Best guide book for Bryce, Zion, and GC?

Old Mar 11th, 2008, 09:21 AM
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Best guide book for Bryce, Zion, and GC?

Hello Friends - I am hoping to hit these three destinations this fall. If Phantom Ranch can accomodate me, I plan to do a rim to rim hike, probably North Kaibab-Bright Angel. I'm a beginner/novice hiker, but young and fairly fit (and a reasonably cautious planner).

I don't know much about the area and am slowly starting to read the boards. Does anyone have a recommendation for the best guide book? The only books I've come across that cover all 3 are more like photo essay type books. If there's an informative guide book covering all 3, great. I suspect I'll have to get 2 books.

I think I can browse and pick out the best I find for Bryce and Zion. For rim to rim hiking, though, what's your book recommendation for a newbie to the area? Is it the guide available at grandcanyonhiker.com? I'm looking for something that has good trail info/maps to help me plan the hike and be something I can carry with me during.

Thank you in advance!
CJ
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Old Mar 11th, 2008, 09:28 AM
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I find that the Moon books are particularly detailed.

Probably the best thing you can do is read this board and search reports written by fodorites over the past year or two.

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Old Mar 11th, 2008, 09:52 AM
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Honestly, I don't think you need a guidebook for the R2R hike. You'd be better off to search online and read trip reports from people who have done that same hike as you'll get a wider range of opinions and tips than from a book. I've found most guidebooks to be pretty superficial. If I had to carry one book on that hike, I'd want it to be something good to read at night, not a guidebook for the trail.

This website http://www.hitthetrail.com/ will get you started on the R2R hike. Look at this one http://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/ for hiking in Zion. You could also check out the forums at backpacker.com.

I'd disagree with Myer's suggestion to review this board. The search function sucks, and there aren't enough hiking reports of the type you're looking for to make it worth your time.
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Old Mar 11th, 2008, 12:30 PM
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cjw Our family of 4 are planning a RTR hike in June. I just gave up a nights reservation. You have got to work on the Phantom Ranch reservation first. They are taken 13 months in advance and are gone w/i 3hrs on the first day of the month. You could by chance get a cancellation slot on the morning of the hike. There is/n much at this site for serious hikers but Myer is correct search is site too. Here is a good info from this site that I used. Good luck!!

http://www.naturalbornhikers.com/RimtoRim/RimtoRim.htm
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Old Mar 11th, 2008, 02:00 PM
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thanks to all. i have been searching the fodors boards, but found more, better information on other sites, such as those Bib and mes pointed out. since i'm new to hiking and have never been to the area, i thought maybe i'd feel more confident w/ a guide book...but if maps aren't necessary, then i can see how just reading the hike reports, as i've started to do, can probably give me what i need.

and i did not realize how far in advance reservations go at phantom ranch! (well, i just "thought" of this trip this weekend.) i called and they are fully booked and the person on the phone told me cancellations are rare...but maybe like mes someone will give up a night sometime soon! (sorta doubt it as i want to go near a holiday.) now either i'll have to plan for next year, or maybe figure out if i can carry a tent/camping supplies...anyone have advice on the risk of taking only a sleeping bag and rain around early sept? ha!

thanks to all of you who responded!
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Old Mar 11th, 2008, 02:09 PM
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I am afraid if you don't already have your Phantom Ranch reservation, you will have to wait and hope for a cancellation. All space (at least for hikers) for this fall booked up on September 1 and October 1 of 2007. And you can't start a rim to rim hike much later than mid-October, because the North Rim closes and you lose access.

If you are a novice hiker, you would not want to attempt rim to rim on your first Grand Canyon hike anyway. Much better to start at the South Rim and hike down and back up there, with a night or two at the bottom of the canyon.

If you would consider backpacking and camping instead of staying at Phantom Ranch, there is still time to apply for a backcountry permit for this fall. Apply on May 1 for a September permit, or on June 1 for an October permit. Details on the procedure are on the Grand Canyon NPS website. If the thought of carrying a backpack is daunting, you can pay to have the mules carry it back up---maximum weight of 30 pounds, packed in a duffle, for $60.

