Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA

November 2019

The Grand Canyon is a wonderful place to visit in the fall when the weather is cooler and the crowds have lessened. For our November visit, we decided to tackle a portion of the Tonto Trail, which lies about 1000′ above the Colorado River on a plateau called the Tonto Shelf. We started down the popular Bright Angel trail, passing hikers, tourists, and backpackers filled with early morning energy and excitement. The previous week had brought an early freeze, so a few of the water stations along the trail had already been shut off for the winter season. Once we reached Indian Garden campground, we filled our hydration bladders to the brim at the water station located near the pit toilets because we knew that water would be scarce along the Tonto.

The Tonto Trail intersects the Bright Angel Trail just before it descends into the lower canyon. We took a left onto the trail that follows the wide-open expanse of the Tonto Shelf. The views here are spectacular. You can see the canyon rim as well as portions of the Colorado River all along this trail, as it meanders in and out of side canyons and gullies. At this time of year, most of the springs were dry so we were happy to have plenty of water to last us the entire day.

We arrived at Monument Creek campground late in the day and quickly found a secluded spot to set up camp. Monument Creek was running, so we were able to filter water for cooking. A new restroom with 2 vault toilets was built at this campground just this year (2019).

We rose early the next morning to begin our 9-mile trek out of the canyon. We started along the Tonto Trail with epic views of The Abyss, near the headwaters of Monument Creek.

The views towards the west opened up as we made a gradual uphill climb around Cope Butte, towards the cutoff for the Hermit Trail. We could see the Hermit Rapids at the intersection of Hermit Creek and the Colorado River in the distance.

As the Hermit Trail steadily climbed, we followed switchbacks for 1.5 miles towards the Cathedral Stairs and were rewarded with an amazing view from Breezy Point. From there, the trail hugged the steep canyon wall for nearly 4 miles, as we hiked in the early morning shade. We enjoyed views of Ermita Mesa across Hermit Creek Canyon. This entire section was my favorite part of the trail.

Santa Maria Spring was full of thirsty hikers and lush green foliage and marked just 2.2 miles to the top of Hermit’s Rest. The climb above Hermit’s Basin was tough and relentless, and mostly in direct sunlight. It was sweet relief once we made it to the top!

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA

November 2018

The Grand Canyon, boasting majestic scenery and jaw-dropping views, is home to world-renowned backpacking and hiking trails. This natural wonder of the world has been a National Park since 1919.  Thought to be about 6 million years old, due to recent findings geologists now believe that the canyon was formed about 17 million years ago.  The oldest signs of human civilization found at the park are Paleoindian artifacts that are about 12,000 years old.  The region has been continuously habituated since that time by 11 different Native American tribes.  The Grand Canyon region is also home to 24 endemic species (both wildlife and plant life), as well as 8 endangered species, most notably the California Condor (if you are lucky you might spot one near its nesting site on the south rim).  The climate is mild and receives little precipitation. 

By far the most impressive aspect of the Grand Canyon is its geologic history.  Thanks to the Colorado River slowly cutting its meandering course through the earth over millions of years, we have an unprecedented view of cakelike layers of different rock formations.  Each layer tells a complex story of what life on earth was like when that layer acted like the Earth’s crust.  While erosion played a huge role in forming the Grand Canyon and its side canyons, tectonic shifts, like that of the Bright Angel fault, are also responsible for the constant evolution of this beautiful canyon.  To learn more about the fascinating geology of the Grand Canyon, please follow this link https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/nature/geologicformations.htm.

You can start this destination hike either by driving or by flying into Las Vegas, Phoenix, or Flagstaff airports.  We decided it would be best to fly into Las Vegas because of the great rates on flights and hotels. We flew into Las Vegas on Southwest Airlines on Friday morning.  https://www.southwest.com/air/booking/index.html

After picking up our rental car, we were happy to leave the smoke, lights, and sounds of Sin City.   We drove about 5 hours through the arid landscape via the old Route 66 to make it to our clean and unpretentious hotel, The Grand Canyon Plaza in Tusayan: https://www.grandcanyonplaza.com/. We were up at 5 am, drove 15 short minutes to the Grand Canyon Visitor’s Center parking lot, and were at the bus stop by 5:45 am.  We took the Orange Route bus to the South Kaibab trailhead.  Armed with headlamps, our boots hit dirt at 6:15 am!

The South Kaibab Trail is very well-maintained.  We were impressed with the feel of the trail (soft dirt, very little rocks or scree), and our knees thanked us later.  The trail follows a ridgeline and provides awe-inspiring views of the canyon the entire way, making it one of the most scenic hikes we’ve ever encountered.  The slope is consistent and not too steep, however, we both used a pair of hiking poles throughout the descent.  This trail has no shade and no water sources.  We were surprised at the sight of  2 solar-powered pit toilet facilities along the trail, one at Cedar Ridge and the other at Tipoff.  For pit toilets, these are again very well maintained and clean inside.  Our descent, we stopped several times along the way to film the sunrise, take scenic photos, eat snacks, and stretch. Once we reached the Colorado River, we entered a small tunnel then crossed the Black Bridge to the other side of the canyon.  From there it was a short, nearly-flat traverse to the Bright Angel Campground and Phantom Ranch.  The entire descent took us 3 hours. 

For an excellent resource on the South Kaibab Trail, including a trail description, please follow this link:   https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/south_kaibab_trail.pdf

After taking a 45-minute rest at Phantom Ranch, we started our ascent to the South Rim via the Bright Angel Trail. 

The Bright Angel trail is considered to be the safest and most well-maintained trail at Grand Canyon National Park.  Highly popular with hikers and mule trains alike, this trail boasts many water stops, covered rest houses, and solar-powered pit toilets. There is a campground and a ranger station about halfway down at Indian Gardens. Because this trail follows the Bright Angel faultline (essentially forming a large crack-like canyon that perpendicularly intersects the Colorado River formed Grand Canyon), the views along the trail are framed by dominating cliffs.  This trail is shadier and has more plant life than the South Kaibab trail.  Thus, the Bright Angel Trail is very crowded with hikers and backpackers. We encountered day hikers, multi-day backpackers, and casual hikers that ventured down from the rim for a mile or two.  We were never quite alone on this trail, even in late November.

After crossing the Colorado River via the Silver Bridge, the trail remains fairly flat, with little elevation gain, while it follows the river for a while.  We had some nice views of the rapids along the way.  Once we turned up into the side canyon formed by the Bright Angel fault, our climbing began.  The majority of our ascent was in the shade, and the temperatures were quite cool when the wind picked up.  The uphill grade is steady until shortly after leaving Indian Gardens.  The last 3-4 miles of the trail are steep, seemingly endless switchbacks that climb up the side of a cliff to the rim.  There are 2 rest houses along the way if needing shelter from the elements.  We stopped many times for snacks and photos along the way, so the entire ascent took us 5 hours. 

For an excellent resource on the Bright Angel Trail, including a trail description, please follow this link: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/bright_angel_trail.pdf

Here is a gallery of some of the best shots we took with our iPhones