Ron Adkison - Hiking Grand Canyon National Park: a guide to the best hiking adventures on the north and south rims

Hiking Grand Canyon National Park

A Guide to the Best Hiking Adventures on the North and South Rims

Third Edition

Ron Adkison

Updated by Ben Adkison

HELP US KEEP THIS GUIDE UP TO DATE

Every effort has been made by the authors and editors to make this guide as accurate and useful as possible. However, many things can change after a guide is publishedtrails are rerouted, regulations change, techniques evolve, facilities come under new management, and so on.

We would appreciate hearing from you concerning your experiences with this guide and how you feel it could be improved and kept up to date. While we may not be able to respond to all comments and suggestions, well take them to heart, and well also make certain to share them with the author. Please send your comments and suggestions to the following address:

Globe Pequot Press

Reader Response/Editorial Department

P.O. Box 480

Guilford, CT 06437

Or you may e-mail us at: editorial@GlobePequot.com

Thanks for your input, and happy trails!

To the rangers, past and present, of Grand Canyon National Park

Copyright 2006, 2011 Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

A previous edition of this book was published by Falcon Publishing, Inc. in 1997.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, P.O. Box 480, Guilford CT 06437.

FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

Falcon, FalconGuides, and Outfit Your Mind are registered trademarks of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Maps by XNR Production, Inc. Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Most photos by Ron Adkison; photos on pages x, 9, 22, 46, 58, 90, 96, 101, 109, 113, 115, 120, 134, and 139 by Ben Adkison; others as credited

Project editor: Julie Marsh

Layout: Kevin Mak

Library of Congress-in-Publication Date is available on file

ISBN 978-0-7627-9726-4

The authors and Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Since the first edition of this guide was published in 1997, I have returned to the Grand Canyonmy favorite placemultiple times. I thank all those listed here for their continuing support, ideas, and corrections. The folks at Globe Pequot Press, particularly Scott Adams, have helped to make this new edition possible.

The Grand Canyon is a monumental landscape, and writing a guidebook to the canyons trails evolved into a monumental task. Yet the task inspired in me a profound affection for that landscape, to which I yearn to return.

The staff at Grand Canyon National Park have many responsibilities, yet these dedicated professionals graciously took the time to answer an endless barrage of questions. They offered a great deal of generous support throughout the project, helping make this book useful and informative.

Foremost among them, my old friend John Rihs deserves great credit. John took time out from his busy schedule to join me in the backcountry from time to time. He shuttled me to trailheads and generously offered his home during my lengthy stays at the canyon. Throughout endless brain-picking sessions and through stacks of documents he shared, the landscape, trails, and role of the Park Service at the Grand Canyon began to make sense. John also shared some of his excellent photographs for this book.

Long hours were also spent with Andy Thorstenson, who shared his great knowledge of Grand Canyon vegetation. Andy also helped me gain a deeper appreciation of how it feels to hike in the Grand Canyon.

Few people know the Grand Canyons trails as intimately as Backcountry Ranger Bil Vandergraff. For a time Bil and I developed a habit of bumping into each other at trailheads and in the backcountry. During those impromptu question-and-answer sessions, Bil shared with me his vast knowledge of the canyons backcountry, and I am most grateful we met.

Bryan Wisher, Corridor ranger, kindly volunteered the information contained in the section First Aid. To date, this is the most useful information available to Grand Canyon hikers. Bryan did an excellent job compiling the material, and he deserves much credit.

Many thanks to Steve Sullivan at the Backcountry Information Center for his enduring patience. Steve helped me make sense of the intricacies of Backcountry Information Center operations, and he also shared a wealth of backcountry information.

Helen Fairley, staff archaeologist, generously offered me guidance regarding the parks archaeological and historical resources.

Many management decisions that affect visitors have taken place since the first edition of this book was published in 1997, particularly on the South Rim. Todd R. Berger, managing editor of the Grand Canyon Association, and Judy Hellmich, chief of interpretation at Grand Canyon National Park, offered invaluable assistance and guidance during the update of this edition. Thank you.

There were also countless people I met in the backcountry, some of whom unselfishly offered assistance when I needed it most, and they all offered great insights into Grand Canyon hiking and contributed enormously to this book.

Finally, without the support of my wife, Nancy, this edition would not be.

Ron Adkison, 2006

The dry bed of Little Nankoweap Creek and the Desert Facade come into view from Tilted Mesa Ridge on the Nankoweap Trail

Introduction

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, one of the worlds great natural wonders, offers much more than just incomparable scenery. Camping, scenic driving, challenging white water, fishing, and, of course, hiking are among the major attractions of the magnificent landscape of Grand Canyon National Park. Above all, Grand Canyon is a hiking park. Facing hundreds of miles of trails and many more miles of possible off-trail routes, hikers can meet the challenges of one of the worlds greatest desert canyons.

Much of the Grand Canyons 277-mile length is protected within the boundaries of the 1,215,735-acre Grand Canyon National Park. Within the park about 1,179,700 acres are considered backcountry, and much of that backcountry is proposed for federal wilderness designation. Due to its rugged landscape and inaccessibility, the parks backcountry retains much of its primeval character.

Most rim overlooks and Inner Canyon trails are located in the eastern part of the Grand Canyon where, in its great depths, bold towers, cliffs, and terraces of ancient rock typify the landscape. As you gaze into the Grand Canyon from the rim, it soon becomes clear that it is not simply one canyon, but rather a canyon system. The veins of countless tributary canyonsmany of them major gorges in their own rightfeed the artery of the river, which courses through its inner gorge, the canyon within the greater canyon the river has carved. Each side canyon displays its own unique characteristics, and many of these canyons funnel trails into the inner gorge; thus each trail provides a different wilderness experience.