Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
Grand Canyon Village, Arizona
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.
Monument Creek as seen from the Tonto Trail, below The Abyss, South Rim’s Mohave Point and The Alligator above
Max elevation: 6846 ft
Min elevation: 2962 ft
Total climbing: 8561 ft
Trailhead sign on the South Rim 
Tunnel Looking back at the Bright Angel trail descent Garden Creek 
The Bright Angel trail
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.
Tonto Trail Colorado River Horn Creek Canyon Prickly Pear Looking across to the North Rim Granite Gorge
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).
Monument Creek Campground new vault toilets, with Canyon Rim in the background (near Mohave Point) The Monument
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.
Monument Creek (green area), with The Abyss beyond and the South Rim’s Mohave Point and The Alligator above to the left
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.
Monument Creek Hermit Rapids Tonto Trail Intersection Climbing along the Hermit Trail
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.
Fin of Cope Butte Can you spot the Bighorn Sheep? Hermit Trail hugging the cliffs View from Breezy Point
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!
