2026 Winter GRCA/Clear Creek

  •   Category Price Weight
  • Food for 4.5 Days $35.34
    5.48 lb
  • Water $0.00
    4.41 lb
  • Clothes, Worn $0.00
    0 lb
  • Above the Rim $0.00
    0 lb
  • Sleep $515.00
    2.33 lb
  • Clothes, Carried $187.50
    1.93 lb
  • Pack $241.50
    1.22 lb
  • Electronics $96.54
    0.87 lb
  • Shelter $329.00
    0.72 lb
  • Weather-Dependent $0.00
    0 lb
  • Kitchen $54.00
    0.26 lb
  • Water $0.00
    0.21 lb
  • Ditty $34.28
    0.18 lb
  • Navigation $177.00
    0.04 lb
  • Toilet $1.00
    0.03 lb
  • Camp Entertainment $22.99
    0.03 lb
  • Total $1694.15 17.7
    lb
    • oz
    • lb
    • g
    • kg
  • Consumable 10 lb
  • Base Weight 7.7 lb

Prev: 2025 Winter GRCA/Hermit-Tonto-BA

Next: 2026 HDT/ARCH-CANY-Hite

Trip

Winter in GRCA. 4 nights in the canyon, bookended camping on the South Rim. Fly to PHX, shuttle to GCV, the same back out.

Weather Forecasts: Grand Canyon Village, Phantom Ranch

Expect temps 5F-70F: 5F-55F on South Rim, 20F-70F inside. Expect any kind of weather: wind, rain, sleet, snow, cloudy, or maybe summery bluebird days. Blustery winds are probable. According to the National Weather Service's Flagstaff office data over the last 20 years January averages 4-5 precip days -- so for me some precip is possible, extended precip is unlikely but not impossible. South rim may have a foot of snow or be relatively snow-free. Snow deep inside the canyon is rare but not impossible. High exposure to wind and maybe UV. Rugged terrain. Clear Creek Trail is unmaintained but the description from 2024 suggest no surprises. Working north up Clear Creek involves some class 2 and 3 and some crossings, but the flow is low in winter.

This lighterpack represents my carry from the South Rim on Day 1 into the canyon.

Layer for comfort between 5F static to 70F moving; for high winds, freezing rain and whiteout snow. A typical winter day in the canyon is cloudy with highs in the 50Fs.

Context

If there is a point to being in the canyon, it is not to rush but to linger ... for as long as one possibly can.” ― Kevin Fedarko

Comparable but more aggressive trip and mileage to 2025 Winter GRCA/Hermit-Tonto-BA but this time on the other side of the river with more wide-open views of the South Rim. According to NPS statistics, Clear Creek is the most popular permit in winter outside of the corridor, averaging a bit more than 1 permit per day in January. It is more popular than the Hermit's Creek-BA area on the Tonto I visited last year where I saw equal numbers of bighorn sheep and people (7).

Most visitors seem to just tag Clear Creek, but major hiking opportunities abound in all directions: downstream tagging the Colorado River, upstream Cheyava Falls and nearby Obi Canyon with ruins and a rough scramble up to the north rim. Eastbound traversing between Wotans Throne and Angel's Gate one may reach Vishnu Creek and downstream to the Colorado or upstream to Nankoweap via the Juno Saddle and Butte Fault Route. I am interested in all these potential possibilities.

I was spoiled by the conditions last year, just a little bit of snow to walk through and a colder-than-average 7F night on the South Rim and then essentially perfect weather inside the canyon (40F-75F, clear skies, low wind). Weather will not always be this nice, be ready for clouds, precipitation and especially wind!

Changes from last time

Don't carry stuff I didn't use last time: the 6 oz Zojirushi is out, never used it. I carried a 13 oz umbrella because my wife borrowed my 4.5 oz Montbell, don't let that happen again. I may still carry an umbrella for precipitation but I guess I should check the forecast first? I also didn't use any decaf coffee, which I drink huge amounts of daily in real life. I imagine myself having to hunker down and ride out some weather, maybe bring a single tiny packet or none at all... barely read my e-book but it doesn't weigh anything.

Don't carry stuff I don't need below the rim: The biggest change is to 2-bag it. I'll bring a cheap, light duffel and check food + airtag + stakes for the flight, then use the duffel to stash items I don't need below the rim before I descend, hopefully at a lodge, then pick them back up at the end of the trip. This'll let me avoid carrying ~2 lbs I don't need and have a TPW ~3 lbs lighter than last time. Interestingly this means I don't have to wait for USPS to open in the morning so I can start earlier if I want -- though I'll use that time to transfer stuff between the 2 bags.

