Backpacker Magazine – June 2011

National Parks: Grand Canyon

Discover surprising solitude and endless vistas on an easy-access multiday trip between rim and river.

by: Michael Lanza

Tags:
• National Parks
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• Grand Canyon National Park
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• Arizona
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• Destinations
|

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RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
Find the perfect Grand Canyon trek no matter when you visit.

DAYHIKE
Hermits Rest to Dripping Springs
Time April
Most of this 6.2-mile out-and-back melts out by early March, but after the junction with the Boucher Trail (mile 2.6), it can still be icy. Time your trip for late March to early May, when snowmelt feeds this famously scenic tributary with a higher-than-normal volume of water. Avoid the trail from June to September, when the inner canyon sizzles. Total mileage 6.2

WEEKEND
Grandview to Horseshoe Mesa
Time Mid-March; October-November
Take a chance on icy rim-top trails (stay safe with light crampons like Kahtoola Microspikes: $60, kahtoola.com) in mid-March and you're likely to have the sweeping views, exciting exposure, and bright yellow carpets of brittlebrush blooms all to yourself. Camp on the mesa. There's reliable water at Miner's Spring (drop east off Horseshoe Mesa and hike .7 mile). Downside: frequent spring wind. Go in fall for calm, bluebird days in the 50s to 70s. Tip: Add another day to explore to the edge of the Inner Gorge. Total mileage 11.9 Trip ID 823945

MULTIDAY
Tanner Trail to Beamer Trail
Time March-May; September-November
Constant exposure to the sun shuts down the Tanner Trail by early June. Try this experts-only, 37-mile out-and-back to the Little Colorado River Gorge in fall and spring (cautions: the trail is loose, steep, long, and devoid of water). In summer (mid-June to September), thunderstorms can produce flash floods here. Total mileage 37. Trip ID 515868

MULTIDAY
North Bass Trail
Time Late May; October-November
Snow, ice, and fallen trees typically block road access to this 22-mile North Rim-to-river hike until June. But by then, the trail is off-limits due to triple-digit heat and the threat of flash floods after summer thunderstorms. Check with rangers about a sneak trip in late May, or target the fall and take your time (three days) on this difficult hike. Expect routefinding around boulders in Shinumo Creek, long arid sections, and bushwhacks through manzanita. The reward: cascading waterfalls and an expansive canyon all to yourself. Total mileage 22

MULTIDAY
Hermits Rest to Bright Angel
Time All year
Early-season snow melts first on south-facing aspects, and two perennial water sources (Hermit and Monument Creeks) make this 24.8-mile, three-day, inner-canyon ramble the park's best bet for a year-round backpack. In April, the Tonto Plateau (where you'll hike for 10.5 miles) is lit by prickly pear cacti exploding in lemon yellow, red, or purple blossoms. Total mileage 24.8




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