Deer Creek Narrows • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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I had been angling for a permit to hike the Royal Arch route, but with the access issues, I decided to put in for a return trip to Thunder River and Deer Creek. We did this loop with a few of our younger kids several years ago, but this time, I added two more days to the schedule, for a more relaxed pace, and an opportunity to hike the off-trail route to Tapeats Spring.

I invited my oldest daughter--now a mom of three herself, to join me for a father-daughter adventure. She has often complained that she missed out on the really cool family hikes we've done because she left home before the younger kids were old enough for us to take on many ambitious adventures. So, it was something of a "make-up" trip. I also invited a good friend and GC hiking companion, whose youngest daughter also joined. Then, somewhat last minute, my wife came down with a case of FOMO and decided she wanted in after all. Luckily, getting an extra spot on the permit was as easy as a call to the BCO (which also adjusted our itinerary to get us what I considered the ideal camping spots

).

Day 0--Drive to the TH and Camp on the Rim: Four of us drove up to Jacob Lake, where we rendezvoused with my daughter, who drove down from Utah. We parked her car at the Kaiabab Lodge (with the owner's permission) and headed off towards the Bill Hall TH.

The temperatures had been relatively warm and many of the aspens were still looking green and leafy. On our return a week later, not so much ...

The drive out to Crazy Jug Point was uneventful, and the roads were in good condition. At the four-way intersection just before Crazy Jug Point, we turned right to find the sweet camp spot right on the edge of the rim. Unfortunately, it was already taken, so we continued on towards the TH, where there are two other nice pull outs for camping (but with the views of the canyon more obstructed by trees). We set up camp in one of these, then drove back to Crazy Jug Point and hiked down a bit to enjoy a beautiful sunset. Once there, we wished we had set up camp at the nice camping spot next to the parking area for CJ Point. Oh well.

We enjoyed a cool night, but with a blazing campfire for company!

Day 1 Bill Hall TH to Upper Tapeats: Woke early and drove the 1/2 mile or so to the TH. Several cars in the parking area. Off we went, starting with the counterintuitive uphill climb to the drop in spot at Monument Point. The initial descent was as steep and rocky as I remember. With a little more familiarity with the landscape, I looked down on the Tapeats Amphitheater, eyeing what would be the off-trail destination for Day 2--Tapeats Spring.

Rounding the corner below Monument Point offers the equivalent of the South Kaibab "Ooh Ah" Point, where the Esplanade comes into view, along with miles and miles of zig-zagging Canyon, heading off towards Havasupai and beyond, with Mt. Trumbull providing some contour to the north rim landscape.

The "tricky" downclimb at about 1.5 miles was fine, generally requiring handing down packs. That was followed by another steep drop via dozens of short switchbacks, which we dubbed "squiggle-backs," until reaching the junction with the Thunder River trail at the edge of the Esplanade.

As we crossed the Esplanade, we cached water for our night 5 camp and continued on. the Esplanade is a very cool, Sedona-like area, and I was excited to return and enjoy the Esplanade a little more fully than can be taken in during a crossing on the way to somewhere else.

At the south edge of the Esplanade, we stopped for lunch and looked down on the most desolate area of the trip--Surprise Valley. We wondered where the name came from and speculated that, with all of the amazing surrounding territory, the desolation of the valley was "surprising." Turns out that the name was actually tied to John Wesley Powell's second expedition, when the crew's photographer, E. O. Beaman, "accidentally" stumbled upon the Deer Creek valley. Per some authorities, and for unknown reasons, the U. S. Geological Survey moved the map location around 1960 to its current inaccurate location between Deer Creek and Thunder River. http://www.allhikers.com/Other/Grand-Ca ... ames.htm#S.

Anywhoo, we descended the rocky route down into the Valley and hung a left at the trail junction. At this point, I began thinking of the NAU student, Bryce Gillies, who died near here in July 2009 after erroneously following the route down the Bonita Creek drainage and getting cliffed out, instead of continuing over to the Thunder River drainage. I remember reading about this tragedy and wondering how he could have made that mistake. But after hiking it this time, I can definitely see why--first, the trail across Surprise Valley to Thunder River requires going both UPHILL and AWAY from the Colorado River--both of which would seem very counterintuitive, if one didn't know better.

Luckily, we knew better and headed away and uphill, eventually coming into earshot and then seeing Thunder River pouring out of the side of the canyon wall like a giant faucet, several hundred feet below. It is truly an amazing sight.

