Grand Canyon
Expert Tours
The view looking west from Toroweap Overlook
The view looking east from Toroweap Overlook at sunrise
Ancient art along Tuckup Trail
Toroweap & Tuckup Trail - November 1 - 6
Price - $850 per person
Day 1 - Nov. 1
Today we will meet at 10am at the Kanab Visitor Center in Kanab, UT. From there we will drive in our vehicles to Toroweap, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. This is about a 3hr drive. We will camp this night at the overlook near one of the greatest and most classical views within all of the park. Once at the campground we will set up and then walk over to the rim for a photo session until after sunset.
Day 2 - Nov. 2
We (some of us anyway) will wake before dawn for a sunrise photo session on the rim. Next we will make a big breakfast for the whole crew to fuel up for our hike. Then we'll drive the short distance over to the Tuckup Trailhead. Although this is a relatively flat hike, elevation wise, it is challenging due to the lack of water. This means everyone will have to carry extra water and also a filtration pump and/or iodine tablets to purify spring water when we are near it, but our crew will have also left water cache's along the route the previous week. A little extra in everyone's pack will still be necessary. We will all have plenty. Safety is our #1 goal.
Today we will be hiking about 12mi. There is open camping in this ranger district so we'll go until we've found a good spot...and there'll be plenty. We will camp on the rim with a GREAT view. Along the way we will break several times to take in the scenery and also so I can educate the group on all we are seeing as far as geology, natural history, and human history. We are walking in the footsteps of the ancients. People have lived in and utelized the Toroweap area for thousands of years. We will see rock-art panels and other artifacts.
Day 3 - Nov. 3
Today we will be hiking about 16mi and will awake early. We will pass Willow Spring in 8mi and arrive at Cottonwood Springs in another 8mi to camp. Both of these water sources are not palatable to humans, so we will rely on our packed water. The views along the hike today will be worth any trouble. We will be hiking close to the rim with 3,000ft+ drops to the river below. There will not be another soul in site. The ancient solitude of this place will win us all over. There will be many breaks to discuss the flora & fauna and human history of this place. At Cottonwood Spring we will see an abandonded mine shaft dating from 1907. As we settle in to camp for the evening here, we will conduct a photo session for sunset on the rim. Then we will do a night-sky talk & photo session. Here we will definitely see the Milky Way and more constellations than any city-dweller knew were possible. Far from the nearest town, this part of Grand Canyon has some of the darkest night skies in all of North America. We will take advantage.
Day 4 - Nov. 4
Today we will leave some things behind in our Cottonwood Spring camp to make for lighter packs because we are returning here this evening. We'll be hiking about 10mi round-trip today. We'll be seeing a panel of rock-art petroglyphs and pictographs today that is among the oldest in all of Grand Canyon. This is under a shady rock-ledge so it'll provide a good spot to relax and enjoy lunch and listen to a discussion on this site. We will also pass Schmutz Spring. Depending on whether recent rainfalls have occurred, we can fill up our water bottles here. Also, if rain has fallen relatively recently the esplanade sandstone we are walking on forms thousands of pools of palatable water. If these sources are not available we will still have plenty with us as I stated before (see "Day 3.") After seeing the rock-art panel we will head back to camp.
Day 5 - Nov. 5
We will begin our return-hike today, going about 14mi. to a suitable rim-side canyon overlook spot. Although we'll be seeing much of the same terrain we crossed 2 days previous, weather and lighting conditions are always changing in the canyon providing new photographic opportunity. We will break for photo instruction at several occassions. Once we arrive at camp we will have another night-sky photo session. Hopefully we'll have plenty of sky drama weather-wise or star-wise.
Day 6 - Nov. 6
Starting early, we will hike the remaining distance back to the trailhead today, about 16mi. Once there we will drive back to Kanab, UT and say goodbye.
This will be one of the greatest adventures of your life, I promise!
A view along the Tuckup Trail
