The trail goes all the way down to the Colorado River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon offering a superb and strenuous overnight pack trip. The roundtrip length is 28 miles with an elevation change of nearly 6,000 feet. Under no circumstances should you attempt to hike the entire trail in one day.

Along the way down are several ppoints of interest that make for good day hikes. The Coconino Overlook (1.5 miles round-trip) or Supai Tunnel (4 miles round-trip) can give you an appreciation for the canyon's rich natural beauty and immense size. A hike to Roaring Springs and back is extremely strenuous and takes a full day (7-8 hours) - begin your hike before 7 a.m. Roaring Springs lies 3050 feet /930 m below the canyon rim and is 9.4 miles/15 km round-trip. A day hike beyond Roaring Springs is not recommended.

The trail is well defined and very steep. There is shade near the top of the trail but very little as you proceed further down. Please be aware it is very easy to loose track of how far down you have hiked. Be aware of how far you have hiked, the steepness of the trail is very misleading on the way down.