14er vs. Grand Canyon Rim to Rim

[quinwyo]

For those that have done both, is it easier to hike a Class 1 Colorado 14er or hike the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim?

[Stevo]

For those that have done both, is it easier to hike a Class 1 Colorado 14er or hike the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim?

Class 1 14er

[nunns]

Depends on the 14er, of course, and your aptitude at altitude, but typically a class 1 climb like Gray's, Quandary, or Sherman would be quite a bit easier than Rim to Rim.
Disclaimer: I have never done Rim to Rim, so I am just basing this on what I know personally about 14ers and what I have read about Rim to Rim (which is on my life list).
Personally I would think it would be much more difficult to descend and then ascend than vice versa.

Sean Nunn

[jdorje]

That's not even a comparison. R2r is 2-3x longer than the easiest 14ers.

[TomPierce]

I've done both and agree with the consensus, R2R was harder for me; I did it as a day hike. It's just a much longer day, has quite a bit of vertical, and (depending on when you go, of course...) there's the heat. When I went it got up to 100 degrees at Phantom Ranch. Not a lot of shade on the hike up. Not a death march, but challenging. A romp up one of the easier 14ers just doesn't compare. Just my .02.

-Tom

[Bill G]

Over 10,000 ft of elevation gain or loss and 24 miles for Rim to Rim. There is nothing comparable for CO. You'd need to do two 14ers, like Massive and Elbert to be comparable.

I ,like most people, do GC this as a multiple day trip. 14ers are usually 1 day. The GC trail itself is much better than any 14er. No scrambling, scree field or rock hopping which is why there is a segment of people who trail run R to R. Only once did I go rim to river and back in one day, never again.

Probably the biggest difference and one the GC rangers point out, the trails are inverse. With mountains, when you have the most energy, you go up. You finish by going down. With the heat of GC the climb out is brutal. Doing it as a multi day you can start the climb out at 4 AM when it's cool. If you climb out on a single day trip, your energy will drain quickly.

The length alone from rim to river makes it tougher than any class 1.

[peter303]

I think South rim to river and back is comparable to a longer 14er, say Massive. The difference is the long uphill slog is in the 2nd half of the hike. Rim to rim is longer, say doing a Sangre de Christo as a one day hike.

[Txhiker42]

I don’t know why this is the case, but my knees do not like descending the Grand Canyon and then ascending. They do not give me trouble when I ascend a 14er and then descend. After my first trip to the bottom of the canyon, I bought Chopat knee straps and use those for the descent. They help immensely, also with my hiking poles. You just might want to consider that your body will have different aches and pains than you’re used to.

Plus, depending on the time of year that you go, you may have to deal with extreme heat at the bottom. Last time I went, it was mid-May; snow and ice at the North Rim when we started, 90s at Phantom Ranch, and snowing again when we reached the South Rim. The Grand Canyon is a phenomenal experience you’ll never forget!

[disentangled]

descending first and then ascending is definitely psychologically painful. ouch.

[quinwyo]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I did my first 14er (Grays) this weekend and have a goal to hike R2R so I thought I'd ask so I can prepare accordingly.

[Monte Meals]

"I have a goal to hike R2R so I thought I'd ask so I can prepare accordingly."

https://www.amazon.com/Advil-Reliever-R ... 216&sr=8-4

[martinleroux]

Over 10,000 ft of elevation gain or loss and 24 miles for Rim to Rim. There is nothing comparable for CO... The length alone from rim to river makes it tougher than any class 1.

Really? What about Pikes Peak via the Barr Trail? That's a class 1, it's a 24 mile round trip, and it's got 7,600' of gain and the same amount of loss. R2R has 4,500' of loss and 5,800' of gain (or the other way around).

Of course there are many 14ers that are easier than the R2R, assuming that the weather's nice and the altitude doesn't bother you. But I don't see how you can claim that "there is nothing comparable in CO".