Grand Canyon Backpacking Checklist - Are You Forgetting Something

Do you remember the most embarrassing moment of your life?

I do.

I grew up at the Grand Canyon National Park and had hiked in and out many times. A friend of mine (who I happened to have a crush on) came to visit and I offered to take him on a hiking trip into the Canyon.

We planned everything, packed our bags and headed down the trail for a 3 day/2 night stay. We made it to Bright Angel Campground, set up our tents and started to prepare our well-deserved dinner.

The most embarrassing moment came when I realized that almost all of our meals were dehydrated and I had forgotten to bring the fuel canister for our stove! Oops.

We had to have snack food for dinner that night and cut our trip short by a whole day to hike out early the next morning.

At Least Remember the Important Stuff!

After that painfully embarrassing experience, I created a Grand Canyon backpacking checklist. I keep it in my backpack and refer to it before each trip I make.

Here's the quick version of things I recommend taking with you on your Grand Canyon hiking trip:

Safety

• Moleskin - because blisters can really cramp your style
• Gatoraide or Gookenaid - to prevent dehydration which is very common in the desert heat
• Ibuprofen and/or TigerBalm - The best muscle pain relief there is
• Sunblock
• Basic first aid kit with a medium size Ace bandage
• Indestructible, waterproof Wilderness Medicine First Aid pocketbook

Emergency gear

• A small roll of duct tape
• Flashlight
• Swiss Army knife or a Leatherman tool

Cooking gear

• Stove, fuel container and waterproof matches
• Pot and pot holder - My MSR stove packs into one of their collapsible pots
• Cup, plate and utensils
• Food to cook
• Lots of snacks

Clothing

• Plenty of clean socks
• Sweatshirt for layering
• Sandals to wear around camp and in the water
• Wide brimmed rain/shade hat Light
• Gore-Tex shell

Other

• Bug repellent
• Water bottles
• Sunglasses
• Tent and sleeping bag
• Camera
• Toothbrush/toothpaste
• Deodorant