Increase caloric density: my TJ's ramen and hot cocoa are nice but are 115 cal/oz and 83 cal/oz respectively, which is too low. Replace with higher-calorie options such as coconut crunchy clusters, dark chocolate, oven-baked cheese (delicious!) and a different ramen/pb setup. ~~The last low-calorie item left are my beef sticks which I haven't found a good replacement for... ~~hmm, oven-baked cheese is actually a possibility, it is high-cal, high-protein and high-fat. I'm not sure if it's a gastronomically enjoyable replacement for beef sticks but I guess there's only one way to find out...

More calories: Last time my 5 lbs / 10,400 calories (130 cal/oz) food worked out almost perfect for 4 days but was too light on day 5. The only thing left at the end was my decaf coffee which I didn't use at all. On day 5 a group of 3 locals I hiked and camped with gave me a few extra snacks on their way out that allowed me to take a few more hours exiting the canyon to do an out-and-back to the Tipoff. I think I'll bring a bit more food... Currently at 5.48 lb / 13,637 calories (155 cal/oz).

=2850+2400+(960*2)+(370*4)+(570*2)+917+(340*4)+810+(190*4)

13637

A proper headlamp: For summer hikes I love a tiny flashlight because it's rarely used as the days are long. But in winter you spend much more time at camp and in the dark; a hands-free light source is much more useful and worth a bit of weight and bulk.

More neutral colors: I brought some brightly-colored clothing (beanie and wind jacket) last time and got gentle feedback on two separate occasions that it was inappropriate ("Do you go hunting?") so I will tone down the colors. I figured people would wear brighter clothing for safety/visibility reasons but I guess not!

Less water carrying (sort of): interestingly the only substantial water-less stretch is the 8.7 mile Clear Creek Trail between Phantom and Clear Creek which may have some puddles but should be assumed dry. Clear Creek area will have water readily accessible and should require no carrying near the creek and small carries for side trips. I will probably carry 4 liters for Clear Creek trail at the end of day 1 but that is likely it. This likely means my pack is very comfy day 2 onwards.

Is the fleece worn or carried? Fleece is likely NOT worn during mid-day while I'm moving in the sun, but is worn every other time -- morning, stops, shade while moving, evening, night. Now Clear Creek is popular in the winter specifically because it gets longer sunlight due to being south-facing and exposed... however, I'll only be on the exposed part of the Clear Creek Trail in the evening and morning, and once I drop into the greater Clear Creek area it's more protected and likely in the shade, so given the fleece is worn more often than not, I'll count it as worn.

Itinerary

Day 1

Mather Campground to the store for a last hot breakfast, then around the rim eastward to South Kaibab to the Tipoff shelter then down to Black Bridge and Bright Angel campground at just over mile 10. I'll rest and get some water. If the weather is poor or I'm not feeling it I'll stay at the campground, but this would be a short day. This would be a repeat of my R2R via the AZT in 2022. The group I was with got a permit for CBG but it's only 10 miles and we got there and had lunch and then just hung around. If the weather is decent and I'm feeling good I will hike another few miles and climb ~1300ft to gain the Tonto Platform, there are flat spots around mile 13 before Sumner Wash and the AJ9 boundary.

Day 2

From the AJ9 boundary it's a rugged 6.5 miles along the Clear Creek Trail through Sumner Wash, past Bradley and Demaray Points and Zoroaster Canyon to Clear Creek where I'll eat breakfast. Conditions-permitting I'll continue east to the Angel's-Wotan saddle and see if I can tag Vishnu.

Day 3

Explore Obi Canyon and try to find the ruins. Maybe see how far I can get up-canyon.

Day 4

If all goes well, tag the Colorado via Clear Creek. This is probably my lowest priority as it's quite straightforward and so it can slip.

Day 5

Hike out the way I came in, about 14 miles and 5,000 ft of climbing back to the Village Market for pizza. A solid day in the canyon. But my pack will be nice and light. The climb back up didn't bother me at all last year, I just walked up. If I'm not feeling up to it, I do technically have one more night on my permit in BJ9 although I don't plan doing so, I added it just to satisfy the requirement of not having AJ9 as the last day. Reward myself with a hot, late lunch and dessert, sleep at Mather Campground and shuttle back to PHX the next morning.

Skills

  • try cooking with the matches instead of the mini bic, maybe just bring matches next time?

Research