Bruce Grubbs - Hiking Arizona

Bruce Grubbs is an avid hiker, mountain biker, paddler, and cross-country skier who has been exploring the American West for decades. He has used high-technology gear in the backcountry in his work as a professional pilot, an amateur radio operator, and a mountain rescue team member. Bruce holds Airline Transport Pilot and Instrument Flight Instructor certificates. He lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, and is the author of more than thirty-five books.

Other books by the author:

Grand Canyon Guide

Exploring Great Basin National Park

Exploring with GPS

Hiking Northern Arizona

Best Easy Day Hikes Flagstaff

Best Easy Day Hikes Sedona

Hiking Arizonas Superstition and Mazatal County

Mountain Biking Phoenix

Mountain Biking Flagstaff and Sedona

Backpacker Magazines Using a GPS

Desert Hiking Tips

Hiking Nevada

Hiking Oregons Central Cascades

Mountain Biking St. George and Cedar City

For more information, check the authors website at brucegrubbs.com.

I would like to thank the many government employees who gave unselfishly of their time and expertise of the natural areas of Arizona. Here a just a few of those people:

Thanks to Joyce H. Wright, business manager, Arizona Strip Interpretive Association; Rick Best, chief interpreter, Navajo National Monument; and Joseph Spehar, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. And thanks to Forest Supervisor Conny J. Frisch, John Eavis, Charlotte Minor, and Wilderness Ranger John Neeling of Kaibab National Forest and Recreation Officer John Nelson and archaeologist Peter Pilles of Coconino National Forest.

Thanks to Fisheries Program Manager James R. Novy of the Arizona Game and Fish Department; Devin J. Wanner, public affairs specialist, Prescott National Forest; Dan Merritt, receptionist, and Beverly Blair and District Ranger Larry Widner, Globe Ranger District, Tonto National Forest. Thanks, too, to District Ranger Tom Bonomo, Verde Ranger District, Prescott National Forest; Frank Holmes, permit sales clerk, San Carlos Apache Tribe; and David Weir, information receptionist, Coronado National Forest. And thanks to Ron Morfin, Yuma Field Office, Bureau of Land Management (BLM); Bruce Asbjorn, outdoor recreation planner, BLM Kingman Field Office; Deputy State Director Michael Ferguson, BLM Resources Division; Ken Mahoney, Arizona BLM Wilderness Program Coordinator; and Park Ranger Jackie Price, Cibola National Wildlife Refuge.

Thanks also to my hiking friends who put up with my photography and trail mapping on hikes and backpack trips. And thanks to my friend and former coauthor, Stewart Aitchison, who originally suggested that we work together to produce a hiking guide to Arizona, for all the work he did on the first two editions of this book, as well as getting me started writing outdoor books. Special thanks to Duart Martin for her unflagging support of this project, especially during the final stages of editing and map preparation.

And finally, thanks to David Legere and the rest of the staff at FalconGuides for their patient efforts in making this new edition a reality.

Nearly 300 miles long and averaging 10 miles wide, the Grand Canyon is truly the master canyon of the Colorado Plateau. A lifetime can easily be spent exploring its depths. As you descend through the layered geology of the canyon, youll also be traveling southward in climate. On the South Rim mixed ponderosa pine and pion-juniper forest identify the transition life zone. Midway in your descent youll be passing through the upper Sonoran life zone, identifiable by its pygmy forest of junipers. Near the river youll be hiking in the lower Sonoran life zone, characterized by low desert shrubs and grasses. The North Rim of the canyon is formed by the south edge of the Kaibab Plateau, a scenic alpine plateau that is 8,000 to 9,000 feet in elevation. The plateau receives more rain and snow than the South Rim and so is covered with a forest of ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and quaking aspen.

Spanish conquistadors under the command of Coronado, who rode north from Mexico City in 1540, were the first Europeans to visit the Grand Canyon. They reached the South Rim in 1542, most likely somewhere between the present Tanner and Grandview Trailheads. They spent a number of days trying to find a way to the Colorado River, without success. Undoubtedly their native guide knew of several routes but chose to keep the information to himself. More than 200 years would pass before Europeans would see the canyon again. During the 1820s mountain men roamed the Southwest in search of beaver, but apparently none of these intrepid explorers got below the rims of the canyon. Major John Wesley Powell carried out the first scientific exploration of the great canyon system on two Colorado River float trips between 1869 and 1871. His group, one of several government-sponsored surveys of the West, also extensively explored the region surrounding the canyon. Powell named the Grand Canyon and many of its features. After Powells explorations, miners and prospectors began to establish trails into the canyon. Most of them eventually found that guiding tourists into the canyon was more profitable than mining. This last wave of miners improved their trails to accommodate tourists, and many of their trails are still popular with hikers today.

Several hikes on the Kaibab Plateau are featured in this section. These are great hikes for summer or early fall, as the plateau is high enough to be pleasantly cool even during the hottest summer days. Several of the best hikes into the canyon also are featured. These routes are historic trails that have been abandoned and now receive only minimum maintenance. It is strongly suggested that hikers carry the appropriate topographic maps on these hikes, as sections of trail may not be obvious. The hikes listed are within Grand Canyon National Park, and overnight camping requires a permit that can be obtained from the backcountry office on the South Rim. Reservations can be made in person at the backcountry office or in advance by mail or fax. For information contact the National Park Service office listed under Trail contacts with each hike. Campfires are not allowed in the park backcountry, so plan to cook on a backpacking stove.

WHY GO?

This is an opportunity to experience a remote and rarely visited tributary of the Grand Canyon on an overnight backpack trip or very long day hike. The route through the Kanab Creek Wilderness follows a historic trail through interesting sandstone formations. Youll also have opportunities to explore nearby areas, including Jumpup and Kanab Canyons.

Start: 42 miles south of Fredonia

Distance: 9.6 miles out and back

Hiking time: About 6 hours

Difficulty: Strenuous

Trail surface: Dirt trails

Water: Upper Jumpup and Lower Jumpup Springs

Seasons: Mar through May and Sept through Nov

Other trail users: None

Canine compatibility: Dogs under control on leashes allowed in national forest; dogs not allowed in Grand Canyon National Park

Land status: Kanab Creek Wilderness, Kaibab National Forest

Nearest town: Fredonia

Fees and permits: None required for wilderness area; permit required if you continue south into Grand Canyon National Park

Nat Geo Topo! map: Grand Canyon West