The National Park Service constructed the South Kaibab Trail, on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, as an alternative to the Bright Angel Trail, which Ralph Cameron built and charged hikers a few to use. The South Kaibab Trail provides access to the bottom of the canyon for hikers willing to make the seven mile trek. Those who hike along the South Kaibab Trail should know that they are also journeying along the Arizona Trail, an eight hundred mile hike established in the 1980s that stretches across the entire state.

Hiking along the South Kaibab Trail provides some of the most breathtaking views of this majestic piece of American identity. The trail hugs the ridgeline of the canyon, exposing the hiker to beautiful vistas in front of them. However, this feature of the trail also puts trails users at risk for sun exposure and heat exhaustion, and can make for a strenuous hike. The park service warns hikers to not make the journey to the bottom and back in one day, but rather stop for a night at the Bright Angel Campground.

If park visitors do not come prepared with the supplies needed to travel the full length of the South Kaibab Trail, they can go to any of the suggested stopping points along the trail for a nice day hike. During the summer, the park suggests that day hikers go no further than Cedar Ridge, making for a three mile round-trip journey. Outside of the hot summer months, hikers can journey to Skeleton Point, providing more views and adding three miles to the trek.