography
      • Sedona/Verde Valley Area Trails
      • Visitor Centers
  • Mules, Guides & River Trips
    • Commercial River Trips
    • Hiking Guides
    • Horseback Rides
    • Mule Ride Gallery
    • North Rim Mule Rides
    • Pack Hauling/Duffel Service
    • Phantom Ranch Mule Rides
    • Private River Trips
    • River Trip Safety
    • South Rim Mule Rides
  • Explore
    • Natural History
      • Bats
      • Canyon Treefrogs
      • Condors at Grand Canyon
      • Ravens
      • Scorpions
      • Snakes
      • Squirrels & Rodents
      • Tarantulas/Other Spiders
    • Human History
      • Civilian Conservation Corps
      • Phantom Ranch History
      • Pre-Park Era
      • NPS Era
    • Grand Canyon Geology
      • Intro to Grand Canyon Geology
      • Kaibab Limestone to Supai Formation
      • Redwall Limestone to Tapeats Sandstone
      • The Supergroup
      • The Inner Gorge
    • Lake Powell Geology
      • Introduction
      • The Back Story
      • Rock Layers
      • Monoclines
      • Prominent Rock Units
      • Striking Landscape
      • Laccoliths
      • Future of Lake Powell
    • Sedona Geology
      • Introduction
      • Prelude to the Red Rocks
      • Sedona’s Red Rocks, Part 1
      • Sedona’s Red Rocks, Part 2
      • Deposition, Uplift, and Erosion
      • House Mountain Volcano
      • Verde Valley and Verde Lake
      • Carving Oak Creek Canyon
  • Books & Videos
    • Hiking Guides
      • Apps, Maps & Hiking DVDs
      • Arizona Hiking
      • Canyon Country Hiking
      • Grand Canyon Hiking
      • Utah Hiking
    • Hiker Safety/Skills
      • Backcountry Skills
      • Camper’s Cookbooks
      • Search and Rescue
      • Wilderness First Aid
    • Natural/Human History
      • Grand Canyon Human History
      • Grand Canyon Legends
      • Natural History & Geology Guides
    • Colorado Plateau
      • Exploring Arizona
      • Exploring Utah
      • Regional Guides
      • Scenic Photography Books
  • Blog
    • Canyon Posts
    • Canyon Archives
    • Trip Reports
    • Baja Trip Archive – Baja
    • Site Contributors
Home/Grand Canyon Hiking

Grand Canyon Hiking

Some recommended products below may include affiliate links for which I may receive a commission if purchased when clicking through. Please note that I only recommend products that I feel are worthy, and you will not pay any extra when purchasing through these links. Click here to read the full disclosure statement.

The Grand Canyon: With Bryce and Zion Canyons in America’s South West (Cicerone Guides)
Constance Roos

Being a U.K. publication, I was not familiar with the Cicerone series, but I must say I have been very impressed with this particular book. There are numerous Grand Canyon hiking guides available, but this one is one of the most complete and well prepared ones I have found. The trail descriptions are clear without being too wordy and include the wise usage of benchmarks and landmarks on USGS topographic maps for the more remote trails of the canyon. This book does not just cover your basic Corridor trails either; it includes trails that will keep the enthusiastic canyoneer busy for many years. And because it is written for people coming from afar, it is an excellent guide to assist one in all their planning (permits, transportation, shopping, food, lodging, camping, etc.)

And what it does for Grand Canyon trails and planning, it also does for Zion and Bryce National Parks! I highly recommend this guide.

Hikernut’s Grand Canyon Companion: A Guide to Hiking & Backpacking the Most Popular Trails into the Canyon: Bright Angel, South Kaibab & North Kaibab Trails
Brian J. Lane

There are many books on the Grand Canyon that cover more of the trails going into the Inner Gorge. But if you are only going to hike on one of the primary trails, the Bright Angel, the South Kaibab or the North Kaibab, why bother getting more than is necessary and possibly confuse and even frighten yourself? This award winning common sense guide provides information for the first time day hiker and backpacker for the only maintained trails in the Canyon. You’ll find information on how to apply for permits, rules and regulations, trail descriptions, maps and other useful information in an easy to digest, understand and entertaining format. And the beautiful photographs within will make this a book to keep as a wonderful memento of your hike.

Hiking the Grand Canyon’s Geology (Hiking Geology)
Lon Abbott & Terri Cook

The Mountaineers Books has a great series of books that I really enjoy and use often. They are the Hiking Geology series, and what better place to cover geology than Grand Canyon?! This guide takes you down various trails in the canyon while describing the incredible geology you are able to reach out and touch. This intimate connection makes the learning the geology most enjoyable.

