One Best Hike: Grand Canyon: Everything You Need to Know to Successfully Hike from the Rim to the River-and Back

One of the world's most spectacular places, the Grand Canyon annually attracts over 4 million visitors who peer over the edge of the abyss. A smaller number of them trek from the rim to the banks of the Colorado River on one of the nation's best-known hikes. Many of these hikers are inadequately prepared for the rigors of what can be a deadly journey. This indispensable guide describes the most popular route into the canyon -- the 16.2 mile round-trip route from the South Rim to the Colorado River. It addresses the many possible hazards (extreme heat, cold, elevation gain/loss of over 9,000 feet), gives advice on physical conditioning, and includes helpful charts, maps, and GPS waypoints for the best rest points. The hike itself is covered mile by mile, with expert coaching and hints along the way. Experienced and novice hikers alike will benefit from its encouraging, can-do approach.

Author: Elizabeth Wenk
Publisher: Wilderness Press
Published: 07/29/2010
Pages: 184
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.58lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.45d
ISBN: 9780899974910

About the Author
From childhood, Elizabeth Wenk has hiked and climbed in the Sierra Nevada with her family. After she started college, she found excuses to spend every summer in the Sierra, with its beguiling landscape, abundant flowers, and near-perfect weather. During those summers, she worked as a research assistant for others and completed her own Ph.D. thesis research on the effects of rock type on alpine plant distribution and physiology. But much of the time, she hikes simply for leisure. Wanting to explore every bit of the Sierra, she has hiked thousands of on- and off-trail miles and climbed nearly 500 peaks in the mountain range. She recently relocated Australia with her family.