Hike down the Grand Canyon in February?
 

We (two 50ish couples) are booked at Phantom Ranch for one night in mid-February. The more I read, the more scared I get :) I know it is difficult to generalize but will it be full-blown winter at that time of year and will the hiking be icy and snowy and difficult (slightly worried about falling to my death as I'm a klutz)???? Anyone hiked down in February or can anyone give me an idea of the conditions of the hike at that time of year? Thanks!

I was very worried about doing the trail in winter but was soooo glad we did. The heat wasn't an issue at all. It did get warmer as we went lower and we had to peel off layers but not hot like summer. I cannot imagine doing that hike in the summer.

As you go down and it gets warmer, the trail will turn to med--yuck-- and then to fine powder (also hard to walk in). As we came back up, I was actually very glad to get back to the snow. Much easier hiking. Only about 1/4-1/3 of the trail had snow. Of course every year is different.

The trail is not narrow. There is plenty of room so you are not having to hike on the edge. Don't envy the mule/horse riders. I've done that at Bryce Canyon and they cling to the very edge. It was much scarier than walking down Grand Canyon.

We bought Yak Trax for our boots and they worked great at giving us traction. You probably don't need them but they gave me peace of mind. They are around $20 a pair.

Another piece of advice that helped me was to wear gel toe caps--like ballet dancers wear in their toe shoes. It fits similar to those little socks you wear over your toes for slip on shoes. I had no issues with my toes hitting the end of my boots or losing toe nails--something you hear happens often.
http://www.amazon.com/Leos-Soft-Poin.../dp/B0093PE91O

http://www.discountdance.com/dancewe...&SID=520948422


I found hiking poles to be very worthwhile. You don't have to buy expensive ones.

A GREAT website that really helped me was www.hitthetrail.com. It is geared solely for the Grand Canyon and other southwest canyon. It has everything addressed you could possibly need to know.

Whoops--mud, not med!

I am so impressed by those that do this! I have three friends who are doing this in October. I hope the weather is good.

It's impossible to know what you'll encounter that time of year. So, impossible to give any sort of reassurance beyond, well, yes, Connie had a good experience and you may very well too. But I suggest you have a back-up plan in case there's a winter storm or one anticipated that prevents you from setting out.

I'm don't know what they do if you get to Phantom Ranch and weather keeps you from coming out. It might be interesting to know.

My brother and I hiked down and camped in late January. It was one of the most scenic hikes of my life.
We froze our butts off in a cheap tent and longed for a heated cabin at the ranch.
It had snowed almost three feet of fresh powder at the rim during our stay at the bottom. The last mile or so of our ascent was difficult and it was not easy to discern the edge of the trail.

I would have to reply that anything can certainly happen but it's not common for conditions to be so bad you can't hike. Even during the winter, the trail is very busy. It's not unusual to hike the GC in the winter.

For February, the average high and low at the rim is 38/19. The average precipitation for the whole month of February is just a little over 3 inches.

It will grow increasingly warmer as you hike down. Usually, you are down to one light layer by midway down.

What is your level of hiking experience? It's a pretty strenuous hike and you have to be prepared for that, regardless of the snow and ice.

I would strongly recommend staying at the bottom for 2 nights. That is quite the hike just to sleep overnight
and come right back up. It is much better to give yourself at least a day down there to recuperate and explore a bit.

Thank you all for your input. We live in the Canadian Rockies and hike frequently. We are only booked for phantom ranch for one night so it will be a quick trip alright! Experience of a lifetime I'm sure!

We are booked to hike it in early March. Will be great to hear how your trip went when you get back. Would love to hear your advice for future hikers.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-report.cfm?20

Here's a report I did when several in our hiking group hiked to Phantom Ranch in March. We drove into the Park in a snowstorm.

I don't remember if I mention it in the report, but you can have a mule carry your pack--if you are camping that would be nice. You still need to carry water and food.

I also recommend trekking poles, YakTrax and ballet toe guards. One hiker still lost a toenail going down the trail.

Thank you, LindainOhio, for your tips and for the link to your trip report. Very interesting and informative.

proudmommamb, if we survive, I will surely report back on how it went!

I wanted to provide an update on this as we completed this hike a couple of days ago. We hiked down the South Kaibab Trail, stayed the night at Phantom Ranch, and then hiked up the Bright Angel Trail the next day. We were so fortunate as the weather was lovely and spring-like. There was no need for YakTrax as there was zero ice or snow.

We took the hike slowly with plenty of stops for nourishment and photography. We took five hours to go down and just under eight to go back up.

What a wonderful hike! So much variety and so much beauty. I would heartily recommend this wonderful hike. If we were to do it again, we think we would stay a couple of nights at Phantom Ranch to explore the bottom a bit more.

Thank you to those who offered advice and encouragement :)

I've been to the South Rim a few times and also rafted a portion of the GC. I've been interested for several years now in hiking it. Logistically, it would be easier to do exactly like you hiked it. But, I've always wanted to do Rim to Rim. I'm not sure if I would want to spend 1 night or 2 at Phantom. Thanks for the report!

Thanks for reporting back jranger.

Spiro, you would want 2 nights, 3 if you can get them. If you do Rim to Rim I would spend one night at Cottonwood and 2 at Phantom (technically Bright Angel is the campground name). I believe they still limit people to 3 consecutive overnights in the main corridor. There are plenty of places to explore down there to fill up a couple days.