going to the South Rim the first week of June (had to wait for the teen going with us to get out of school). South Kaibab Trail looks good (turn around at Cedar Ridge after 3 miles or O'Neal Butte at 4 miles). Maybe also Bright Angel Trail another day (3 or 4 miles).
What time do we need to start by? How long did it take you?
We are in good shape and live in Florida - use to heat and sun, but are at sea level.
Any and all advice would be much appreciated.
Thank You

We hiked both South Kaibab Trail and Hermit Trail two years ago. I believe that these are both considered unmaintained trails. We had no problems on either trail, just be certain to wear proper hiking boots and bring PLENTY of water. We saw plenty of people wearing sandals and with no water and they were in trouble. We always started by 8-9am and made sure to turn around by 1pm at least. Coming up is always much harder than going down so you must allow more time for the return trip. We skipped Bright Angel Trail because of the mules and the crowds.

Agree with the above.The difference in temperatures from top to bottom is 40 degrees, so it will probably be VERY hot at the base. The first time Iwent to the Grand canyon, we attempted to hike the first day and I felt lightheaded (you are at 7-8000 feet). I would recommend you go at least a day earlier to acclimate; perhaps you can spend a day or 2 at Sedona (4000 ft), then at flagstaff first; there is so much to do and see in that part (painted desert/petrified forest and numerous ruins-Waitpaki? was my favorite. Good luck ,have fun and be careful.

Sylvia,
We just returned from the Grand Canyon this week. I have 6 & 10 year olds. We loved our South Kaibab Trail hike. We went 3/4 mile down to Ooh Ahh Point - an
incredible view. Travelling with the kids with some small patches of snow/ice it took us 30 minutes to reach this point. From there you can look down to see the rest area used for the mules which was at least at the 1.5 mile mark or beyond. We turned around here but found that our climb out took us only 40 minutes despite steep terrain. We all decided we could have gone further down. Mule tains did pass us on their way back up around 11:45 am.
Early start (before 8 am & as much water as you can comfortably carry for each person will be key in June). We ran into lots of hikers coming up from Phantom Ranch & enjoyed hearing their stories about trekking to the river-- it's a great experience! You may want to spend a day hiking around the West Rim trail from the village to Pima Point or all the way to Hermit's Rest (6 miles?) You can catch the shuttle bus back after enjoying a well deserved refreshment break at Hermits Rest. Although the Rim trail is fairly level with minor climbs to lookout points, it will give you fabulous views of Bright Angel trail points as well as of diverse portions of the canyon & will help acclimate you to the altitude.
Have a memorable time!

Thank You everyone. It sounds like we definitely need to be done by noon.
What should we do after we rest up? Try for another short hike or is the IMAX worth seeing?