Grand Canyon Thunder River / Deer Creek Loop

[Boscoaz]

In May I have a group that is doing the Thunder River / Deer Creek loop via Bill Hall. I am trying to piece together a GPS route so I have it for reference. I can find the GPS route for all sections except the section along the Colorado between Tapeats Creek and Deer Creek. I found one on backpacker but you need a subscription to the magazine to download it. Here is the loop I am trying to get:

backpacker /destinations/hikes/637203

Does anyone have access to this?

[HAZ_Hikebot]

http://hikearizona.com/map.php?MY=3653&M=3
( download upper left under "Load" )

[Sredfield]

HAZ comes thru again!

[chumley]

I have a feeling that the Hikebot used Route Manager to put that track together ... something any user can do! It's easy to combine the various pieces of your route that you could previously find, and for the part that was missing (or unavailable due to some bs proprietary subscription crap) you can actually create yourself. Once complete, you can save and upload to your gps. The Route Manager tool on HAZ is really powerful and helpful for stuff like this.

There's even a helpful tutorial to get you started! https://www.youtube.com/v/99U1_WnBFjU&hd=720

[Boscoaz]

Thanks so much!! I will also check out the route manager and learn how to use that too.

This trip has been on my bucket list for years. I am really looking forward to it!!

[azbackpackr]

It's a nice area. Do expect crowds at Deer Creek "Patio" and at the falls. It's a favorite hike for river runners. Thunder River falls is less popular, since it involves a much longer and more difficult hike from the boats.

[Tortoise_Hiker]

This trip has been on my bucket list

Funny,I was just thinking of adding it to my list.Lookforward to reading your triplog!Good luck!

[cactuscat]

It's been on my list for a while too ... hoping to make it next year's Spring Backpack-o-rama.

[Boscoaz]

@Tortoise Hiker Some friends of mine did this hike about two years ago and I missed it for work. I've been kicking myself ever since.....

When I heard they were planning it again I told myself I had to make it. This should be another epic trip!! I will post lots of pics.

[GrottoGirl]

My favorite Grand Canyon trip so far and I've done a few (Escalante Route, Boucher/Hermit, Beamer, etc.). We managed to visit the Deer Creek falls at the river when no one else was around! Thunder River is one of the most amazing sites in the world. And the Deer spring is amazing. We actually drank a lot of unfiltered water on that trip. Delicious! I didn't post a tracklog because we did some unconventional downclimbing and I wouldn't want to encourage anyone to accidently walk off a cliff!

We hit Nankoweap next week, I'm so excited!

[azbackpackr]

Only thing about Nanko is that when you get there it could well be mobbed with boaters. We stopped there last fall on the river trip (but not on the previous year's river trip.) I met a couple of backpackers. I look at things from a backpacker's perspective a lot, even when I'm boating. I was thinking that these backpackers had just done a fairly difficult hike to a "remote place," only to find themselves in the middle of Party Central when they arrived at the beach. There are several boater's camps and day-use-only boat landing spots along that stretch of beach. And it's a very well-beaten path to the ruins. There can be really big groups of people stopping to take photos at the famous downriver view.

There is nothing remotely remote about Nanko after all. I had always wanted to hike it, but now I am less excited about the prospect. The destination of a wilderness journey should be a wilderness destination, not a tourist trap. I'm sure the hike itself is beautiful, but the ruins are just another granary, such as you can see just about anywhere in the Southwest. The famous view is nice, but if you are sitting there looking at it and 20 half-drunk tourists come grunting up the trail, disturbing the peace and quiet, it just sort of takes away the specialness of it.

You may luck out, however, and hit it on an off-day.

We didn't stop there on the 2011 trip, though, because there were enough boatmen in the group who quietly said, "Nah, forget it," and so we just "accidentally" missed it. On a river trip, you can stop at any number of unpopular side canyons which don't seem so trampled, because the commercials will never stop in those places.

[GrottoGirl]

I hear you... We're actually not staying down at the river far, far away from the boaters. However, we have had some fun times with boaters along the river. It's always been memorable. I usually keep in the back of my head that when at the river, one is most likely never alone no matter how you got there. On our Thunder River trip, the boat crew we ran into offered us Guiness and pasta!

[azbackpackr]

Yes, I gave a couple of beers to the backpackers. I have also met friendly boating parties while backpacking. But last fall there were several in my boating group who didn't want backpackers wandering into camp. Grouchy old guys, you know?

[GrottoGirl]

Ha, if I had known I'd would have wandered into camp and pooped in their groover!

[mazatzal]

Thunder River is one of the most amazing sites in the world

x2

[Boscoaz]

One more question....How is the condition of the road to the Bill Haul trailhead? Is is passable by car or do you need a high clearance vehicle?

[Dave1]

I saw a Toyota Camry at Monument Point/BH trailhead 2 years ago. I wouldn't try it in my car though. Most of it should be passable with low clearance but there is a section of up-hill on the way out that has loose gravel. I think one year I had to use 4 wheel drive in that spot. Of course no one knows what this past winter has brought unless they've been there. There may be fallen trees that have yet to be removed. I'd call the backcountry office and ask them for an update.

[Boscoaz]

@Dave1 Thanks! I will give them a call.