View Full Version : Grand Canyon
The Will
02-02-2006, 15:52
I'd like to spend some time in and around the Grand Canyon over spring break. I understand the backcountry camping permit system they have and since it is less than 8 weeks until I head that way and have yet to secure permits I know that I am way behind in the game.
My question to anyone with experience in that area....surely there must be some little visited parts of the park (North Rim?) or even outside of the park boundries that I may experience the "grandness" of the place (why use a different adjective when they got it right the first time?) and some backcountry solitude.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
The Solemates
02-02-2006, 16:10
backpack havasupai indian reservation. its still in the canyon, just not the natl park. its absolutely beautiful.
then, if you still have time, drive to GC natl park and do some dayhikes into the canyon.
thats what we did because we were in the same boat as you. actually, we were worse off. we planned our trip only 2 weeks in advance.
MisterSweetie
02-02-2006, 16:31
backpack havasupai indian reservation. its still in the canyon, just not the natl park. its absolutely beautiful.
then, if you still have time, drive to GC natl park and do some dayhikes into the canyon.
thats what we did because we were in the same boat as you. actually, we were worse off. we planned our trip only 2 weeks in advance.I absolutely second this recommendation. If you're like me and are set on hiking in the GCNP, then you could dayhike down to the Colorado River and hike back out, no permits necessary. Lots of marathoners do this as a run, for training. Warning though, this is a serious hike, and you should be in great shape before you do it. But that's only if you're set on the GCNP, because you can forget getting a permit.
Since you have no permit, definately go to Havasupai. To get your search started, look for info on hualapai hilltop, which is where you'd park to hike down. Then hike to Supai, and on past Supai to Havasu falls where there is a ton of camping. This is absolutely beautiful. There are pictures all over, but maybe I could post some if you want. I love this place. Spent a week there, and if I had the chance I'd leave right now to go back.
There are dayhikes in this area too, one that's about 16mi round to the Colorado. Others to a few other notable falls, Navajo, Mooney, and one more I think. Anyway, now I'm rambling.
... since it is less than 8 weeks until I head that way and have yet to secure permits I know that I am way behind in the game.
I wouldn't sweat this too much. I've shown up and gotten permits, but you have to be a little flexible, present an image to the ranger that you know what you are going, and be flexible. Note the flexible part.
See http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/faculty/cwillett
where you'll find pictures and text from three GC trips I've done in the past three years. I like it so much that I'm going back this year again. I did the permit thing early (first time) and got exactly what I wanted, when I wanted. I'm going to be west (yes, west) of the Bright Angel area.
I really liked the trip I did last year (Alone With Escalante) and would highly recommend it. Personally, I'd stay out of the main area as much as possible. Last year I was told certain areas were full (near the Tanner/Beamer intersection in the east) but didn't see anyone for a couple of days. As there is really only one trail running through the area, I concluded that they had simply not shown up. I was mostly legal on that trip.
The north rim will be snowed under and very cold. You could hike from the South Rim down to the river, cross at Phantom Ranch, and then hike east on a trail whose name I forget. That was my back up plan. I'd go in (about 8-10 miles), set up camp, and then explore for a day or two.
You could hike from the South Rim down to the river, cross at Phantom Ranch, and then hike east on a trail whose name I forget. That was my back up plan. I'd go in (about 8-10 miles), set up camp, and then explore for a day or two.
This is the Clear Creek Trail. I was going to explore this one spring but never crossed the river, just stayed on the Tonto Platform on the south side. But, I had done some research into Clear Creek and it looked like a blast. Like Chris said, set up a base camp and explore for days to your heart's content. I think that if you follow Clear Creek down to the river there's one dicey pourover that you have to get down (and back up!).
Just stay away from the corridor trails if you're looking for plenty of solitude. Depending on how much time you have, descend on the Tanner Trail and follow the Beamer Trail east to the confluence of the Little Colorado River, then explore up the Little Colorado River Gorge for a ways. Return the way you came.
A nice trip is to descend on the Grandview Trail (if it's open) and hike west along the Tonto Trail to Bright Angel, then ascend Bright Angel Trail back to the rim. Camping is nice at Grapevine Creek and in the spring there should be water in Cottonwood Canyon and Lonetree Canyon as well, although check with the Backcountry Office about this. You can camp at Bright Angel Campground for an "easy" hike back to the rim the next day. If you camp at Bright Angel, be sure to hike out to Powell Point at sunset ... you won't be alone, but it's beautiful.
I was under the impression that if you wanted to hike on Tribal Land, you had to write to the Havasupai Authorities for permission, as opposed to just showing up. But, I may be wrong about this.