We hung out at the falls/spring for awhile and then finished our descent into the Upper Tapeats campground, securing the large camping spot. Surprisingly, we had no company in the campground and only passed one other set of hikers the entire day. We would stay here for two nights.

No marauding mice, but I did make the mistake of putting a fresh apple at the bottom of my ratsack, and a ringtail spent a good chunk of time overnight nibbling tiny very tiny bites out of it through the small metal mesh. :-/

Day 2--Rest Day OR Tapeats Spring: On day 2, my buddy and I had our eyes on making our way up to Tapeats Spring. Our two daughters were up for some exploration up Tapeats Creek, but turned around after about a mile up canyon. My wife was content to take the day off and relax and read around camp. After turning up the Tapeats drainage at about 1.5 miles from camp, the going gets rough--and sketchy (which is saying something on this hike, where the trail portions can get pretty sketchy).

After a lot of hard work and a lot more up and down than I was anticipating (crossing boulder slides and side drainages), we made it to the spring. Very cool area, where once again the creek literally emerges from the rock. It's not as spectacular an exit as Thunder Spring, but still worth a visit.

It took us about 4 hours to cover the 3.2 miles from camp. The return trip was not as long or strenuous, but honestly, going down was more nerve-wracking than going up. Thankfully, we navigated it all well and arrived back at camp by late afternoon.

Another pleasant night on in the campground.

Day 3--Upper Tapeats to 135 mi. Rapid: Day three was a short jaunt down to a camp on the River at 135 mile rapids. We played in the creek and hung out at the confluence of Tapeats Creek and the Colorado, watching rafters and kayakers run the rapids. Several NPS rafts were tied up at the confluence, and a team had headed up creek to scope out a replacement for the bathroom facilities at Upper Tapeats. The remaining crew were relaxing at the river. I chatted with them and they graciously filled our water bladders for our dry camp that night (the River was silty).

As planned, we camped at 135 mile rapid. It was more rocky than last time and we wished we had set up camp at a nice, but small beach a little further up river.

Day 4--River to Deer Creek: I got up early on Day 4 and wandered down towards Granite Narrows to watch the sun rise. It was a beautiful morning. After breakfast, we packed up and headed over to Deer Creek. There is some solid uphill climbing to get to the saddle before descending back to the Deer Creek drainage.

Given the short distance, we arrived fairly early and headed up to snag the large campsite on Deer Creek. After setting up camp and eating lunch, we headed back downstream to the Patio, Narrows, and Deer Creek Falls. All were a major highlight of the trip, though the Patio was swarming with rafters on our way down--probably about 25-30 people lounging in the area.

When we got to the falls, there were about 15 rafts or dories tied up. Luckily, while the rafters were at the Patio, we enjoyed the falls in relative solitude. Then, when we headed back to camp, the rafters had all retreated and we had the patio to ourselves in the late afternoon.

That night, after we hit the hay, it started raining--and it continued raining all night long, literally 6-7 hours non-stop. Thankfully, the storm tuckered out by the time we got up in the morning, and we didn't have to hike in the rain or set up/take down camp in the rain. We did note by looking across the canyon at the south rim that there was snow at the higher elevations.

Day 5--Deer Creek to Esplanade: We shared the Deer Creek camping area with two other groups. In the morning, we packed up and headed out for our biggest climbing day--first up to Surprise Valley and then up to the Esplanade. Along the way, we stopped at the now-dry Deer Spring, and hung out and relaxed in the "Throne Room," which has around a dozen or so "thrones."

We arrived at our camping spot on the Esplanade by mid-late afternoon. It was chilly, with a stiff breeze whipping up the wind-chill factor. We adjusted our camping location to take advantage of some natural wind breaks. The wind mostly died down around sunset, which was spectacular, with the clouds providing an amazing backdrop, and the water-filled potholes on the Esplanade reflecting all of the light.

Before bed, the breeze kicked in a bit and wafted down some brief snow flakes (but nothing that stuck). We went to bed at 7 and stayed in the tents for a good 12 hours. :-) My daughter (and mom to 3 boys--5, 3, and 2) said she got more sleep on our backpacking trip than she's had in years!

Day 6--Esplanade Out: Our last day was a relatively short (but steep) hike out to the TH. We passed a couple of groups and asked about road conditions. Apparently, the rain from the prior night dropped 4-5 inches of snow on the rim, but all reports were that he roads were okay. Once at the TH, we found snow on the car and icicles hanging from the bumper. The drive out was fine, but there were more ruts and an occasional slight fishtail here and there.

