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Destinations Hiking Trails of the Grand Canyon
Destinations Hiking Trails of the Grand Canyon
| Hiking Trails of the Grand Canyon |
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| Written by Ed Grove |
| Monday, 23 June 2008 09:33 |
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Mention the Colorado River as it journeys through the Grand Canyon and most paddlers drool over such rapids as Granite, Crystal and Lava Falls. The Canyon experience, however, is not just about whitewater. Equally thrilling are the many unique side canyons that trickle into the main canyon for the 225 miles between the Lee's Ferry put-in and the Diamond Creek take-out. Here are my favorites (with miles downstream from the put-in): North Canyon (mile 20): Not only does this U-shaped canyon give a flavor of other magnificent side canyons to come, but its clean Supai sandstone walls are polished perhaps more than any other canyon on the trip. A mile hike up North Canyon leads you to a pool fed by water trickling down a polished sloping notch. Venturesome hikers can wade across the pool, scoot up the notch, and work their way back into this cozy canyon until they reach a breathtaking amphitheater of luminescent orange limestone. Silver Grotto (mile 29): This aerobic workout close to the Colorado is worth it to enjoy a challenging series of pools in a narrow slot canyon of subtly banded white, gray and pink limestone. Your effort comes from alternately swimming and wading through pools and then climbing up the short sloping rock faces connecting them. The last pool is in a wonderful intimate amphitheater. Nautiloid Canyon (mile 35): This scramble over a short steep rock formation near the river leads to a small canyon with unique fossils--nautiloids, the unwound ancestors of the reclusive chambered nautilus which exists today in the South Pacific. Bring water to splash on the smooth rock canyon floor containing these two-foot long critters because their shapes come alive when you wet them. Also, be on the lookout for red-spotted toads which thrive in the pools by the fossils. Saddle Canyon (mile 47): This mile hike is full of variety. First, there is a climb up a desert slope. Then you reach Saddle Canyon Creek with its lush corridor of water-loving plants. Finally, you arrive at a series of pools culminating in a short climb up to a delightful small waterfall cascading into the last pool. Nankoweap and Little Nankoweap (mile 52): Here you have two choices. First, you can hike three-quarters of a mile up to ancient Anasazi Indian granaries built into the canyon wall overlooking the Colorado River. These are some of the best preserved ruins in the Grand Canyon and are reputed to be nearly 1,000 years old. You also can take a more vigorous hike up little Nankoweap Canyon with its interesting terraces and pools (dry in summer). Little Colorado (mile 61): The Little Colorado is best when it has not rained recently. In 1990 we arrived after a heavy thunderstorm and the Little Colorado had the consistency of chocolate pudding. A dozen miles upstream of its confluence with the Colorado, the Little Colorado seeps from large springs laden with magnesium and calcium carbonate. These chemical compounds precipitate onto the Tapeats sandstone riverbed and make it white. As a result, the water takes on an eye-popping electric turquoise hue. Best of all, the water is much warmer than the Colorado. Consequently, numerous pools and ledges of the Little Colorado invite swimming and jumping into these magical waters. While frolicking, however, be careful of the river bed's sharp travertine. Many paddlers floating through the Class I rapids on the Little C put their life vest armholes through their legs, pull them over their hips, and zip the vests up tightly to protect their butts as they bump down the river's ledges. Clear Creek (mile 84): Just above Phantom Ranch (mile 88), Clear Creek is truly one of the wonders of the Canyon. It slices its way vertically through a fault in the 1.7 billion-year-old, black, forbidding Vishnu schist and ends a vigorous half-mile hike with a delightful two-part where you can experience a fresh water shower after the first week on the river. Elves Chasm (mile 116): This aptly named hideaway a quarter mile from the river features an elf-sized waterfall pouring out of a fern-filled rocky grotto of Tapeats sandstone into a crystal pool. Venturesome paddlers can climb the Elves Chasm gneiss above this grotto to see additional waterfalls where the water plays tag with rocks, crevices and ferns. Blacktail Canyon (mile 120): This very narrow slot canyon