Grand Canyon Grand Adventure (A Strenuous Backpacking Trip.)

Grand Canyon Grand Adventure – (A strenuous backpacking trip.)

Fantastic opportunity to see the Canyon from the inside out. We are looking for four experienced backpackers to join us for an early spring trip into the Canyon. (Total trip size limited to 11.) Will also accept a wait list for possible openings.

The trip will begin with an easy day of non-strenuous day hiking along the rim for acclimatization. The following day, our path will take us from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to the Colorado River along one of the Canyon’s threshold trails – the Hermit Trail. This trail is rugged and requires some route finding skill. It is 7.6 miles long; elevation at rim is 6,640’, at camp ground 2,840’. We’ll camp two days at the bottom of the canyon and then hike back to the rim.

This part of the trip will be followed by a day of rafting on the Colorado River to see the Canyon from a different perspective. This will be guided 1/2 day float trip. Our guides take care of everything including lunch. Optional. Here is a link to the river company's website:

A second trip to the canyon floor by way of the Havasu Trail through the Havasupai Reservation will begin a day after the day of rafting. This is also optional. The Havasupai trail is beautiful and once the canyon floor is reached, follows the Havasu Creek. This trip will include 3 nights of camping in the Havasupai Campground and day hikes along the creeks and falls of the Havasu. Mules for carrying gear out of the canyon are also optional. Here is a link to the Havasupai Tribe:

Spots for rafting and Havasu options are now open only to Hermit Trail hikers. You cannot add-on to do only the rafting and/or Havasupai trek.

Approximate totals for Hermit Trail: 22.2 miles; 4,290' elevation gain; 5 days. Approximate total miles to be hiked for the full trip, including optional portions: 68.2. Total elevation gain: 8,190 (combined). Total days: 11.

Trip leaders are first aid/CPR and WFA certified. Expect a slow and steady pace. (We'll be the tortoise of the fable, not the hare.)

SEE FULL ITINERARY BELOW.

Hermit Trail

DAY ONE – March 23

The canyon rim is over 7,000 ft. elevation so we’ll plan for day one to be an acclimatization day; nothing strenuous on the itinerary.

Morning ~ Group will meet at Dessert View Campground in Grand Canyon National Park. This campground is located 25 miles east of the Grand Canyon Village near the East Entrance. The campground opens on March 1 and sites are filled on a first come/first served basis (no reservations). The cost is $12/person per night. Jim and Nancy will plan to arrive early in order to secure neighboringsites for the group.

Afternoon ~ For all who have arrived: driving tour of the South Rim, Dessert View Drive. Visit Dessert View Watch Tower, Yavapai Observation station and 5 other points plus visitor center. There are plenty of places to stop for photos and to walk around. Click here for information on Dessert View Drive.

DAY TWO – March 24

Morning and afternoon ~ Car pool to shuttle bus stop. Take the Kaibab Trail Route, the Village Route, and the Hermits Rest Route with stops at observation points. Here is a link to shuttle bus information.We have two nice warm-up hike options along the way: Bright Angel or Hermits Rest.

Option One: Stop at Bright Angel Trail and hike to Three Mile Resthouse, a 6 mile (RT) hike, about 4.5 hours. “The Bright Angel Trail begins just west of Bright Angel Lodge and offers day hikes that range in distance up to 12 miles (round trip). Some shade. Seasonal water subject to pipeline breaks. Check at the Visitor Center or Backcountry Information Center for water status. Upper portion of the trailmay be extremely icy in winter or early spring.”

Option two: Alternate day hike - 7 mile (RT) day hike on Hermits Rest trail to Dripping Springs. About 5 hours. The first 1.75 miles are on the same trail we will begin our backpack trip on tomorrow.

“The Hermit Trail offers hikes to Santa Maria Spring, 5 miles (round trip), and Dripping Springs, 7 miles (round trip). Trail conditions are tougher than the Bright Angel and South Kaibab Trails. Unmaintained steep trail requires caution. Begins 500 feet west of Hermits Rest. Water from springs must be treated before drinking. For experienced desert hikers. Hiking boots recommended.”