Once back on the main road to Jacob Lake, we found the aspens to have quickly shed their leaves and winter had set in. We had hoped to catch a shower at the Kaibab Camper Village, only to find that they had closed for the season one week earlier. :-( We stopped at Jacob Lake for a hot meal, and then headed to public showers near the Marble Canyon Lodge. I give them a one-star rating--one was too hot; another too cold; and a couple that just ate quarters without any shower at all. Despite that, we managed to get relatively clean and had an uneventful return to civilization--and an inbox with about 700 emails in it. Welcome back to reality!

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Sep 15 2022

shelby147

Routes 5
Photos 435
Triplogs 119

female

Joined Mar 26 2022
Flagstaff, AZ

Cranberry Canyon attempt, AZ

Backpack		Sep 15 2022
		shelby147 • Triplogs 119

Backpack	42.00 Miles	10,500 AEG

Backpack	42.00 Miles	4 Days
	10,500 ft AEG		28 LBS Pack

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Took 4 days to backpack around Deer and Tapeats creeks. We were hoping to return to Indian Hollow via the cranberry route but couldn't find the redwall route before it got very hot. Overall the trail was slow (or NPS mileages were off) but it was very rewarding.

Day 1: Indian Hollow to Deer Creek. There were thunderstorms the previous afternoon and for a couple hours fog was evaporating off the esplanade - what a pretty effect. Potholes were abundant on our hike down and somewhat more limited on the return trip. We didn't have trouble following the old trail along the esplanade to Bill Hall jct although others reported it was difficult.

It was already warm by the time we reached Surprise Valley but we promptly found a big rock with ample shade. We made sure to stay on top of food and electrolytes and still got hot by the time we reached the creek, where we took a long break in the water. The trail to deer creek is slow over boulders and talus, but the rocks are stable. On the way to the campsite we found some flowers which were absolutely swarmed by tarantula hawks. I got excited about the photo opportunity until I noticed a truly giant wasp....

After setting our tents we continued to the patio and the beach. Wow. Possibly my favorite mile in the whole canyon. We debated and decided you'd likely die if you fell off the ledges above the narrows so we made sure to return to camp sober and before dark. As soon as we arrived on the beach a boater walked straight over and offered us beers and trash service - how wonderful! We had enough time for a quick dinner and wade around the falls before heading up to bed.

Day 2: loop through Thunder River/ Tapeats Creek. We started early and were treated to beautiful light once we got over our intial hill - golden beams shining onto the opposite side of the canyon. The trail was easy walking for about a mile and reminded me of Beamer. Some big pontoon boats passed below - that was my first time seeing them and... they're a bit much.

After a quick wade in the river we started up into Tapeats Creek. It got hot fast when we were on the hotter rocks. The trail was a little exposed on both sides of the river, but river left was worse. The Thunder River crossings weren't evident so we made our best guess. We found a nice pool and probably spent a good hour sitting in the river around noon. This paid off later because our hike out to Surprise Valley was cooler than the rest of the day had been. There were also two easy access points to the waterfall and we took advantage to keep cool. Back in Deer Creek we enjoyed dinner at the patio and filtered lots of water (thank goodness for gravity filters) to prepare for our tough next day.

Day 3: Cranberry crack attempt. We got an early start and each carried 7-8L water. Right off the bat we took the hard way up to the ancient lake bed, going over the lower saddle instead of the upper. The lakebed was very cool and the easiest walking of the entire trip. We lost elevation rather than try to sidewalk on the talus below our goal slope. First we headed straight up and lost access to cross the big ravine to climbers right. We descended partway after realizing and found a cairn indicating where to enter the ravine. There was another cairn in the ravine that wasn't visible from the first cairn, so we added one to fill the gap. The scrambling got easier for a little while, although it continued heating up. The nastiest section was talus at the base of the redwall.

Thinking our chute was at climber's left, we climbed to the base of the redwall and used handholds on the cliff to stay secure on this nastiest bit of talus. My friend climbed to the only possible chute we saw and said it was no-go. We'd already decided that was our last ditch and we weren't wasting time in the heat searching for our chute, so we promptly turned around. I think the proper chute was actually slightly to the right above us but I'd accidentally deleted my reference photos, GPX, and notes - ugh! We had a hot, slippy, slow climb back down the talus and were relieved to return to a semblance of flat ground. This time we took the higher saddle to exit the ancient lakebed with much better results. When we reached the trail he proceeded to the patio for a very welcome rest, then down to the beach/ falls again for dinner.