I always had a permit when I went, but like Chris advises, just be flexible, with several itineraries, and you should be able to find some nice hikes.
Have fun! Wish I was going with you!
I like it so much that I'm going back this year again. I did the permit thing early (first time) and got exactly what I wanted, when I wanted. I'm going to be west (yes, west) of the Bright Angel area.
Chris, just curious ... are you heading for the Royal Arch route and Elves Chasm?
Nope. Nothing fancy. Down the Boucher, along Tonto West, and up South Bass. There are a couple of interesting platform-like formations near the top that I'm going to explore for a bit before going the rest of the way out. Main problem is getting back to Mather from the trailhead. It is a gravel road that doesn't get much traffic and my hitching karma is absolutely terrible these days.
The Solemates
02-03-2006, 10:56
I was under the impression that if you wanted to hike on Tribal Land, you had to write to the Havasupai Authorities for permission, as opposed to just showing up. But, I may be wrong about this.
I always had a permit when I went, but like Chris advises, just be flexible, with several itineraries, and you should be able to find some nice hikes.
Have fun! Wish I was going with you!
that would be a good idea to call ahead. http://www.havasupaitribe.com/index.htm
MisterSweetie
02-03-2006, 11:18
that would be a good idea to call ahead. http://www.havasupaitribe.com/index.htm
Great site. Best picture I've seen of Mooney, too.
http://www.havasupaitribe.com/images/mooney_falls.jpg Anyone else know of one from the rim of the nearby canyons? Great shot!
LostInSpace
02-03-2006, 12:48
A good site for info about hiking GCNP is www.kaibab.org (http://www.kaibab.org).
If you are going in eight weeks, then the North Rim will likely be closed except in the far western part of the park. The North Rim normally is not open until mid-May because of snow. My trip last year was washed out because the North Rim was late in opening. We already had plane tickets into St. George, so we did Zion and Bryce instead.
There are some great hikes on the North Rim, and in mid-Summer they are a lot cooler than the ones in the canyon proper. The western part of the North Rim is a lower elevation than the eastern part, so it does not get as much snow. Considering your timeframe, South Rim hikes are likely to be the only viable choice. The corridor trail campgrounds are the ones that fill up first: Bright Angel, Indian Gardens, and Cottonwood. I agree, as was suggested, that picking for some of the areas farther west or east may give you a better chance.
The drawback of the Havasupai Indian Reservation hike is the crowd. If you are going on Spring Break, then you will likely have lots of company on that route, perhaps too much.
If you decide to hike in the park, I would suggest planning some itinerary right away and faxing a permit request to the Backcountry Office. Make sure it covers the number of days you want to hike. You probably will not get what you request. However, the BCO will send back your request with an alternate itinerary. They will not bill you credit card until you call to confirm that you will accept what they suggested. This approach may be better than waiting until you get to GCNP and taking pot luck, and you have nothing to lose by making a request. If you like the alternative, at least you will have a confirmed itinerary.
I’m doing a week in the canyon in May: South Kaibab Trail, Clear Creek Trail, North Kaibab Trail, shuttle from the North Rim back to the South Rim. I faxed my request to the BCO at one minute after midnight, January 1. This was the earliest they would accept campground reservations. We got what I requested.
The Falcon Guide, “Hiking Grand Canyon National Park”, by Ron Adkinson is a worthwhile. Unless you are an experienced GCNP hiker, don’t buy the Falcon Guide, “Hiking Grand Canyon Loops.” The Sierra Club Totebook, “Hiking The Grand Canyon”, by John Annerino, is an okay second choice, but I recommend the first Falcon Guide.
Another good site for checking out Grand Canyon hikes, to include the Havasu Canyon, is:
hikearizona.com
Click on "Grand Canyon" under the indexes and you get some excellent descriptions and pictures of the available trails.
I moved to SC from AZ three years ago and miss the GC greatly - it is truly a special place!
There are a couple of interesting platform-like formations near the top that I'm going to explore for a bit before going the rest of the way out. Main problem is getting back to Mather from the trailhead. It is a gravel road that doesn't get much traffic and my hitching karma is absolutely terrible these days.
You should have a lot of nice solitude on that chunk of the Tonto, so enjoy! I checked my map and I see what you mean about some interesting formations. Huxley Terrace looks like it's perfectly flat and extends about 1/3 of the way to the river!
No one wants to drive that road out to South Bass trailhead (from what I understand, it's not even passable much of the winter / spring), but you might get lucky and have someone driving out when you are leaving. You could walk out the Old Pasture Wash Road ... it would probably add a couple of days to your hike, but it sure would be peaceful!
