Utah Flats Route

[cactuscat]

I am thinking of doing a SK->Utah Flats->Phantom Creek->BA "loop" ... I'm not worried about the descent of Phantom - given no chance of floods - I'm more concerned about the Utah Flats part ... I know some have you have been on it fairly recently - so how is it? Can I follow it without GPS, and how long will it take from the campground to the nice campsite by the creek at the end of the route?
I will swing by and talk to the Backcountry office too, but I wanted to gather some info before talking to them ...
Thanks!

[nonot]

There is a good trail to piano alley, but when you get to the "flats" it is all slickrock, with perhaps a cairn or two for the next ~1 mile (this is where GPS is helpful), then the trail gets good again (assuming you find it). In that 1 mile section there is an actual trail for 50% of it where it isn't slickrock, but it is easier to find it heading back towards phantom than away from phantom. I doubt it has changed that much from the original writeup I did, maybe more cairns, or less?

When I did it, there was no GPS route, and I managed just fine finding it.

It may take you about 3-4 hrs to get to the campsite in Phantom.

[mikehikes]

[Google Cache Recovery]
by mikehikes » Jan 30 2013 03:58 am

I'm thinking three to four hours is sufficient. That's about what it took me the couple of times I went thataway. A good side hike would be to drop your pack before the descent into Phantom and climb Cheops Pyramid.

Mike Coltrin
Tucson

[Dave1]

@cactuscat
The start of the UF trail is right behind the old utility pole in this screen shot (thanks to Google Maps ):

[paulhubbard]

@Dave1 - HUH??? That attachment is one of my pictures from Fish Creek Hill last weekend: http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=312031

[joebartels]

@paulhubbard
while viewing this page press CTRL+F5 to clear your cache

this is due to the data loss, new attachments have ids that match data cached in your browser
should only be an issue in the forum and for maybe a week

[cactuscat]

I'm applying for the permit in the morning ... also, I just entered the Mt. Whitney permit lottery for this summer!

[Infi]

Being in GC area in August I wondered if hiking early in the morning (starting up let's say 5am) would allow something this:
day 1: South Rim to Bright Angel Campground
day 2: Bright Angel Campground to Overhang Camp via Utah Flats
day 3: Overhang Camp to Bright Angel Campground, dropping the packs and going to ckeck Cheops arete along the way.
day 4, BA CG to South Rim

[Sredfield]

People die in the Grand Canyon in August! Why go there during the summer when it's 110 degrees, the temps are reasonable--enjoyable--for 7 months of the year, go then.
$.02

[chumley]

Some of the on-trail hikes early in the day may be ok, but the off-trail is something I wouldn't venture on without having quite a bit of Grand Canyon hiking experience as well as experience hiking in summer in Arizona.

Unfortunately, if you are coming from Italy, I don't think there is really any way for you to properly train for the extreme heat and lack of water you will encounter here.

If you click on any of the hikes along your route (Cheops, Utah Flats, Phantom Canyon, etc.) and select the triplogs tab you will see how many people on HAZ have posted trips in each month. There are some very experienced canyon hikers on HAZ who have hiked here (including some unusually heat-tolerant folks), and there are virtually no trips posted from July and August.

There's a reason why!

[Infi]

Thanks guys, I understand what you are trying to say. I will change my plans and try to get there in October. The reason why people come in summer sometime is due to the fact that you cannot get 15-20 days off from work in other times of the year. When you have to take an intercontinental flight to get there you need at least 15 days off unless you want to spend more time fliing/driving than hiking.

[nonot]

I think that with some modifications your trip might be doable. I think that since phantom creek flows all year, hiking up the creek (see the Lower Phantom Canyon description) is viable in summer, since you will be able to keep wet and cool off, as well as having a supply of water. Otherwise if you want to hike the Utah Flats route and camp up there, then changing to do the trip in cooler months would be advised.

That said, I wouldn't advise people to hike the canyon at all between June and August if you plan to go much below the rim. People do it, but I wonder if they enjoy it due to the heat.

[Infi]

Thank you nonot, I think I managed to move the trip to October, hopefully the temperatures will be right and the days long enough. What time of october would you reccommend ? Beginning, middle or end ?

[nonot]

I have done several trips near the end of october and have enjoyed them. You may have to contend with some snow of the rim, it is somewhat random. However, the temperatures near the bottom are pretty good.

[Infi]

I have done several trips near the end of october and have enjoyed them. You may have to contend with some snow of the rim, it is somewhat random. However, the temperatures near the bottom are pretty good.

I'm interested in the SK->Utah Flats->Phantom Creek->BA "loop", what about descent of Phantom at the end of October ?

Also I'd like to camp 2-3 nights at the bottom of the Canyon. I thought about 1st night at Bright Angel, 2nd night at the end of Utah Flats Route and 3rd night at Bright Angel again.

Do I have any chance of getting permits when applying early ?

[nonot]

It will be a very hard permit to get since Bright Angel is super popular and you are asking for 2 non-consecutive days.

[autumnstars]

Be sure to check that box that says "Similar/nearby Campsites" on your permit request form. This may mean you have to spend one night at Clear Creek or similar instead of both at Bright Angel, but it will significantly increase your chances of getting a permit.