“Ooh-Aah Point”
…one of the silliest names for a place in the Grand Canyon, if you ask me.

These photos are from a day-hike I did on the South Kaibab Trail, one evening after work. I didn’t get started until 5pm, but it was all for the better. The main purpose of this hike was to place a two gallon cache of water near the Tipoff, for my upcoming Grandview-Tonto-S.Kaibab loop.

The South Kaibab Trail follows an open ridge that’s a prominent feature of the main corridor, seen frequently in evening photos from Yavapai and Mather points. When viewing the sunset from these locations, I had always thought it would be pleasant to be on this trail in the evening. It was.

Zoraster Temple was awesome to see in this light.

The Tonto Plateau

I reached The Tipoff just as the sun sank over the rim, and was greeted by this small group of desert bighorn sheep. It was a great experience to see them so deep in the canyon, at a place that’s usually somewhat crowded with hikers. I had not seen anybody since the far upper reaches of the trail, and felt as though I had all the Grand Canyon to myself.

Most of the return hike to the rim was in the dark. The transition from dusk to starlight – on the move in the Grand Canyon – was something to be marvelled at, as always.

I was concerned about catching the last shuttle bus home from the trailhead, and made the 4.5 miles from the Tipoff to the rim in one and a half hours!