Evening ~ Return to Dessert View Campground for dinner and camping.

DAY THREE – March 25

Morning ~ Break camp and load up cars by 8:00 a.m.

**NOTE** load up extra water to cache on the trail for return hike. Bring water containers to hold at least 1 gallon to carry and a second ½ to 1 gallon to cache. Pack for 3-days, 2-nights of backpacking. Other gear can be left in vehicles. You will need animal proof food storage containers for on the trail and for food left behind. Click here for information on food storage.

The Canyon is a dessert. Here is a link to information about hiking/backpacking preparedness and safety in the canyon. Click here.

Car pool to Hermits Rest to begin hike. (The road is closed to most traffic, but backpackers with backcountry permits are permitted to drive their cars to the trail head.) Hike in 7.6 miles to Hermit Creek Campsite; 5 – 6 hours. Click here for Hermit Trail full description.

Important notes:

“The Hermit Trail is unmaintained, the ruins of a pathway that hasn’t seen a trail crew in 80 years. If your Grand Canyon hiking experience is limited to the Corridor trails the Hermit Trail will represent a major step up in terms of physical difficulty and potential hazard. It is important for any serious canyon hiker to learn the names and be able to recognize the primary rock layers within the geologic cross section of Grand Canyon. Increasing your canyon knowledge can be its own reward, the more you know about the place the more you will take from the experience, but there’s more; when experienced canyon walkers discuss routes they locate themselves vertically within the canyon by referring to the rock layers. If hiker A said to hiker B: “I was at the top of the Redwall on the Hermit”, hiker B would understand without further discussion exactly where hiker A was. The Grand Canyon has created its own jargon, and it’s a language wilderness walkers need to know both for emergencies and personal satisfaction.

The site of Hermit Camp retains many artifacts, please leave what you find for others to discover. The stable area, the lower terminus of the tramway, and numerous foundations and cisterns are still in place for students of Grand Canyon history to locate and enjoy.”

Camp here for two nights. Hermit Creek Campsite is a pleasant spot at 2,880 feet. It offers a good base camp for explorations down Hermit Creek to the river and upcanyon into the Redwall narrows. Excellent views reach back to the soaring Redwall cliffs. Hermit Creek is a permanent water source, but water must be treated. All trash must be packed out.

DAY FOUR – March 26

Day hike options:

1.5 mile hike along Hermit Creek to the Colorado River at Hermits Rapids. (3 mile RT)
Out and back hike as far as desired on the westbound Tonto Trail. A point 2 miles out from camp on this trail affords memorable views of the river in Granite Gorge. (4 mile RT)

Click here for Tonto Trail description. We would be coming on to it in reverse from Hermit Creek.

Camp this night at Hermit Creek Campground

DAY FIVE – March 27

Morning ~ Return hike to the rim. Break camp, fill water bottles, pack and hit the trail early for the 7.6 mile hike back up and out of the canyon. It takes an average hiker 7 - 8 hours for the hike out so a 7:00 a.m. or earlier departure is called for.

Evening ~ Dinner and camp at Mather Campground. Optional: dinner at one of the restaurants in the Village.

Note: Mather Campground has showers and laundry and does accept reservations.

Rafting

DAY SIX – March 28

Morning ~ Rafting – Leave campground by 7:30 a.m. for 2.5 hour drive to the Colorado River Discovery
Company in Page, Arizona. Lunch provided.

“Colorado River Discovery offers the most fantastic rafting trips anywhere on the mighty Colorado River. Departing from the scenic town of Page, Arizona, your trip will begin with an exciting and exclusive ride down the two-mile long Glen Canyon Dam access tunnel. At river level, with the dam soaring 700 feet above you, you will board a comfortable pontoon raft for your journey downstream.