of khaki Tapeats sandstone is breathtaking and surprisingly cool on a hot summer day. One other treat of this hike is to see and touch the 250 million-year-old Great Unconformity at the base of the Tapeats sandstone (570 million years old), which rests directly on much older rock (820 million years old). Stone Creek (mile 132): This creek at the base of Dubendorff Rapids offers a two- to three-mile hike featuring a couple of spectacular waterfalls along the way. Tapeats Creek and Thunder River (mile 134): Walk more than three miles up clear-flowing Tapeats Creek and turn left where Thunder River enters. After another half-mile climb, you will see this river explode full strength from the base of the Redwall and Muav limestone cliff above. The exciting Thunder River is one of the shortest rivers in the world and perhaps the only river which flows into a creek! Hard core hikers can then huff and puff a couple of miles across Surprise Valley to reach Deer Creek. This last stretch can be very hot and exhausting in the summer. Deer Creek and Deer Spring (mile 136): A couple miles downstream from where Tapeats Creek enters the Colorado is the magnificent 100-foot waterfall created by Deer Creek. Folks approaching the base of these falls will be sprayed by the wind and mist from the pool below. A second treat awaits boaters who take the short hike up to the Deer Creek Narrows (the short slot canyon in Tapeats sandstone formed by Deer Creek before it pitches over the falls). The most impressive aspect of the hike is walking up to where the slot canyon begins, and then following its development. With a rope and care you can actually climb down into it. While walking on the edge of Deer Creek Canyon near its beginning, look for Anasazi hand prints on the walls and fossilized worm casts underneath the lowest ledge jutting out next to the trail. Or, you can hike about a mile out of the Narrows (towards Surprise Valley) to Deer Spring (also known as Dutton Spring), a waterfall bursting out of a Muav limestone cliff. Smaller than Thunder River, Deer Spring creates a cozy, cool stream surrounded by restful vegetation. One restful aspect of this place is the "Throne Room" below the falls where regal rocky chairs have been fashioned by creative hikers to give a lovely view. Whispering Falls (mile 143): This appropriately named place is earned after a four-mile wet/dry hike up Kanab Canyon (with several striking Muav limestone amphitheater-like stretches and travertine seeps). Turn right at Whispering Falls Canyon and climb over a boulder field. Soon you come to Whispering Falls--a small sliding sliver of water hundreds of feet long which ends in a whisper as it slips into an enchanting emerald pool. After such an invigorating hike, this is one of the best lunch stops in the canyon! Matkatamiba Canyon (mile 148): Matkat is my favorite side-hike. This vest- pocket canyon is so intimate you can put your hands on both of its softly layered gray walls of Muav limestone as you began your ascent up a tiny crystal stream. After working through this magical short canyon, you suddenly come to an inviting Redwall limestone amphitheater where stringed quartets have performed classical music numerous times. One day while hiking this canyon we were treated to a close view of nine mountain sheep walking on the other side. The only caution about Matkat is to be careful not to miss it! You must catch the eddy on river left formed by this canyon. If you miss the eddy, Matkatamiba Rapids will grab you, and the sheer walls on the Colorado River below this rapid will keep you from seeing Matkat. Havasu Creek, Beaver Falls and Mooney Falls (mile 157): Like the Little Colorado, Havasu Creek carries calcium carbonate in its waters. However, the bottom of the creek and its terraces formed by this precipitate are darker. Consequently, the water is a lovely green instead of the electric turquoise found in the Little Colorado. Highlights of Havasu are a four-mile hike to 30-foot Beaver Falls and another mile and half to 200-foot Mooney Falls. The travertine terraces and swimming pools along this hike (particularly near these two falls) are striking. You need most of a day to enjoy them. Incidentally, Mooney Falls was named for a hapless early explorer of the Grand Canyon who decided to climb down a rope from the cliff by the Falls. Unfortunately, the rope wasn't long enough, and after desperately dangling at its end for over two days, Mooney fell to his death and is buried nearby. The Falls are a wonderful memorial to this rugged pioneer. Originally Published, Paddler July-August 1998 |
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