Best time to hike the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim
Best: May and September–October. Also good: June.
The Grand Canyon Rim to Rim is 38 km long, in 3 stages. Below is the average weather for every month at about 1,185 m, the middle height of the trail (736–2,511 m), from 10 years of daily data (2015–2024).
Weather month by month
| Month | High °C | Low °C | Rain mm | Rain days | Daylight h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11° | 0° | 34 | 7 | 10.0 |
| February | 14° | 1° | 26 | 4 | 10.8 |
| March | 18° | 4° | 37 | 7 | 11.9 |
| April | 23° | 7° | 10 | 2 | 13.1 |
| May | 28° | 12° | 14 | 4 | 14.1 |
| June | 36° | 19° | 11 | 2 | 14.6 |
| July | 37° | 22° | 46 | 11 | 14.4 |
| August | 35° | 21° | 52 | 12 | 13.5 |
| September | 32° | 17° | 20 | 4 | 12.4 |
| October | 25° | 10° | 29 | 5 | 11.2 |
| November | 18° | 4° | 19 | 3 | 10.2 |
| December | 12° | 1° | 25 | 4 | 9.7 |
Higher up it is colder: about 6 °C less for every 1,000 m of height. The highest point of the trail is 2,511 m.
Season notes from our guide
The North Rim is normally open from 15 May to 15 October, so the crossing is a late spring or autumn trip. Late May, early June and late September to mid-October are best. From June to August the inner canyon is dangerously hot and can pass 43 °C (110 °F); NPS advises not to hike between 10 am and 4 pm from May to September. July to September also brings monsoon thunderstorms and flash floods, as in 2026.
Stages, map, elevation profile, places to stay and emergency help, free.
Read the full Grand Canyon Rim to Rim guideHike it with Outest
Offline maps, stages and places to stay on your phone.
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Weather: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis), daily values 2015–2024 near 36.12, -112.08, adjusted to 1,185 m. Rain days: days with at least 1 mm. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th of the month.