BS9 - Fossil, At-Large Camping - Large or Small Group

Permit required

BS9 - Fossil, At-Large Camping - Large or Small Group is a designated backcountry camp. You cannot reserve it directly — you must name it on a wilderness permit, and camping here without one is not permitted.

Apply for the permit on Recreation.gov

Requires Advanced Grand Canyon Experience: This trailless, at-large use-area is for only backpackers with extensive off-trail navigation skills at Grand Canyon. We do not recommend hiking alone in this area and strongly recommend that you leave detailed route information with an emergency contact at home who can be trusted to call the park if you do not contact them within 24 hours of your expected return.

Wild Management Zone

Coming soon.

Before calling the Backcountry Office to make a reservation in this area, please fill out a Hiker Information Sheet and email it to grca_bic@nps.gov.

Due to intense heat and the lack of shade and water along the trail, it is not recommended to hike here from late May through mid-September. Tribal Land. Havasupai Tribal Permits (call 928-448-2237) are required for any access across their land, and these tribal permits are not always granted. Hikers who choose to access the Fossil Use Area by hiking on National Park Service land without crossing tribal land do not need permits from the tribe. Cryptobiotic soil is a living crust that prevents erosion and helps desert plants get water. `Don`t bust the crust!` Stay on the trails.

Fees

What are the Backcountry Permit Charges? Basic Permit Charge: $10 (non-refundable). Waived for lottery winners and runners-up during the early access month when reserved through timeslot. Nightly Charge: (refundable until 30 days before permit start date provided permit has not yet been printed): $15 per person or stock animal for below rim use. $4 per person or stock animal for above rim use. Permit holders are responsible for paying park entrance fees upon arrival. When can the permit be printed? Permits can be printed as early as one-month before the permit start date. Permittees can no longer directly modify or cancel their permits once printed - please reach out by email to a Ranger for assistance at grca_bic@nps.gov or 928-638-7875. What happens if I forget to print my permit? Stop by the Backcountry Information Center before your hike begins to acquire a printed permit.

Rules

DECIDE WHERE YOU WANT TO HIKE Inner-Canyon Corridor Bright Angel Campground is by far the most requested and highly popular below-rim backpacking destination within Grand Canyon National Park. Located near the confluence of Bright Angel Creek and the Colorado River, this campground has restrooms, potable water, shade trees, picnic tables, a Ranger Station, and proximity to the inner-canyon Phantom Ranch Lodge. This area is perfect for fit hikers who are ready for their first hike within the Grand Canyon backcountry. The Bright Angel Trail and South Kaibab Trail both lead from the South Rim to Bright Angel Campground, and the North Kaibab Trail leads there from the North Rim. These three trails all connect at the bottom of the canyon over the Colorado River by way of two steady foot bridges. Because these are the only bridges within the entire Grand Canyon backcountry, this is called the "Trans-Canyon Corridor" or just "Corridor" (i.e. it is "the" way to get from one rim to the other). These trails are Grand Canyon's widest and best maintained inner-canyon trails. Preferred Hike: Most choose to begin and end their hikes on the South Rim, and the most common backpacking itinerary they choose includes staying up to two-nights at Bright Angel Campground and/or up to two nights at Havasupai Gardens Campground. Backpackers hiking either direction between Bright Angel Campground and the North Rim (open mid-May through late November) should request to stay at Cottonwood Campground to split up the one-way 14.5 mile (23.3 km) hike which has a 6,000 feet (1,829 m) change in elevation. See our Corridor Brochure for more information. Hikes for Returning Grand Canyon Hikers All hikes into and especially out of the canyon are difficult, and because of the difficulty most who hike the canyon only do so once. Nevertheless, some do return for at least a second hike. Many of these choose to do another hike in the Corridor or to branch out onto a harder, less commonly used trail. The Hermit, Grandview, and Clear Creek trails are often recommended for second Grand Canyon hikes. The Hermit Trail is a common choice for returning Grand Canyon hikers and is often recommended for a second backpacking trip in the canyon. However, many who hike here as their second Grand Canyon hike will rate the Hermit Trail as being twice as difficult. This may be due to mis-remembering the difficulty of their previous hike or simply due to the challenge of hiking on a steeper, narrower, looser treaded, and exposed trail. The Grandview Trail is another common choice for a second backpacking trip in the canyon. This trail descends to Horseshoe Mesa, an inner canyon plateau located about 2,500 feet (762 m) below the rim. Most who hike here seek to stay one or two nights then return to the rim. The Clear Creek Trail starts at the bottom of the canyon by Bright Angel Campground and involves a 2 mile (3.2 km), 1,250 foot (381 m) climb before continuing another 7-miles (11.2 km) east to the Clear Creek drainage. Most who choose this hike seek a four night itinerary starting on the South Rim: first night at Bright Angel Campground, second and third nights in Clear Creek, and a fourth night back at Bright Angel Campground. Advanced Hikes for Experienced GC Hikers Grand Canyon National Park encompasses more than 1.2 million acres (4,856,228 ha), though much of the park is inaccessible due to the predominance of cliffs. Most of these areas are extremely remote and recommended only individuals who have extensive route finding ability and are highly experienced Grand Canyon hikers. The Colorado River bisects the canyon; there are bridges for hikers in the Phantom Ranch area only. See Researching Other Areas for more information. Rim Camping Backpackers who wish to stay above the rim entirely or include rim-top camping as part of a larger itinerary can do so on the North or South Rims. Options for Designated or At-Large backcountry camping exist. LIMITED AVAILABILITY Demand for Grand Canyon backcountry permits often exceeds availability, and applicants are encouraged to apply early. Lottery: Grand Canyon uses a monthly lottery to ensure fair consideration of earliest requests for Backcountry Permits (see Overview Tab for more information). Later Reservations: Sometimes space remains available after the Lottery month -- this space can be viewed and claimed through Recreation.gov. Watch for Cancellations: Space can also become available at later times due to cancellations, and cancellations are more likely to occur around 30-days before start dates (this is the last opportunity for permittees to cancel and receive partial refunds). Recreation.gov randomly releases this cancelled space online within 24-hours, and it tends to be claimed quickly. Recreation.gov allows new reservations as late as 5-days prior to the hike start date. Last Minute Waitlist: Grand Canyon holds back a very limited amount of space at Havasupai Gardens and Cottonwood Campground for in-park visitors seeking a last-minute permit. No last-minute space is held for Bright Angel Campground. These permits are issued in-person only at the Backcountry Information Center (BIC), are for one night, and cannot be purchased more than one day prior to the start of a hike: Havasupai Gardens Waitlist Space is exclusively released at South Rim BIC: Jan 1 - Feb 29: 1 site for up to 6 people. Mar 1 - Nov 30: 5 sites held for waitlist for up to 15 people. Dec 1 - Dec 31: 1 site held for waitlist for 6 people. Cottonwood Campground Waitlist Space is exclusively released at North Rim BIC: May 15 - Oct 31: 1 site for up to 4 people. (No space held for remainder of year).