The #1 Short Below-the-Rim Hike: South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point & Cedar Ridge

If you only do one hike below the rim of the Grand Canyon, rangers and seasoned hikers agree without hesitation: skip the crowded, enclosed rock walls of the upper Bright Angel Trail and take the South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point (or Cedar Ridge)! Because the South Kaibab Trail was engineered in 1924 by the National Park Service to follow an exposed, jutting limestone ridge spine (Yaki Point Ridge) rather than a recessed side-canyon fault, the canyon walls open up to give you 270- to 360-degree panoramas from the first 15 minutes of your walk!

1. How to Reach the Trailhead (Free Orange Shuttle Bus — No Cars Allowed!)

The South Kaibab Trailhead sits off Yaki Point Road (3 km east of the Visitor Center), which is closed to private cars. Simply park at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center and hop onto the 100% Free Orange Route (Kaibab Rim) Shuttle Bus—it drops you at the trailhead in 7 minutes (running every 15 minutes from an hour before sunrise until an hour after sunset; or take the early-morning Hikers' Express Bus directly from Bright Angel Lodge!).

2. Choosing Your Turnaround Point: Ooh Aah Point vs Cedar Ridge vs Skeleton Point

(Crucial Rule: there is ZERO drinking water and ZERO shade along the entire South Kaibab Trail—fill your water bottles at the trailhead faucet before stepping down the first switchback!):

1. Stop 1 — Ooh Aah Point (2.9 km / 1.8 Miles Round-Trip | 180m / 600 ft Vertical Drop | 1 to 1.5 Hours Total): after descending the initial shaded chimney switchbacks ('The Chimney') through the cream Kaibab Limestone and rusty-red Supai sandstone, you round a sharp right-hand corner and the eastern canyon suddenly explodes into view! The overlook got its official name because literally every hiker who turns that corner gasps 'Ooh! Aah!'. It is the best 90-minute hike in the National Park!
2. Stop 2 — Cedar Ridge (4.8 km / 3.0 Miles Round-Trip | 340m / 1,120 ft Vertical Drop | 2.5 to 3 Hours Total): have another hour and strong knees? Continue 25 minutes down the staircase switchbacks below Ooh Aah Point onto a wide, flat red-sandstone plateau saddle called Cedar Ridge (which has vault toilets and a mule hitching post!)—surrounded by 360-degree views of O'Neill Butte and the soaring cliffs of the South Rim 340 metres above your head!
3. Stop 3 — Skeleton Point (9.6 km / 6 Miles Round-Trip | 620m / 2,040 ft Drop | 4 to 5 Hours — Experienced Hikers Only!): the first point on the trail where you can look down into the black Inner Gorge to see the rushing Colorado River!