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Home > Grand Canyon > Things to Do > Best Hikes > Cape Final Trail

Hiking Cape Final in Grand Canyon

Hiking Grand Canyon's Cape Final Trail

*Hiking Grand Canyon’s Cape Final Trail adapted from Grand Canyon: The Complete Guide

Hiking Grand Canyon’s Cape Final Trail

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 4 miles, round-trip
Hiking Time: 2 hours
Elevation Change: 150 feet

Cape Final is one of the best hikes on Grand Canyon’s North Rim. The trail heads to the easternmost tip of Walhalla Plateau, offering sweeping views of the Vishnu Temple, Jupiter Temple and eastern Grand Canyon. The views are among the finest on the North Rim, and due to Cape Final’s relatively remote location crowds are generally few and far between.

From Cape Royal Road, the trail heads through an open ponderosa forest, then strolls past cacti and pinyon pines. Cape Final itself, reached via a faint path, can be a bit hard to find—look for the USGS datum points embedded in the bedrock at the overlook.

Backpacking note: It’s possible to camp at Cape Final. The park’s Backcountry Office grants one camping permit per night. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on that permit, you’ll have Cape Final all to yourself at night!

Trailhead The Cape Final Trail starts along Cape Royal Road. The small trailhead (which can be easy to miss) starts roughly 11.8 miles south of the junction with Point Imperial Road (2.5 miles north of the end of Cape Royal Road).



Looking for a Color Topographic Cape Final Hiking Map?

There’s one inside Grand Canyon: The Complete Guide!

View on Amazon

Clouds in Grand Canyon, Cape Final

View from Cape Final

Double rainbow, Cape Final, Grand Canyon

Double rainbow!

Lightning storm, Cape Final, Grand Canyon

Lightning storm in the distance

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My award-winning, full-color guidebook is filled with insider tips. Save time & money!
 
View on Amazon

My name is James Kaiser, and I believe travel should be fun, affordable and enlightening—especially in national parks, where there's so much to experience.

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