With a long-awaited Phantom Ranch reservation in hand, we hiked 7.5 steep miles down the South Kaibab Trail. From slipping knees to cold lemonade, this was the descent we’d trained—and maybe not trained—so hard for.
For our first trip to the Grand Canyon, we decided to go all in—with an overnight stay at the legendary Phantom Ranch. What started as a childhood fear (thanks, Donald Duck!) turned into a bucket-list hike years in the making.