Two more excellent books in the series cover several trails in the Grand Canyon. Hiking Arizona’s Geology (Hiking Geology) by Ivo Lucchitta has 2 South Rim trails, the South Kaibab and the Tanner Trail. Another book, Hiking the Southwest’s Geology: Four Corners Region by Ralph Lee Hopkins covers Horseshoe Mesa, Cape Final, Powell Plateau, and Toroweap Point. All of these are located on the North Rim except Horseshoe Mesa which requires a 7 mile round trip hike on the Grandview Trail along East Rim Drive on the South Rim.

Hiking Grand Canyon National Park: A Guide To The Best Hiking Adventures On The North And South Rims (Regional Hiking Series)
Globe Pequot Press

Newly revised and updated edition of this book puts more emphasis on the hazards of dehydration and water intoxication than previous edition—and for good reason. This book covers more of the difficult trails than the book immediately below by the same author. Most of the trail descriptions in this book are geared towards multi-day backpacking trips. While there are some descriptions for day hikes, you will find that this book is for you if you are ready to put a pack on your back and head in for an adventure!

Best Easy Day Hikes Grand Canyon National Park (Best Easy Day Hikes Series)
Ron Adkison

First let me say that any trail that goes below the rim of the Canyon is not “easy.” But for trails in the park, there are certainly varying degrees of difficulty. And this pocket sized guide does a great job of describing the trails and paths that are best for day hikes while providing good information to help you plan which to take. I really enjoy Ron Adkison’s writing style and find his books comprehensive with trails rated from easiest (rim-based) to most difficult (inner canyon).

Day Hikes from the River: A Guide to Hikes from Camps Along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Tom Martin

For those taking a river trip, especially those on private trips, there are plenty of wonderful day hikes to do from the Colorado River. Tom Martin, a Grand Canyon resident, has compiled a great selection of 100 hikes and provides excellent descriptions and topo maps of each hike. Don’t expect poetic grammar, but you will find the book chock full of great information!

Grand Canyon Treks
Harvey Butchart

“Harvey Butchart hiked more than 12,000 miles in a combined total of 1,000 days – a distance comparable to walking halfway around the earth. He is credited with finding more than 116 approaches to the Colorado River, and with summiting 83 of the 138 named peaks in the Canyon, 35 of those being first ascents.”

This edition combines all of his Grand Canyon Trek books into one. If you are looking for a step-by-step description of Grand Canyon trails, this is not the book for you. However, if you like exploring and are an excellent route finder, or just want to explore from your armchair, you’ll be fascinated by the trail journals from this Grand Canyon legend.

The Ultimate Desert Handbook : A Manual for Desert Hikers, Campers and Travelers
Mark Johnson

There is a book I really enjoy and feel is a great resource for hiking or traveling in the desert, which of course the Grand Canyon’s Inner Gorge is! I’m very excited about it because it is a manual for desert adventurers—a topic dismally ignored by most books on the subject of outdoor adventure. There are plenty of books covering oceans, mountains, and prairies, but you’d almost think the desert didn’t exist judging by how few books cover it. And I guarantee that hiking in the mountains and the desert are completely different from one another. This is an invaluable book for those hiking in Canyon Country.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent News

Havasu Creek | Photo by Mike Buchheit

Important Updates – and Fascinating Stuff Too!

Fire Restrictions Going Into Effect Friday, May 14 The Kaibab National Forest (the national …

Continue Reading about Important Updates – and Fascinating Stuff Too!

Important Inner Canyon Closures and East Entrance Opening

Temporary Closures Along the Silver Bridge and Bright Angel Trail The Grand Canyon announced …

Continue Reading about Important Inner Canyon Closures and East Entrance Opening

Archives

  • Hit the Trail Returns with New Partnership
  • Hit the Trail Resumes with Limited Updates
  • Important Updates for Park

Newsletter

Sign up for email updates. You can stop at any time and your information will never be shared.

Footer

Copyright © 1998–2023 · Hit the Trail: Phantom Ranch, Grand Canyon, Sedona and the Southwest

All Rights Reserved · All photos credit NPS unless stated otherwise

Newsletter

Sign up for email updates. You can stop at any time and your information will never be shared.

  • Contact
  • About
  • Sitemap
  • Affiliate Disclaimer