Day 4: Missing the Cranberry route meant we had a long hike out. We hit the trail at 5:15am and worked hard to ascend out of Surprise Valley before the sun hit us. We took a bit more time on the esplanade, finding a few nice shady spots on the slickrock where we couldn't resist breaking. Only the largest/ most sheltered potholes were still full.

I had some nasty hot spots developing (strangely, I never noticed them until I took my shoes off each evening so they got quite bad) and I was quite "over it" by the time we began our final ascent to Indian Hollow. After dumping excess water (my pack was probably now below 15lbs) I got a second wind and was marching along... until the trail routed around a dead tree. The tedium of scrambling 15ft down loose talus just 5 minutes from the trailhead nearly broke me. Once on the rim, I was hardly interested in a last look into the canyon, but that's about normal for me. Happily, I had grilled cheese fixings waiting in my car.

Apr 17 2022

MAP

Routes 137
Photos 1
Triplogs 105

44 female

Joined Oct 21 2016
Tempe, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Backpack		Apr 17 2022
		MAP • Triplogs 105

Backpack	23.72 Miles	7,727 AEG

Backpack	23.72 Miles	4 Days 3 Hrs 52 Mns
	7,727 ft AEG

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Most magical hike of the GC so far! This is the GC spectacular. Seriously, this hike has it all. All the indescribable views, all the adventure, all the giant waterfalls, narrows, springs, wide open esplanade, ALL the fantastic ups, everything wonderful and nothing terrible.

DAY 1: Bill Hall TH to Deer Creek Camp AX7 (~8 hours, 8.7 miles, 634 ft aeg)
We camped up near the Bill Hall TH Saturday evening and started hiking around 7:30 am Sunday. Got all warmed up hiking the little bit of up to Monument Point before heading down down down...and then some more down. The views the entire hike down this section through the Kaibab, Toroweap, and Coconino Sandstone Formations are majestic. There are a couple of areas we had to sit & scooch or drop a bag down but nothing of any difficulty. It is pretty slow moving over the first couple of miles though. We reached the Thunder River Trail connection around 9:30 am and a couple of people in our group stashed water for the hike back out. From this point, the hike down is less steep and fairly smooth moving across the Esplanade. The Esplanade is an alien world and I love everything about it. Some of the people in our group were starting to get pretty warm hiking across the Esplanade; the rest of us were just in awe of the wild rock sculptures. We stashed water in the rock pockets just above the Redwall decent, chatted with a Park Ranger and showed him our permit, and headed down around 11:30 am. We were all feeling the heat now. The hike down the Supai and Redwall Formations to Surprise Valley is really hot mid-day, even in the cool Spring months. And it's A LOT, even going down. But the views are fantastic and that helps to ease the physical part. The fork in the trail (right to Deer Creek, left to Thunder River and Tapeats Creek) is marked by a couple of tall sticks haha. No formal sign or anything so keep an eye out. At the intersection, we headed west on the Deer Creek Trail. This is where it began to feel like the trail would never end & the sun/heat was sucking the energy out of me. I got a boost of energy as we started to descend toward Deer Creek buuuuut slowly realized there was still a long way to go. There's a sketchy turn in the descent and a sketchy crossing of scree but the narrow turn is super short and the scree is stable. AND this is right around the point where Deer Spring is visible. Finally FINALLY beautiful cold water! We played in the spring for a while, climbed up behind the waterfall, got refreshed and cooled down. There were rafters at the spring who had hiked up from the river and they looked much less rough than we did. We left the spring and just a few hundred feet down reached Deer Creek. A few from our group were hanging out under the big beautiful Cottonwood tree just as the trail meets Deer Creek. We all trudged the final half mile to the campground in a daze. Everything looked like a paradise after the hot long miles we had just come from. We got to Deer Creek camp (AX7) around 3:30 pm and found our perfect shady spots to set up camp.

