Entry Points:
About Kaibab Trail
The South Kaibab Trail begins at Yaki Point on the South Rim and makes the descent to the Colorado River in a distance of 6.2 miles. It meets the North Kaibab Trail at the river, which could then be followed to the North Rim in a total distance of 20.9 miles. The elevation at the south rim is 7,200 feet, and at the Colorado River, 2,420 feet, a drop of 4,780 feet. The trail generally takes a northward course the whole way, but with many switchbacks.
Making its descent along the top of a ridge, the South Kaibab Trail offers spectacular views of the Grand Canyon, and the cliffs and formations carved out in its mile-high walls. Beginning a distance south of Yaki Point, the trail descends the cliffs on its western face some 600 feet before it emerges onto the top of Cedar Ridge. Here, cliffs drop nearly 2,000 feet on either side of the trail. To the left, across Pipe Creek, an impressive cliff displays the Grand Canyon's layers from the Redwall Limestone up to the Kaibab Limestone.
The trail continues past O'Niell Butte, to the end of the ridge, and makes an abrupt descent to the Tonto Platform, seen in the lower center of this picture. After intersecting with the Tonto Trail, the trail continues to The Tipoff, where it begins its descent into the Inner Gorge.
Travel the South Kaibab Trail in UntraveledRoad's virtual world from the trailhead at Yaki Point to its intersection with the Tonto Trail, deep in the canyon.