The Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most visited parks in the United States with over 4.5 million park visitors in 2021, 2022, and 2023. In total, the Park boundary covers 1,904 square miles (4,931 km2) which encompasses the 278 river miles of the Colorado River through the canyon, and is on average one mile below the Grand Canyon rim. Although the park physically covers a large amount of land, most of the visitors only go to South Rim. And out of those visitors, most stay within the area of the Grand Canyon Village. A very small percentage of visitors go below the rim, for good reason. Hikes into the canyon are all tough with steep elevation drops and gains. Even though the river is one mile below, most trails to get to the river are about 10 – 12 miles long.
However, at the top of the rim within the South Rim Grand Canyon Village is the Rim Trail. This trail is nearly 13 miles long from end to end, and does not go below the rim, which means dogs are allowed on trail! Dogs must be kept on a leash and are not allowed on the shuttle buses unless they’re a certified service animal. Below we’ll cover how we hiked the rim trail with our dog, Finnick, including where we parked and what sections of trail we did.
Good to Know
National Park Entrance Fee
First, Grand Canyon National Park does charge an entrance fee, both at the South and North Rim entrances. However, admission is good for seven days and can be used both rims, if the North Rim is open. Price can vary depending on how you’re entering, but for a passenger vehicle it’s $35/vehicle and good for seven days. It’s also very important to note that Grand Canyon National Park entrance booths ONLY accept credit card, NO cash. We always use our America the Beautiful Pass to enter. Cash purchases can be made outside the park through third party vendors. Learn more on the Grand Canyon National Park website.
Parking Near the Rim Trail
There are multiple place to park at the South Rim Grand Canyon Village. Depending on where you want to hike the Rim Trail and how much distance you want to cover, we suggest carefully considering where you want to park. At the main visitor center parking lot, which is the largest lot at the park, you can easily access the Rim Trail and hike both east and west.
East of the visitor center there is parking available along Desert View Drive which is very close to the Rim Trail. Parking here is fairly limited and only allowed at a few designated pullouts or on the side of the road. Parking is not allowed at Kaibab Trailhead or Yaki Point.
On the west side there are more scattered parking lots, however not as many spots are right next to the Rim Trail like the east side of the village. We were very lucky and got a parking spot near Bright Angel Trail and lodge. In general, there are a lot better chances of getting a parking spot by the Backcountry Office at Parking Lot D.
Staying Near or at the Grand Canyon
There are many different lodges at the Grand Canyon Village, but only one of them has dog friendly rooms and that’s the Yavapai Lodge. For other dog friendly stays, we suggest checking into stays in Tusayan, Williams, and Flagstaff (closest to furthest within reason). For this trip we stayed in Flagstaff which is about 1.5 hours from the South Rim visitor center.
Hike the Pet Friendly Rim Trail
We knew we would not be able to hike the full trail, because logistically it would be very difficult and not efficient. With that in mind we knew we wanted to see a couple different parts of the trail and that our day would consist of a couple different sections and parking. Our goal was to get there relatively early and hopefully get a spot off of Desert View Drive and we were successful. From our parking spot we hiked on the Rim Trail out to the South Kaibab Trailhead. This was about 2 miles out and back. There is water and vault toilets at the South Kaibab Trailhead if you need a refill.
After hiking on the eastern section of the trail, we drove over towards Bright Angel Lodge and were able to snag a parking spot. From there we hiked west on the Rim Trail towards Hermits Rest. We stopped at Trailview Overlook, Trailview 2, Maricopa Point, Powell Point, and Hopi Point, where eventually turned around after hiking 2.5 miles. This section of trail had some elevation change, and after Powell Point the trial becomes unpaved. On our return hike we were greeted by some big horn sheep so close to the trail on one of the ledges overlooking Bright Angel Trail. Overall we recorded 5 miles on the west section of the trail and 7 miles in total on the day.
After hiking on the eastern section of the trail, we drove over towards Bright Angel Lodge and were able to snag a parking spot. From there we hiked west on the Rim Trail towards Hermits Rest. We stopped at Trailview Overlook, Trailview 2, Maricopa Point, Powell Point, and Hopi Point, where eventually turned around after hiking 2.5 miles. This section of trail had some elevation change, and after Powell Point the trial becomes unpaved. On our return hike we were greeted by some big horn sheep so close to the trail on one of the ledges overlooking Bright Angel Trail. Overall we recorded 5 miles on the west section of the trail and 7 miles in total on the day.
After hiking on the eastern section of the trail, we drove over towards Bright Angel Lodge and were able to snag a parking spot. From there we hiked west on the Rim Trail towards Hermits Rest. We stopped at Trailview Overlook, Trailview 2, Maricopa Point, Powell Point, and Hopi Point, where eventually turned around after hiking 2.5 miles. This section of trail had some elevation change, and after Powell Point the trial becomes unpaved. On our return hike we were greeted by some big horn sheep so close to the trail on one of the ledges overlooking Bright Angel Trail. Overall we recorded 5 miles on the west section of the trail and 7 miles in total on the day.
Finding Inspiration: Trail Mix'd
This post is not sponsored by the show Trail Mix’d on Arizona PBS, but it was inspired by the show. We were inspired by the episode Hiking Arizona with Pets: Four-legged Trail Buddies. However, the entire series is great and covers some amazing trails throughout the state of Arizona. Trail Mix’d also offers great tips and ideas on how to enjoy the trails with with hikers of all levels. For more you check out Trail Mix’d online where you can watch all episodes for free.
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