Hike Cheops Pyramid Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Cheops Pyramid is one of many ranked points named after historic or mythical Egyptian figures in this region of Grand Canyon National Park. I found it to be a cute naming convention. The feature is visible from the South Kaibab Trailhead, but it sort of just appears as a sheer face that blends into the many layers of the North Rim and is dwarfed by its northern neighbor, Isis Temple. Despite this, it’s a big day hike, and like many peaks in the park, this one requires significant effort from the South Rim. The route demands a descent to the Colorado River, an ascent to the summit on the opposite side, and then a return ascent back to the South Rim. This was also my first time down to the canyon floor—finally.

Some seem to call the high point “Cheops Plateau” and reserve the “pyramid” label for the little nubbin on the south side of the larger mesa top, but I’ll just call the high point “Cheops Pyramid” since I couldn’t find clarity regarding which point should earn that label. Regardless, there’s no easy way to link the two, as the connecting ridgeline is horrifying. And since the “pyramid” feature is unranked, I decided I didn’t much care to go for it. Apparently, it’s a Class 3 route from the south side.

I originally planned to leave my car at the Pipe Creek Vista roadside parking and walk to the South Kaibab Trailhead, but I decided to save my legs the additional mile and instead sit in a nice, heated shuttle bus after parking at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center. Absolutely the correct choice. My water filter was clogged as usual, so I was thrilled to learn from the backcountry office that there would be a drinking water spigot for refilling by the river and at Phantom Ranch. The NPS recommends confirming water availability before assuming it’s turned on.

Starting from the South Kaibab Trailhead, I caught a clear view of Cheops Pyramid, which remained a nearly constant presence across the canyon as I descended. The trail passed by the ever-popular Ooh Aah Point, where early morning crowds were already gathered. I continued down to Skeleton Point, where subsequent switchbacks ushered me down to a flat bench housing The Tipoff, a shaded metal shelter that, on my way back, was flooded with overheating hikers. The South Kaibab Trail resumed its descent from here toward the Colorado River, switchbacking ever downward. It was disheartening to watch Cheops Pyramid grow taller the more I hiked, since I was descending farther from its summit—opposite from how peakbagging normally works.

I crossed the Colorado River via Black Bridge, and after a peaceful stretch along the river and a water refill, I began along the North Kaibab Trail. Just before reaching Phantom Ranch, I peeled off the main trail using a small footbridge over Bright Angel Creek. On its opposite side, a heavily eroded social trail climbed steeply up the slope and guided me northwest toward a weakness in the major upper cliff band. After much ascending, this fortuitous break in the cliffs required some Class 2/2+ scrambling through a boulder-choked section. The social trail became harder to follow above this point for a short time, but it eventually led me toward the east side of Cheops Pyramid.

A blooming garden of prickly pear cactus stretched across the bench at the base of Cheops Pyramid, and I was feeling really good so far. Of course, I’d only done a couple thousand vertical feet at this point, and it was only getting hotter. The social trail contoured around to the north side of Cheops Pyramid, but it didn’t lead any closer to the summit. Unsure where it continued (and certainly left curious), I veered off of it, hiking steeply up to the base of Cheops’ formidable northeast face.

I hugged the base of the face until reaching the north ridge, where Class 2/2+ terrain greeted me initially along the crest. I then encountered a few Class 3 moves, some of which took a moment to locate. The rock was solid, the exposure manageable, and the ledge systems surprisingly secure. I was having a lot of fun, but the Class 4 move ahead had my nerves on edge. It had taken a lot of effort to get out here, and I couldn’t help but wonder how I’d feel if I ended up turning back.

Eventually, I reached the base of the short but serious Class 4 section. A vertical, loose fin marked the crest, but the actual Class 4 moves were just to the left, on much more stable gray rock. However, the exposure was about as bad as Class 4 gets. A series of solid holds led to a rubbly bit at the top. Going up wasn’t too much of a problem, but coming down was. On the later descent, I think I could have managed the Class 4 moves with confidence, but what spooked me was the gravel above the crux. I felt like I couldn’t get enough stability to comfortably position myself to start the downclimb safely. So I unashamedly used my webbing on the way back. Sadly, I couldn’t retrieve it, so my apologies to any purists who are upset to find webbing left behind.

Past the crux, a somewhat loose Class 2+ scramble led to the summit plateau. Just below the rim, I crossed a massive natural arch along the crest. After a bit of walking across the mesa, I reached the high point of Cheops Pyramid. The views down toward the Colorado River were spectacular, and I highly recommend continuing south of the high point to get a better vantage point of the surrounding area and of the knife-edge ridgeline connecting the high point to the peak’s lesser pyramid-shaped bump. I had zero interest in continuing over there.

On my way back, I was somehow feeling exceptional, but I misjudged what ascending from the canyon floor when it was 90 degrees would do to my body. The graded trail and a fresh water refill got me feeling cocky, so I darted up the trail far too quickly, the result being a level of fatigue I haven’t experienced in years. Despite having plenty of water and electrolytes in my system, the heat really messed me up, so much so that I cut my trip short due to being totally spent. Be careful out there!