N Bass, Kanab-Deer Creek, Indian Hollow Before we get too worried about fall permit cancellations, I'll point out this could have been some staffer at rec dot gov who thought the closure of hwy 67 and the lodge area means all hiking access on the North Rim is closed. I'm sure the BIC is inundated w...

@Jim
The map is the fire history layer on CalTopo. Very interesting to peruse!

@Grimey 67 is useful as a firebreak and they're trying to keep the fire west of the hwy. And actually, it could make a quite scenic drive - aspen frequently grow after fires destroy the canopy. These forests are historically adapted to fire; it is a normal part of the ecosystem. Look at the fire hi...

Also, if you search for a chlorine gas leak at GCNP you should get returns about a leak in January of this year, so it seems to be something that happens there a lot. As far as I know, the leak this January was the first time it had happened. It is not normal. They are replacing the water pipeline ...

The US Fish and Wildlife Service is attempting to change the definition of harm in the Endangered Species Act in a way that will gut protections for endangered species. Essentially, directly killing ESA-listed species remains illegal but destroying their habitat would not be illegal, and NEPA review...

There was rockfall on the Papago Slide last week. My ranger friend is literally checking it out today to see if it's still passable. My strategy for routefinding is, make a guess about the easiest way from a distance, look at it up close, and if it feels lousy back off and look for another way. You ...

The $1 day hiker fee isn't a new idea This is actually why the government built the South Kaibab Trail - to avoid Cameron's toll. Just charge non US residents a $100 entrance fee per rental car. The problem with this is, short of asking everyone for a passport, the only way to charge international ...

@robxxx The Forest Service controls that section. NPS shrugs and says it's out of their jurisdiction and if the FS cared enough they would block the road. Access to South Bass is an issue which no agency seems willing to fix so it seems they look the other way when people inevitably fudge the rules...

FS 328 to the gate is in great shape. I drove my Camry on it last fall and would have no hesitation about a Prius. The road along the fence is very rough but a 4runner should make it.

@TooOld2HikeQ
I've been pleased with my BD poles. The poles tips are still going strong after a year of frequent off-trail use. I hear other people complain about broken poles and I don't think I'm that careful.

Too bad to see Weatherford looking like that. I liked it so much better than the trail to Humphreys out of Snowbowl!

The guy in the video seems unaware, but it's also illegal to hike above treeline on Agassiz in summer. This is to protect a threatened endemic tundra species.

Good call on the road. In case others want to reference: top of redwall in shady ravine of bright angel trail had no more than 3in. Top of grandview had drifts over 3ft. Lots of potholes where it's warm enough to melt now.

My instinct is that the redwall has much shallower snow than the rim, as we can see in some recent photos from the corridor. Havasupai gardens had very little accumulation. I'm heading into the canyon this weekend and can update you after.

toddak wrote:Update: the copy of Todd Martin's Grand Canyoneering book sold on ebay for $129!

I was watching that! Guess I'll have to spend a day photocopying the one at the cline library...

Thanks all for the feedback! The gear tips are solid. I'm not looking to whitewater yet so I'll postpone splurging on an Alpacka. Glad to see that the Lava/Carbon/Unkar area would make a good first paddle trip and excited to look into those others. Has anyone ripped a pfd attached to the outside of ...

Hi folks! Frequent hiker and first-time forum-poster here. After a busy year of hiking and gazing wistfully across to the north side of the canyon, I'm eager to dive (literally?) into packrafting. I'm planning to get the supai matkat/ olo paddle (please be in stock!) because I still plan to spend th...