The Grand Canyon National Park is extremely busy during the summer season. If you want to hike and camp within the Park, you need to plan well in advance of your arrival to the Grand Canyon.Grand Canyon National Park encompasses more than 1.2 million acres, the vast majority of which are inaccessible due to the predominance of cliffs, and inhospitable to all but plants and animals able to survive in the desert. If you choose to hike from rim to river to rim, you will have to deal with an elevation differential of more than 10,000 feet from start to finish.

Plan Early.

Despite the fact that canyon hiking is extremely demanding, requests for backcountry permits far exceed the use that the canyon's fragile, desert environment can sustain without serious resource damage. Therefore, overnight camping in the canyon and in undeveloped areas along the rim is carefully monitored and controlled, and demand usually exceeds availability. If you wish to camp anywhere in the park, other than in developed campgrounds on the rims, you must obtain a permit from the Backcountry Office. Permits are not required for dayhikes.

• In 1998 Grand Canyon National Park received 30,000 requests for backcountry permits. The park issued 14,000 permits, and close to 60,000 people camped overnight in the backcountry at Grand Canyon.

Plan your trip well in advance of your arrival at the park, and when possible, indicate flexibility as to the dates and routes you request. The most popular hiking seasons are spring, summer, and fall. While summer is definitely not the ideal time to hike in the canyon, it remains the busiest hiking season. The earlier you plan your hike and apply for permits, the more likely you will be to get the dates and itinerary of your choice.

Be Prepared.

The majority of Grand Canyon hikers are here for the first time, and although many are avid hikers, they find that hiking the Grand Canyon is very different from most other backpacking experiences. Depending upon how prepared you are and what the canyon serves up at any particular time, your trip can be a vacation or a challenge, a revelation or an ordeal.

• You will be hiking in a desert climate, where water and protection from the elements make the difference between life and death.
• Your trip begins at a high elevation (7000-8000 feet) and requires a bone-jarring descent at the beginning of your trip, when your pack is heaviest.
• You?ll face the long climb out when you are already tired.

Destinations: Ahhh, !@#%*! Bugs

Destinations: Archaeology in Big Bend NP

Destinations: Archeology of North Cascades

Destinations: Bald Eagle Nesting Areas Protected in Voyageurs

Destinations: Climbing the Highest Point in the Lower 48 States

Destinations: Cultural History of Big Bend NP

Destinations: Cultural Prehistory of the Gates of the Arctic

Destinations: Day Trips at Isle Royale NP

Destinations: Denali's Trail-less Wilderness

Destinations: Discover Glacier Bay

Destinations: Discover Joshua Tree

Destinations: Diversity Makes All the Difference

Destinations: Everglades Ecosystem

Destinations: Everglades: A Park in Danger

Destinations: Exotic Plant Species

Destinations: Exploring Shenandoah NP

Destinations: Gates of the Arctic Mammals - From Voles to Bears

Destinations: Genesis of Great Smoky Mountains NP

Destinations: Geothermal Features and How They Work

Destinations: Glaciers in South Florida?

Destinations: Got Trees?

Destinations: Great Smoky Mountains NP in One Day?

Destinations: Guidelines for Climbing Mount Rainier

Destinations: Hantavirus in Channel Islands National Park

Destinations: History of Shenandoah National Park

Destinations: How Glaciers Are Formed

Destinations: Human History: The People of Glacier Bay

Destinations: McDonalds and Mont Blanc

Destinations: Mountaineering on the Highest Point in North America

Destinations: North Cascades Native People: Past and Present

Destinations: North Cascades: Diversity of Life

Destinations: Olympic's "Three Parks in One"

Destinations: Olympic's Wildlife Tree

Destinations: Outdoor Adventure in Glacier Bay

Destinations: Planning Your Hike in the Grand Canyon

Destinations: Predicting the Future from Glacier Field Station, Glacier NP

Destinations: Protecting Our National Park Wetlands

Destinations: Reintroduction of the Black-footed Ferret to Badlands NP

Destinations: Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River

Destinations: Sea Kayaking in the Channel Islands

Destinations: The 7 Must-Knows of Leave No Trace

Destinations: The Peoples of Glacier National Park through Time

Destinations: The Ring of Fire

Destinations: What Are Wetlands?

Destinations: What is Wilderness?

Destinations: Wildland Fire in Yellowstone

Destinations: Wolf Restoration to Yellowstone

Destinations: Yaaaa!! Avalanche!!