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Grand Canyon backcountry permit

GC Backcountry itinerary

Every published mile marker on the GC Backcountry route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one — and which permit each stretch needs. To watch dates and set alerts, go to the Grand Canyon backcountry permit page.

Which permit covers this route

The GC Backcountry. One reservation is an ordered sequence of nights in zones, issued by lottery.

The permit is issued for a named entry point. South Kaibab Trailhead and Bright Angel Trailhead are the ones on this list.

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Stops mapped
8
Across the markers
16.3 mi
Published route length
16.5 mi
Published ascent
4,460 ft

How long it takes: Set by your itinerary — NPS publishes no recommended length for this loop. That is the figure the permit publishes — this page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.

The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.

Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.

Adding up only the climbs between markers gives 4,380 ft, which is a floor rather than the total: anything that rises and falls between two markers is invisible to it.

The GC Backcountry route, stop by stop

  1. Mile 0.0

    7,260 ft

    South Kaibab Trailhead

    Entry point — the permit is issued for this trailhead

    Starting point near Yaki Point on the South Rim.

    0.9 miles · 600 ft down to Ooh Aah Point

  2. Mile 0.9

    6,660 ft

    Ooh Aah Point

    First major viewpoint on South Kaibab with sweeping canyon panoramas

    0.6 miles · 540 ft down to Cedar Ridge

  3. Mile 1.5

    6,120 ft

    Cedar Ridge

    Restroom facilities and the last shade on the descent

    1.5 miles · 900 ft down to Skeleton Point

  4. Mile 3.0

    5,220 ft

    Skeleton Point

    First views of the Colorado River far below

    1.4 miles · 1,220 ft down to The Tipoff

  5. Mile 4.4

    4,000 ft

    The Tipoff

    Emergency phone and last restroom before the river

    2.6 miles · 1,520 ft down to Bright Angel Campground

  6. Mile 7.0

    2,480 ft

    Bright Angel Campground

    Riverside camping with toilets and a piped water tap near Phantom Ranch. The tap runs off the Transcanyon Waterline and NPS turns it off when the line breaks, so check the park's live water status before you descend

    5.5 miles · 1,320 ft up to Havasupai Gardens

  7. Mile 12.5

    3,800 ft

    Havasupai Gardens

    Historic rest stop with shade trees, a campground and a waterline-fed tap whose status NPS publishes live (formerly Indian Garden)

    3.8 miles · 3,060 ft up to Bright Angel Trailhead

  8. Mile 16.3

    6,860 ft

    Bright Angel Trailhead

    Entry point — the permit is issued for this trailhead

    South Rim terminus near Grand Canyon Village.

Getting a GC Backcountry for the dates you want

Planning the route is the easy half. GC Backcountry dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations — they return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag watches GC Backcountry around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.

Set up Grand Canyon backcountry permit alertsWhen GC Backcountry dates open up