For the next fifteen miles, you will experience one of the most dramatic stretches of river in the western United States. Your experienced guide will tell the story of the area’s soaring sandstone cliffs, crystal blue-green waters, abundant wildlife, exploration by Major John Wesley Powell and others, and the river's modern role in the Southwest’s water and power delivery system.

A stop to view an impressive set of ancient petroglyphs will offer you a chance to stretch your legs and enjoy your lunch while bearing witness to the area’s former inhabitance by ancient native cultures. If you choose, you may also refresh yourself by wading in the cold, clear river.

The river portion of your trip ends at historic Lees Ferry, gateway to the Grand Canyon. Here you will board your bus for the short ride back to Page, where your vehicle or other transportation awaits.”

Evening ~ Return to Page by 4:30. Load up cars and return to Mather Campground by 7:00 p.m. or so for dinner and camping.

Havasupai Reservation – Mooney Creek

DAY SEVEN – March 29

Morning ~ Break camp and load up cars by 8:00 a.m.

**NOTE** Bring water containers to carry at least 1 gallon. Pack for 4-days, 3-nights of backpacking. Other gear can be left in vehicles. You will need animal proof food storage containers for on the trail and for food left behind. Click here for information on food storage.

The Canyon is a dessert. Here is a link to information about hiking/backpacking preparedness and safety in the canyon. Click here.

Car pool to the Havasupai Indian Reservation lands to the trail head at Hualapai Hilltop. The trail head is 191 miles and approximately 4 hours by car from the Grand Canyon Village. There is a patrolled parking lot at the trail head.

The hike to Supai Village is 8 miles. The campground is 2 miles further along the trail, past the Havasu Falls. The hike from the rim to the camp ground will take a total of 3 to 4 hours. Once the initial descent to the canyon floor is made, the trail follows gravel creek beds. About a mile and half before the village, the trail reaches Havasu Creek and the landscape turns lush green.

“The Havasu Trail is the main trail to the village of Supai. For those who have hiked other Grand Canyon trails, this one will seem relatively mild. Except for the initial descent to the canyon floor, the trail follows the stream gradient. Heat is usually the main obstacle.

Horse traffic on the trail may be heavy at times. Because no roads reach Supai, almost all of the needs of the canyon residents are supplied by horse. Supai has the last post office in the United Sates where the mail is delivered by pack train.”

Evening ~ Dinner and settle in. We will camp here 3 nights. The campground has compost toilets and spring water which must be treated. You may bathe in the creek using biodegradable soap.

DAYS EIGHT AND NINE – March 30, 31

On these two days, we’ll have time to explore Mooney Creek and swim in its beautiful aquamarine waters. Be sure to bring your bathing suit as nude bathing is prohibited! ;o) The Havasupai reservation is known for its magnificent waterfalls. The Colorado River is 7 miles from the campground so one long day hike of 14 miles (RT) is an option. We may also visit the Supai Village where there is a general store, but it does not appear that the Havasupai really want their village to be considered a tourist site.

Havasu campground is the only place camping is allowed on the reservation so we will camp here all three nights. All trash must be packed out.

DAY TEN - April 1

Morning~ Break camp and prepare to leave campground by 7:00 a.m. For those who wish to lighten their load going out, pack mules are available. Each animal can carry up to 130 pounds distributed evenly in up to 4 packages or bundles. The fee for each animal is $93.50 (subject to change), so the cost per person will be $23 - $31 if 3 or 4 people share an animal. The hike from camp to the rim is a full 10 miles, so carrying a lighter load may be welcome! However, the elevation gain is less than 2,000’. The hike out will take approximately 4 to 5 hours. Then we’ll have a 4 hour drive back to Mather Campground.

Evening ~ Back to Mather Campground by 6:00 p.m. for dinner and overnight camping. Optional: eat dinner at one of the restaurants in the Village.

DAY ELEVEN – April 2

Departure day.