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| Backpack | 41.00 Miles |
9,000 AEG |
| | Backpack | 41.00 Miles | 5 Days | | |
| 9,000 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Thanks to @bifrost and @john9l for recent trip info, and to @chumley and HAZ resources for help/tips in our planning for this very memorable adventure.
Our original plan was to descend South Bass and turn west on the "standard" Royal Arch route, but with a desire to make it to the Arch on Day 1 and our openness to adding a little more spice to an already spicy itinerary, we pivoted to the Pt. Huitzil entry point instead. That ended up slicing several miles off our day 1 travel, and while it definitely enhanced the adventure, I'm not sure it saved us much time. 
Day 0 (Friday): Travel to Pasture Wash / Shuttle
Our group of 6 travelled up on Friday morning and met in Tusayan, where we caravanned in two vehicles out to the abandoned Ranger Station at Pasture Wash. Access to the short "switchback" across the Havasupai Reservation remains closed. We took the fence-line road.
We set up camp near the Ranger Station, then headed out to the South Bass TH to set up our shuttle and enjoy the sunset on the rim. 4-5 other vehicles were already parked at the TH. A group of 4 from New York was at one of the picnic tables eating dinner. Turned out that they had just finished the Royal Arch loop and were spending one last night on the rim before heading home.
We, of course, pinged them for the most recent intel. Most significantly, they confirmed that water was currently abundant at Copper Canyon, where we planned to spend our third night. (Turned out that "abundant" was probably an overstatement.) They also had entered via Pt. Huitzil, and enjoyed the benefit of one of their group having done the route previously.
After chatting, we walked out through the woods to a point west of the TH for a marvelous view of the sunset. After enjoying the views at dusk, we returned to the TH and headed back to our camp at the Ranger Station.
The night was cold, but not windy, and we turned in early, planning for an early start the next morning. In order to avoid having to repack our packs, we brought separate gear to sleep in for night 0. Worked out well.
Day 1 (Saturday): Ranger Station to Royal Arch via Pt. Huitzil
We awoke to a crisp but clear and windless morning, and after breakfast, were on the "trail" by 6:40 am. Forecast temps were above normal, and we were expecting highs in the 90s below the rim, so we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to get to the arch, and hopefully avoid some of the heat.
Having the GPS route downloaded on RS helped us generally stay on track, as we made our way cross country over to the rim. There are a handful of "trail-ish" sections, as well as a semi-traveled track or two that tempted us to veer off course (which we did at least once), but we quickly corrected. A mile or two in, we saw a few signs of the defunct phone line that used to be a guide for pre-GPS travel, but remnants were sporadic, at best.
Near the drop-in point, the route descends to the bottom of a shallow drainage which funneled us right out to the edge of the rim, where the drop-in is marked with a couple of obvious cairns and the more "open" views of the western side of the Scenic Divide immediately capture the awe and excitement ahead.
The descent fun begins immediately with a steep drop followed by a steep/loose drop that we found best navigable with one hiking pole (with the other hand free to manage handholds and small downclimbs). The route, which is pretty well cairned and not particularly difficult to follow, contours a bit before the next steep drop, which involved some mild scrambling and points that required handing packs down.
Eventually, we made it to the large, off-camber slab that leads to the rabbit-hole access to the puebloan tree ladder. It is also very well marked with a couple of cairns forming a "doorway" to the right, which seemingly leads to a sheer precipice. This, combined with the fact that we thought the ladder was another level lower, led to us make a navigational error and head to the left, where we descended a tricky crack, which we lovingly named the "Devil's Butt Crack." I stayed on the upper slab while the rest of our group descended with their packs.
After hearing reports from those below that they could see no way to make further progress, I figured we were missing the route. After some additional scrambling around, I spotted the petroglyph panel that I knew was just beyond the bottom of the tree ladder, and eventually we recognized the "crescent-shaped" rock at the edge of the slab through the cairned gateway and figured out where we needed to go. I felt a little sheepish for missing this navigational point. Bottom line: walk through the cairned gateway that seems to lead off the edge of the cliff, and don't go down the Devil's Butt Crack! 
The ladder was fun and not too difficult, and from its base, we realized that the Devil's Butt Crack was part of the same fissure, "around" the corner from the tree ladder (but too narrow to navigate through from above).
Navigational hiccup over, we marveled at the petroglyph panel, which is truly impressive, before continuing our descent. It was steep but pretty straigtforward from there.
Once we made it to the creek bottom, we began seeing numerous potholes of water, which continued until we reached the large pour off to that precedes the Ledge of Death. At the pour off, we took the "Tree of Life" route to the right instead, which involved going through a rabbit hole behind a tree, hugging the cliff face. From there, the descent remains challenging, with at least one section that required handing packs down.
Back on the drainage bottom, we scrambled, bouldered, and downclimbed various obstacles on our way to the Arch, noting the exit point along the way that would be our climb out of the drainage the following morning. The boulder/downclimb problems were fun to figure out and involved at times some exposure and care.
