Plan When to Hike

• Mar, Apr, and May: Weather fluctuates between ideal, extreme cold/snowstorms/icy trails, and inner-canyon heat exceeding 100 F in later May. Shoe traction devices may be necessary. 
• North Rim: Roads and services remain closed for the winter until May 15th.
• Jun, Jul, and Aug: DANGEROUSLY hot! Temperatures in the bottom of the canyon can exceed 120 F (49 C). Even when hikers stop walking, not being able to get out of the sun and heat can be deadly. Rangers and experienced hikers recommend avoiding the canyon in the summer. 
• Sep, Oct, and Nov: Summer heat and thunderstorms begin giving way to drier, more moderate temperatures with potential snow storms and icy trails late in the season. 
• North Rim: Services close at the end of October and roads close with the first major storm in late November.
• Dec, Jan, and Feb: Expect cold temperatures/snowy weather, but sunny days are more common. Trails will likely be icy at the top, and shoe traction devices may be necessary.

Grand Canyon uses a monthly lottery to ensure fair consideration of earliest requests for Backcountry Permits:

Lottery Applications: See "Important Dates" for the 2-week application periods.

Lottery Run: The lottery is run late on the 2nd of the month. It randomly reorders all applicants, giving the top 750 (in groups of 15) a date and time (a "timeslot") to log back in and make an actual itinerary reservation if space is available. There will be 5 timeslots per day (8am, 10am, noon, 2pm, and 4pm MST) over 10 days.

Timeslot: When your timeslot comes up (or any time or day after within that lottery month), you can login to make up to 1 itinerary reservation if available. 

Applicants Not in the Top 750: Remaining lottery applicants can see and reserve any remaining space starting around the 20th of the month (see chart).

Open to All: After the lottery month is over, everyone can check availability and make reservations (if space is available).

Visitor Use Limits: The 1988 Backcountry Management Plan established use limits for each section ("use area") of the canyon. Use limits are described in terms of the total number of people as well as the number of small (1-6 person) and/or large (7-11 person) groups allowed in each area each night. Here are a few pertinent details:

• Stay limits - All campgrounds and campsites have a stay limit of 2 nights per trip during the popular seasons. 
• Affiliated Group Rule - No more than 1 permit from the same affiliated group (club, group of friends, etc.) can be in the same use area on the same night -- breaking this rule voids all permits.
• Group Size - Limiting the size of your group to 6 or less will increase your chances of obtaining a permit as there are only a few large group sites.
• Commercial Use - In addition to following all normal backcountry permit requirements, commercial organizations must obtain a Commercial Use Authorization.

Other Information / Frequently Asked Questions