The Capes of the Canyon are a set of two bikepacking routes located on the South and North Rims of Grand Canyon National Park. Both routes traverse classic Colorado Plateau geography. The COTC take riders into vast forests of pinyon, juniper, ponderosa, aspen, and spruce. They travel through open subalpine meadows and arid savannahs. They cross exposed plains of sand, sage, stone, and prickly pear. They traverse across benchlands and canyonlands topography. They touch the waters of the Colorado River. And most strikingly, they take bikepackers to Capes of land jutting out into geological space, providing riders iconically recognizable and rarely regarded views of the Grand Canyon.
The Grand Canyon bisects the portion of the Colorado Plateau found in Northern Arizona into two distinct halves. The South and North Rims offer bikepackers different views, perspectives, elevations, temperatures, climate, vegetation, and remoteness. Thus, the COTC exists as two circuits: South Rim Capes and North Rim Capes.
The Grand Canyon bisects the portion of the Colorado Plateau found in Northern Arizona into two distinct halves. The South and North Rims offer bikepackers different views, perspectives, elevations, temperatures, climate, vegetation, and remoteness. Thus, the COTC exists as two circuits: South Rim Capes and North Rim Capes.
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- Bikepackers looking to connect both Rims' COTC in one continuous go can find options in the Capes Connectors link found below.
- Shorter Capes Routes are for riders looking for shorter distances, have less time, or don't have the optimal weather windows.
- FKT information can be found at the link below.
- All GPX for the routes and connectors can be found in this Ride with GPS Collection.
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