Descending the South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ USA (Oct 2017)

Fantastic hike: from the Yaki Point (South Rim) to the Black Suspension Bridge in 2 hours and 50 minutes (6.7 miles, 2600 feet or 2200 m of height difference)!

We started to walk on the South Kaibab Trail at 6.28am. Immediately, we encountered a steep descent through the Grand Canyon's upper rock layers comprising the Kaibab Limestone and Toroweap Formation.

At about 1/2 mile we could observe an amazing example of a pustule dome. Here a small deposit of less dense more buoyant evaporite has punctured through a layer of harder limestone above. Through the first ¾ mile, the trail cuts through the eastern side of Pipe Creek Canyon until Ooh-ahh Point, where the canyon walls turn around Yaki Point and the view of the eastern canyon opens up. The point is named after a common reaction to the view.

From Ooh-ahh Point the trail turns around a few switchbacks in a natural break in the Coconino Sandstone until Cedar Ridge, where the trail begins to level off slightly. Below here, the trail continues north around the east site of a prominent Supai sandstone tower named O'Neill Butte, descending gradually through the Hermit Shale and Supai Group to Skeleton Point, three miles (5 km) from the trailhead. After Skeleton Point, the trail begins a sharp descent through a natural break in the Redwall Limestone. Despite the name, the natural color of the rock is light beige or gray. The trail cuts to the west of the point where we had a view of Phantom Ranch, then quickly back to the east side of the point. There are numerous switchbacks to descend the 1,200 feet (370 m) through the Redwall Limestone, Muav Limestone, and Bright Angel Shale to the junction with the Tonto Trail, 4½ miles from the trailhead.

Then, the Tonto Trail heads west towards Indian Garden, and east towards Horseshoe Mesa and Hance Rapids. About ¼ past the junction is a point called the Tipoff. After the Tipoff the trail makes its final steep descent to the bottom of the canyon, through the Tapeats Sandstone and Vishnu Schist. This section is the steepest of the South Kaibab Trail at an average of 22%. Six miles from the trailhead, there is a junction with the River Trail at its eastern terminus. One-half mile past the junction, there is a tunnel that leads to the Black Suspension Bridge crossing the Colorado River.