As for guidebooks---as others have said, you don't really need one for Grand Canyon hiking, and you wouldn't want to to carry it down and back up anyway. A good map is better; together with information available on the website. The trails are very well-marked, and the main thing you need to know and understand is the degree of elevation loss and gain, which describes the difficulty.

But for general information on the area, I found the Destination Press "Grand Canyon---the Complete Guide" as good as any. I bought it at REI. I'm sure there are others just as good.

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Old Mar 11th, 2008, 02:12 PM
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To backpack and tent camp in the GC you have to apply 4 months in advance through the NPS. Reading several RTR reports will give you good advice on this option. Here is a site to read.
Some pple advise to go down from SR to the River and over night and back for the 1st GC trip.

There are several great hikes in Zion NP including "Angels Landing" that can very challenging that might interest you. You might look into this option for 2008. Springdale has several lodging options. From Springdale you could overnight 1 night at GC NR. Xanterra no longer handles GC N. Rim reservations. They could however, tell you the conessionaire #.

http://www.grand.canyon.national-park.com/hike.htm
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Old Mar 12th, 2008, 06:11 AM
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thanks for the additional comments. as i said, i learned about the lack of reservations for fall and i also already have my back country permit filled out for may, if i still decide to go this fall. (now debating going in the spring, when i may be able to get a rez at phantom ranch.)

may i ask, enzian, why you say "If you are a novice hiker, you would not want to attempt rim to rim on your first Grand Canyon hike anyway."? i've done some basic hiking and plan to train a bit for gc.

i have read some reports that south to north is advised even though that seems a bit counterintuitive to me. is it b/c the elevation change is easier to deal w/ that route? i'm coming from nyc. i was hoping that spending time in utah first, and overnight at the north rim before starting would help me to acclimate. my potential companions agree that we'd rather have a longer hike going down than up.
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Old Mar 12th, 2008, 08:58 AM
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I think the usual recommendation is to go from north to south as you'll end up with a net elevation loss.

Keeping in mind that I'm not enzian, in your situation doing the R2R as you describe is a tall order. You don't have a lot of experience (probably not at all in a desert environment?) and the hike from the North Rim to Phantom is a long 14 miles with quite a bit of elevation loss. The upper section will really beat up your legs. It's probably best to break it up and stay overnight at Cottonwood, then continue on to Phantom for night #2, but that would require more gear and weight to carry. Hence, the suggestion to just start and finish at the South Rim - if you stay at Phantom you'll have a much more doable 7 mile hike down. If you decide to camp, you'll still have the same amount of weight and distance to hike as if you were going to Cottonwood, but you'd be at the bottom in one day, not two.

If you commit to the R2R, I'd spend the summer hiking as much as possible while also doing some other training to specifically work the calf and thigh muscles you'll use on the descent. Make sure you get your gear early and train with it, and get used to the backpack and weight while hiking.
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Old Mar 14th, 2008, 07:34 AM
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thanks, bib. your advice is helpful. all my hiking experience is in non-desert environments...the family talk on this trip has shift and it's up on the air now if/when i'll go, but i'm going to start training and try to make it happen! (probably training towards doing north kaibab to phantom ranch in one day...i understand it's a lot...)
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Old Mar 16th, 2008, 04:26 PM
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May 1 would be the day to try for Phantom Ranch reservations for a rim-to-rim hike in May, 2009. YOu need to call Xanterra as soon as the phone lines open up (there are instructions on the Xanterra website). They only book by phone, not on the website. You'll need a date in late May, after the North Rim opens (usually right around May 15).

If you succeed in scoring the reservations, then you can think about training for the hike. The descent of 5800 feet over 10 miles is very taxing on the thigh muscles, knees, and feet, so you do need to prepare them. Then you have another 4 miles of level walk along the river before you get to Phantom.

Try to work in some hikes in the mountains with 3000 feet or so of elevation gain and loss, to prepare your knees and feet for the task. We do hikes like that regularly, and found it was fine preparation for hiking to the bottom from the South Rim.

But I'm still anticipating that the descent to Phantom from the North Rim will be tough when we do it this coming September. I know how tired our feet are after the 4800 feet descent on the South Kaibab trail. From the North, we'll still have another 1000 feet to drop, plus that extra four miles.
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