Route Editor
Route Scout
Author Full Detail Guide average grade to river is 38% Check out the Official Route and Triplogs. Note This is a difficult hike. Arrive fit and prepared or this could get ugly. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community. 2008-04-21
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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.
Most recent Triplog Review
Lava Falls Trail
After Kanab Creek Wilderness, we made the short drive up the road to Toroweap. I really don't think the views on the way out to Toroweap can be beat, one really assumes the feeling of driving within the Grand Canyon's walls. Likewise, the sunrise from Toroweap may have simply been one of the best I have ever seen.
This was not a Jackie hike, so she stayed at the trailhead with the pups. I told her give me five hours, but don't be surprised if it takes longer, because I had no idea what to expect. As it turns out, the trail is definitely a little challenge, however, not nearly as bad as I anticipated. For reference, I would equate it to something on the lines of Flat Iron, Picketpost, or Brown's chute in terms of most of the scrambles and climbs, but with the "canyon factors" of heat, nerves, a little more high stakes exposure and its remoteness. Once one gets over these, its really just a quick scramble down to a pretty cool spot with some tremendous views up and down the river.
I did not have any major issues with identifying what I would call the main route, but several spurs and dead end routes have developed along the route, so a little skill is necessary in choosing the right one. There were really only a couple of climbs that got my heart racing, but nothing scary enough to stop me dead in my tracks, as it was a pretty constant hike down once I started. At the bottom it was some quick pictures at the rapids and then a quick return, so as not to keep Jackie and the pups waiting, after all this was just a warm up for Trumbell.
Final Note:
The drive is long, dusty and a little rough at times and there is some real danger of being stranded out there if your vehicle is not up to it (That very thought weighed heavily on me for the two days we explored the Parashant). However, there is certainly enough to do in the area to justify making this drive with the main intention of doing Lava Falls, just make sure your ride is capable and you are physically and mentally up to it. I would probably not make this my first more adventourous canyon hike, if limited in experience.
This was not a Jackie hike, so she stayed at the trailhead with the pups. I told her give me five hours, but don't be surprised if it takes longer, because I had no idea what to expect. As it turns out, the trail is definitely a little challenge, however, not nearly as bad as I anticipated. For reference, I would equate it to something on the lines of Flat Iron, Picketpost, or Brown's chute in terms of most of the scrambles and climbs, but with the "canyon factors" of heat, nerves, a little more high stakes exposure and its remoteness. Once one gets over these, its really just a quick scramble down to a pretty cool spot with some tremendous views up and down the river.
I did not have any major issues with identifying what I would call the main route, but several spurs and dead end routes have developed along the route, so a little skill is necessary in choosing the right one. There were really only a couple of climbs that got my heart racing, but nothing scary enough to stop me dead in my tracks, as it was a pretty constant hike down once I started. At the bottom it was some quick pictures at the rapids and then a quick return, so as not to keep Jackie and the pups waiting, after all this was just a warm up for Trumbell.
Final Note:
The drive is long, dusty and a little rough at times and there is some real danger of being stranded out there if your vehicle is not up to it (That very thought weighed heavily on me for the two days we explored the Parashant). However, there is certainly enough to do in the area to justify making this drive with the main intention of doing Lava Falls, just make sure your ride is capable and you are physically and mentally up to it. I would probably not make this my first more adventourous canyon hike, if limited in experience.
2016-10-10 friendofThundergod
