HikeArizona.COM

Hi Gang - my computer got replaced at work and I lost this link for what seems to be forever!

At any rate I am looking to hike the Canyon again - it is in my blood now and I can not stay away!! What I am looking for and hoping that someone can help me with is a trail into the canyon and ultimately ending up at Phantom that doesn't start with South or Bright from the South Rim.

Having done the Rim to Rim via SK to PR and then up the NK I am looking to AVOID the corridor trails altogether. What I am hoping for is a trail that I can pitch off of the South Rim and make it down to PR in a day. I am a fairly fast paced hiker by nature so length shouldn't be much of an issue.

I can only guess that at some point I will connect with either the end of the SK or BA to make the bridge crossing - certainly not going to paddle my way across the Colorado!!

Thanks in advance!!! Oh and I am looking to do this hike from a mid May to mid June time frame.

Kwai

Kwai Chang wrote:A dayhike from Phantom Ranch to see Chevaya Falls is not a reasonable dayhike, See what kills me is that I get told all the time that some hike/trail is going to be real hard and what not - it usually ends up being kinda easy for me -

Clear Creek isn't a hard trail. But its 16-17 miles roundtrip from Phathom and there isn't much shade to be found on the Tonto layer.It will be hot in June unless a freak cold front comes thru...anyways its a great area. I once got roped into doing a long day hike along the tonto from Grandview to Bright Angel in August. I survived but it wasn't as fun as other hikes in the canyon. Good luck and if you want to do that hike in like Oct/Nov or Feb/apr let me know...because I'm itching to get back there to explore more of the area and maybe hit a peak or few I've eyed.

BobP wrote:Good luck and if you want to do that hike in like Oct/Nov or Feb/apr let me know...because I'm itching to get back there to explore more of the area and maybe hit a peak or few I've eyed.

I have always eyed every peak in that park and thot....hmmmmmm - do I have the balls??? Would love to see if I could swing something like that. Wouldn't Feb/April be snow covered peaks??? I'm guessing that Oct will still be real nice out.....

Kwai Chang wrote:. . . what kills me is that I get told all the time that some hike/trail is going to be real hard and what not - it usually ends up being kinda easy . . .

Hard hike? The way I learned it - "It ain't a hard hike if nobody is shooting at you". So far I have never had a hard hike - just some rather long and strenuous ones.

Cheyava is Hopi for "intermittent". Mostly it is minimal with some seeps. It really only runs full in the late spring after a heavy snow pack on the North Kaibab. Otherwise it could be boring. There really isn't a trail from Clear Creek up to Cheyava, you just work your way up the drainage. There is camping past Clear Creek up the drainage to Cheyava under a ledge on the right. But there probably won't be any water in the creek so you would want to bring it from Clear Creek. It is also pleasurable to travel slower and find the Native American ruins up these canyons. http://hikearizona.com/trip=51255 I think Jamie Campos did Cheyava from the Rim as a dayhike a few years ago when the falls were really running and he couldn't get permits.

I would definitely not do a daytime dayhike from Phantom to Clear Creek and back in June. As others have said, it is going to be really hot. The dayhike up to Ribbon Falls with some extra mileage up to Upper Ribbon falls http://hikearizona.com/trip=10679 is a really nice dayhike. The Box will be The Pizza Oven on a June afternoon.

If you want a strenuous, sporty, rewarding hike, look at spending a night on Wotan's Throne. Notice that I didn't say Hard. That was Harvey's favorite. If memory serves me correctly Harvey's and Roma's ashes are scattered up there. http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=1202

Have you looked at any of George Steck's loops? http://hikearizona.com/books.php?REV=1&ID=217 I know Steck took Gary Ladd up to Wotan's Throne but I don't know where he wrote up the route.

Dave1 likes the Grandview - Tonto - Bright Angel as a nice dayhike at the right time of year http://hikearizona.com/trip=68113. Davy Crockett does some insane dayhikes - like Grandview to North Kaibab (and back?).

@Kwai Chang
We did this one in Mar the last two years....http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=1077
Could there be snow...yes... But Mar 04, 2112 there wasn't and Mar 23, 2013 there wasn't


ct/Nov in Clear Creek would probably be pretty stella though.

BobP wrote:@Kwai Chang
We did this one in Mar the last two years....http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=1077
Could there be snow...yes... But Mar 04, 2112 there wasn't and Mar 23, 2013 there wasn't


ct/Nov in Clear Creek would probably be pretty stella though.

HOLY TIGHTENED SPHINCTER BATMAN!!!

Thats more climbing than hiking - I know my limits and this old fat guy ain't doing the Cheops anytime soon. I gotta say without knowing the terminology tho it makes for a hard read sometimes to know where/what some of you are saying/describing.....having said that tho - the idea is now planted - now it will take balls o steel for me to give that a whirl.....my hat is off to you guys and my envy is unmeasurable that you get to "play" in the Canyon as much as you do - being a Northeaster makes it tough.

Just to add my voice to the rightfully cautious tone:

My two trips to Clear Creek are perhaps the most rewarding experiences I have ever had in the Canyon. But it is nothing to treat lightly. On my first trip in mid October I had temps that were higher than normal (close to 100) but I was prepared...lots of training and hiking so even though I did about 24 miles from the rim to CC that first day I enjoyed it. The next 3 days were blissful and my hikes up the canyon towards the falls were just lovely. I did the hike out in 2 days. But I sensed how a trip like that could go wrong. The following May I experienced just that. The first three days were 108 (these temps were at Phantom) and the next couple were 106. The same hike was brutal from start to finish. Despite having shade and soaking in the creek there was no relief. It was miserable. I was shocked at how a fun trip turned into a very difficult time. From the time I left Phantom to the time I came back through 3 days later I saw no-one. No one at CC, no one on the trail. Your margin for error is slim. I suggest you bring a few people and re-think your timing; have a back-up plan for when things go awry.

Kwai Chang wrote:HOLY TIGHTENED SPHINCTER BATMAN!!! Thats more climbing than hiking -

If you don't want to climb but still want a "sporty" hike with some pucker, check out Tuckup http://hikearizona.com/photoset=2564

Cheerycow wrote:I suggest you bring a few people and re-think your timing; have a back-up plan for when things go awry.

I agree. Sometimes you don't recognize how heat, cold or altitude can affect your cognitive ability. A hiking partner will often spot problems in you before you spot them in yourself. I know well the symptoms of heat fatigue and heat exhaustion, but often don't recognize them in myself until I am getting clammy and getting the goosebumps (paradoxical reaction).

A good rule of thumb is whatever the temp in Phx is for that day is what it is in the bottom of the canyon... We took a hike at night one july to Skeleton Point and could feel the heat coming out of the canyon as a blast furnace effect. The canyon walls intensifys the effect like concrete and holds the heat in. That day it was 115 in the bottom..

Oh not to worry HAZer's - no way I am soloing this hike - as I like to say I am crazy but not stoopid!

My partner in crime will be with me - last time we hiked down the SK he severely sprained his Achilles - not fun for him. How that crazy muther made it out the NK trail I will never know - all I remember is pretty much emptying his pack and overstuffing mine and hiking out.....all in all tho I managed to enjoy the heck out of that hike.....with the help of quite a bit of the light fighter candy!

An awesome collection of people to belong to, the rim to rimer's!!! Not this time but what we really wanna do is rim to rim to rim - but we are not there for the speed/end point aspect of it but rather the journey itself.

Many thanks to all who have responded/suggested/coached/cajoled - I am looking forward to my hike......