Hope to see a trip report and photos, as I really enjoyed the one from your Escalante hike. Take care and be safe!
The Will
02-04-2006, 22:12
Let me share my appreciation for the response. I definitely have a some parameters to work within now. One more question: for the latter half of March, what should I expect temperatures to be from rim to river?
Thanks.
LostInSpace
02-04-2006, 22:52
Let me share my appreciation for the response. I definitely have a some parameters to work within now. One more question: for the latter half of March, what should I expect temperatures to be from rim to river?
Thanks.
South Rim North Rim Inner Canyon
Max° Min° Precip Max° Min° Precip Max° Min° Precip
JAN 41 18 1.32 37 16 3.17 56 36 .68
FEB 45 21 1.55 39 18 3.22 62 42 .75
MAR 51 25 1.38 44 21 2.63 71 48 .79
APR 60 32 .93 53 29 1.73 82 56 .47
MAY 70 39 .66 62 34 1.17 92 63 .36
JUNE 84 54 1.81 77 46 1.93 106 78 .84
JULY 84 54 1.81 77 46 1.93 106 78 .84
AUG 82 53 2.25 75 45 2.85 103 75 1.40
SEPT 76 47 1.56 69 39 1.99 97 69 .97
OCT 65 36 1.10 59 31 1.38 84 58 .65
NOV 52 27 .94 46 24 1.48 68 46 .43
DEC 43 20 1.62 40 20 2.83 57 37 .87
LostInSpace
02-04-2006, 22:55
Well, that didn't work, and I can't edit the post. I'll add an attachment with the temperatures to this post.
Let me share my appreciation for the response. I definitely have a some parameters to work within now. One more question: for the latter half of March, what should I expect temperatures to be from rim to river?
Thanks.
I've had rather variable weather the last three years. However, here are some rough ideas. All dates are in late March.
2003: Rain and cold. Highs in the upper 50s, lows in the lower 40s. Mostly ok for hiking.
2004: Warm. Highs in the upper 80s, lows in the lower 60s.
2005: Warm and cold. Highs in the mid 70s, rain, lows in the mid 30s.
If you can, bring lots of different clothes to the trail head. If you are carless, I'd plan on a wide range of temps. While hiking, perhaps mid 40s to upper 60s. Camping, depending on elevation, I'd plan mid 30s tp upper 50s. This isn't super useful, other than trying to indicate that you just can't predict the weather there more than a few days in advance.
Max Power
02-05-2006, 11:00
This thread is great! I plan on taking a road trip from Fontana Village to San Diego. I planned on spending several days at Grand Canyon as well.
Any suggestions on other places I must stop between NC and CA?
I am Taking I40 there and I70 back.
There is a lot of great stuff in between, some large and some small. Death Valley is one of my favorite places. I'd only go if I could spend at least 3 days there, though. The town of Moab isn't far off I-70 and has a really cool vibe to it. Half Git-R-Dun rednecks and half live-in-a-bus hippies. It balances out nicely. But, you won't see it unless you spend a couple of days there. If you go out in the spring, I'd stop and climb San Jacinto. This is a bit outside of San Diego. You can access it from San Gorgonio pass, which is the flat area through which I-10 rolls. Actually, I'd do a loop on the PCT if I was there in the spring.
No Belay
03-09-2006, 01:19
No one wants to drive that road out to South Bass trailhead (from what I understand, it's not even passable much of the winter / spring), but you might get lucky and have someone driving out when you are leaving. You could walk out the Old Pasture Wash Road ... it would probably add a couple of days to your hike, but it sure would be peaceful!
I exited the Canyon after a 30 day trek in 2003 by South Bass and walked cross country skirting the rim back to the South Rim BCO in a day. Beautiful hike in its self. The road from the south gate area leading to Pasture Wash Road is almost always passable and Pasture Wash is usually good to the old ranger station. Only bad part of the deal is that you enter Indian land about 5 miles before Pasture Wash and if they happen to catch you, it's a $25 permit. In 2002 I drove in and stashed a mountain bike near the South Bass trailhead then road it out after doing the Tonto from Hermit's.
Permits are fairly easy to come by on a walk in bassis if you aren't particular where you go. Get to the BCO early(day before) and be patient. Another option is to check for cancellations at Phantom Ranch. They are also common, be at the desk at 5:45am, and if you get one you won't need a hiking permit for those days. Lots of good places in that area such as Ribbon Falls, Upper Ribbon falls. Good Luck with the permits and enjoy the Canyon.