Just before reaching the Arch, the perennial spring begins to bubble up, requiring some creativity to remain dry, but we managed fine. This section of the drainage is beautiful and a fitting warm up to the Arch, which majestically and abruptly appears as the drainage makes a sharp right turn.
With our navigational hiccup, it took us nearly 11 hours to get to the arch, and we were happy to have gotten an early start.
The New Yorkers had told us that there was a group of 2 that were a day ahead of us and who were also planning to camp at the arch on the same night we were. They had taken the traditional route, but with a day's head start had made it to the Arch earlier in the day and set up camp on the edge of the large dryfall. No worries, there were several other magnificent spots and we quickly settled into camp. Our neighbors, Sam and Ryan, were pleasant (though we later learned from the ranger that their permits were actually for a week or two later), and "sharing" the Arch turned out not to be an issue.
That night was a full moon, and it was magical to get up in the middle of the night and enjoy the brightly moonlit arch and giant monolith just beyond (which itself is quite impressive and I'm sure would garner more attention if it wasn't literally right next to Royal Arch).
Day 2 (Sunday): Royal Arch to Toltec Beach + Elves Chasm
After a leisurely start in the morning, which included more amazing views of the Arch and monolith framed in the morning light, we packed up and made our ascent back up canyon to our exit point. Sam and Ryan left a little before us after consulting about the rappel. They had not brought any gear, and had a little trepidation about the downclimb.
We stopped for a quick plunge in the uppermost pool of RA creek, before retracing our route to the exit point. The obstacles were familiar now, but also new, given the opposite direction. After climbing out of the drainage, we made the hairpin turn and backtracked to a nice viewpoint of the Arch from above, before continuing the comparatively flat-ish contour over to the break in the Tapeats where the rappel site is located.
While we had prepared for brutal heat, the weather gods blessed us with some welcome clouds and a periodic nice breeze, which kept things relatively cool.
The rappel is a sight to behold. The rangers had recently installed a brand new dynamic rope for rappelling, along with a new, knotted handline and solidly constructed anchor system. (The ranger we met the following day confirmed that the current system was ranger-installed.) While the rappel involved only a 20' drop, the vantage point from above makes it feel like you are dropping off a 300' cliff. Add to that the fact that the overhang prevents you from seeing your destination from above and it's enough to get the blood pumping for even experienced climbers. Although I would generally trust my descending skills on the handline, I was glad to have a harness and ATC!
Our group made it down no problem. Just below the rappel is another tricky downclimb that has a narrow slot where our backpacks could get wedged. Although it was possible to get through with pack on, there was a risk that the pack would pop free and momentum would send you tumbling off the side. So, we once again opted for handing packs down. (Side note: With all of the pack lowering/handing-up on this trip, our packs definitely put on a few extra miles this trip! We jokingly renamed the trip variously: "Royal [pain in the] Arch Route" and "Royal [beat-the-crap-out-of-your-pack] Arch Route").
The descent from there to Toltec Beach was the hottest part of the trip, and we were glad to finally reach the cold Colorado, where we dropped our packs and took a refreshing dip. We saw Sam and Ryan's packs and figured they were over enjoying Elves Chasm. We set up our camp and then left for Elves ourselves around 3 pm. We med Sam and Ryan on their way back; they reported hanging with some rafters and scoring sandwiches and beer. They also indicated that they may not stay the full night at Toltec, as they were planning to go all the way from Toltec to Bass Beach the following day and thought they would use the full moon to do some night hiking. We wished them well and continued on.
It took us about an hour to get to Elves Chasm. The route is not too bad (I hiked in my Tevas and was fine), but as others have noted, it's good to bring some light gloves for a little bouldering/sharp rocks. We had Elves Chasm to ourselves, and the place is every bit as magical as described. In addition to the main grotto, we explored a beautiful lower grotto. We toyed with climbing above, but I think I spooked everyone out after sharing the entry in the Deaths in the Grand Canyon that occurred here. In the end, we opted not to press our luck, and headed back to Toltec as the shade and magical evening light descended on the canyon walls.
Along the way, we were accompanied by an impressive bighorn sheep, who posed and bounded around the boulders, casting aspersions at our comparatively meager skills.
The evening on Toltec Beach was lovely. While the forecast had predicted some potentially fierce wind gusts, the weather gods once again intervened and we had an extremely pleasant evening. As for Ryan and Sam, while they didn't head out that night, they did decided to set up their camp on a spit of sandy beach another 1/4 mile up-river from us.
Day 3 (Monday): Toltec to Copper Canyon
The following morning, we departed just before 7 with the goal of making it to Copper Canyon. Given reports of plentiful water, we reduced our water load from 7 to about 5 liters each. We knew this day would be our most exposed, but were excited to finally graduate from "route" travel to the relatively smooth and level Tonto. Navigation was not a problem.
On the way to Garnet, we passed through the first unnamed drainage, which had lots of salty pool water (pools lined with salt crystals). Garnet had several pools as well. They weren't lined with salt crystals, but we assumed they were also salty. While we didn't drink, we did soak our shirts, hats, and other coverings for the dry slog ahead.
The final ascent up and out of the drainage and onto the official start of the Tonto involved a couple of spots where we opted to hand our packs up (though could be done with packs on, if you've got the leg strength and balance).
Hiking on the Tonto felt like the scene from Cars when the new pavement is installed. Very refreshing to just hike and go for long distances without having to remove your pack, navigate significant obstacles, or even break stride. 
On the flip side, it was hot and exposed. We crossed the unnamed drainage east of Fiske Butte around lunch time and decided to wait out the heat of the day under the shade of a nice overhang. As an added bonus, there was still a small pothole of water there that gave us another dousing opportunity before we left.
At the overhang, I got out my sleeping pad and took a nap. We also played some games and generally relaxed for a few hours. It was lovely. We were not the first to use this overhang though, as there were remnants of a previous occupant (a thermal shirt, sweatshirt, and two t-shirts) and evidence of someone having built a windbreak with some rocks. Clearly a winter traveler--and I assume desperate, having left this all behind.
Having waited for the heat of the day to subside, our late afternoon circumnavigation of the Fiske Butte was relatively pleasant and uneventful. We arrived at Copper Camp with expectations of it being the land of milk and honey, based on the New Yorkers' reports. But, instead, the only thing we found was a single, stagnant pool about 0.3 mi. downstream from camp. A little disappointed, we still were glad for the pothole (and found out later that it saved Sam and Ryan from a pretty desperate situation earlier in the day), and managed to filter a dozen or so liters.
The camp spot, while not as scenic as the beach, was still impressive, surrounded by the Evolution Amphitheater. That night, I slept about as hard as I ever have on a backpacking trip.
Day 4 (Tuesday): Copper Canyon to Bass Beach + Shinumo Overlook
Discussion the previous evening centered on the debate about our night 4 camp: Bass Beach OR the Bass Canyon/Tonto Junction. I advocated for the beach, and ultimately that sentiment prevailed. Although it meant more distance with full backpacks, the beach ambiance carried the day--and all were ultimately happy with that choice.
As a result, our hike mileage was a relatively modest 5-5.5 miles. We took the "shortcut" down from the Tonto to Bass Tanks (pretty well cairned and not too difficult to follow). At Bass Tanks, we met a ranger out on patrol who had spent the night at Bass Beach. We visited a bit and she confirmed that the ropes at the rappel were ranger installed and asked whether the handline was left down, as she and her companion were planning to ascend the route, going in reverse.
The ranger confirmed that permits on the RA route are generally limited to 1 large group and two small groups per day. (At 6, we were the large group.)
There were some good potholes of water at Bass Tanks. After our chat with the ranger, we made quick work of the remainder of the trail to Bass Beach, passing by the Ross Wheeler on the final descent and arriving around 10 am. As expected, Sam and Ryan were there, recovering from their monster day. Two other hikers were also on the beach, having abandoned a RA route loop due to anticipated weather and water concerns, and instead checked down to a South Bass trip with a day hike on the Tonto towards Copper Canyon.
We set up camp and then headed to a nice bowl area at the far end of he beach at the base of a dryfall that provided a flat shaded spot for most of the day. We hung out there, played games, and napped. We also watched a group of kayakers, and two rafting groups pass through the rapids, and gawked at a nicely colored Grand Canyon chuckwalla out sunning himself nearby.
When the afternoon sun waned, a few of us headed out on the trail that heads downstream to check out the location of Bass's tram (which requires a steep, scrambly descent back to the river) and beyond to a nice overlook of Bass Beach Camp (where one of the rafting parties had set up camp) and on to a nice overlook of Shinumo Rapids. The trail peters out at that point, but cross country travel and a descent to Shinumo rapids is possible, though didn't seem worth it to us. Along the trail are the remains of some cabin structures and an old fireplace.
Returning to camp, we enjoyed the evening with frogs and several good-sized fish that swam right up next to the shoreline.
Day 5 (Wednesday): Bass Beach Out
Our final day, we left camp by 6 am. We enjoyed shade all the to just below the Esplanade. I underestimated how beautiful and lush the Redwall section of Bass Canyon is. Truly lovely.
The Esplanade section looks different than what I experienced on Deer Creek/Thunder River--less slick rock. But plenty of cryptobiotic soil. After a break in the shade, we continued our climb out. Near the top, we took some time to explore the granaries and ruins. The granary is in good shape, but the dwellings are largely deteriorated, with some walls remaining and roof timbers strewn about.
We topped out before noon, and crossed path with a couple of hikers and support, who were heading out on a 10 day trek through the Jewels. Someday ....
After collecting our shuttle car at the Ranger Station and enjoying some cold drinks, we headed back to civilization. Hit up NiMarco's in Flagstaff for some celebratory pizza and sides. Delish.
This is an amazing adventure. Definitely agree with the NPS description of this trek as a "challenging five day loop ... considered by many to be the most difficult of the established south side hikes, appropriate for experienced canyon hikers with basic canyoneering skills (ACA rating: 3A VI).... For those yet to acquire off trail navigational skills and the ability to rig a rappel anchor, this hike offers about a million ways to get into serious trouble in a remote part of the Grand Canyon." All the more true if you add in the Pt. Huitzil approach! |
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