DAY 2: Deer Creek Camp to Deer Creek Falls and Back (~2 hours hiking time, 1.5 miles, 500 ft aeg)
After a peaceful and beautiful night's sleep in the canyon, we woke up Monday and packed day packs to head down to Deer Creek Falls and the Colorado River. Whatever we were feeling from the day before, the Deer Creek Narrows awakened something special in every one of us. This is a sacred place. I felt like I was moving through a place where words lost meaning and people were instantly calmed and quiet. The narrows feel enormous but there are a handful of tight squeezes as you move closer to the river. A small daypack was fine but I would not want to carry a backpacking pack through the tight parts. There were groups of rafters moving through the Narrows as we headed down and everyone was kind and friendly. At the end of the Narrows you walk out of the canyon and get a spectacular view of the Colorado River...and 50 rafts on either side. Woah. It's a strange feeling to go from quiet & solitude to a bustling city of rafting trips. After a few switchbacks and a steep drop down along the trail...the great ginormous Deer Creek Falls in all its glory. We hung out at the falls (most of our group jumped in!) for about an hour before the people thinned out & the rafts left & we had the place to ourselves. What a treat! The GC is amazing. There are entire perfect worlds tucked away in her canyons. Deer Creek Falls and the Narrows are definitely one of the most magical canyon worlds. We hiked back up to camp & got ready for our early start the next day. Oh and hikers who came in late saw the pink rattler up near the toilet! We tried to find them but weren't as lucky.

DAY 3: Deer Creek Camp AX7 to Upper Tapeats Camp AW7 (~6 hours, 5.5 miles, 1,400 ft aeg)
Got up early to beat the heat & started hiking around 4:30 am. About a half mile in the trail splits & we stayed left to take the high route. We hiked a few miles of the river trail in darkness but it was straightforward to navigate. As soon as the sky started to fill with light the views of the Colorado River were unbelievable. We came to the "climb" at the mouth of Bonita Creek around 7 am and it is not bad at all coming from the Deer Creek side. Most of our group scrambled up with no problem. I passed my bag up & someone threw a handline down to me but I didn't need it. Honestly, it looked like a totally different story looking down from the top so I'm happy we got to climb up instead of down. We got to Tapeats Creek, took a break, and headed up and up and up and up. It felt like the up was never-ending. The trail along Tapeats Creek definitely had the most sketchy sections of trail (narrow trail with steep drops) and there were many of these sections. Those actually didn't bother me even though I'm afraid of heights but they bothered others in our group who are good climbers so go figure. The hike up Tapeats Creek has the most insanely incredible views of the entire trip the ENTIRE hike up! Maybe I was too obsessed with the views to notice how sketchy the trail was. We got to Upper Tapeats campsite (AW7) around 10:30 am and basically plopped down in the creek & sat there forever to cool down. There is not much shade during the day at the Upper Tapeats camp but luckily the water is right there & is nice & cold. We explored the little moss-covered waterfalls upstream and explored the rock ledges above our camp where my friend found a sleepy rattlesnake. One person in our group had bad blisters and another was feeling very anxious about the heat so we decided to only stay one night out of our planned two nights at Upper Tapeats. It was for the best since a group the same size as ours came to camp and wanted to stay at the site we were already set up at. We decided to hike to Thunder Spring in the morning and hang out there all day until evening when the sun would be blocked.

DAY 4: Upper Tapeats Camp AW7 to the Esplanade (~4.5 hours, 3.4 miles, 3,160 ft aeg)
Got started around 10:30 am and hiked one hour (0.7 miles and around 1000 ft elevation gain) to reach Thunder Spring. And that's where we stayed until 5 pm.

Thunder River Falls is like a magical fairyland if fairies were into death metal. There are beautiful moss-covered pockets and crystal clear water and it is LOUD. It was a fun relaxing place to spend the day. We all made some food & filled up with cold water and headed on up to Surprise Valley with the sun blocked the whole way up. Surprise Valley was lovely in this light and seemed more lovely and interesting on this side compared with the Deer Creek side. We powered up the Redwall (which surprisingly felt much better going up vs going down - probably because of the lack of direct sun) and made it to the top and to the Esplanade just as it got dark (around 7:10 pm). The rest of our group got to the top and we found our water cache in the rock pockets where we had left it. At that point, it was 8:30 pm & dark dark. Hiking the Esplanade in the dark was too difficult so we decided to sleep on the rocks (not disturbing the cryptobiotic soil) and hike out in the morning. It was a crazy windy night but we were happy to have one big "up" behind us and a great view of the stars above.

DAY 5: Esplanade to Bill Hall TH (~4 hours, 4.6 miles, 2,025 ft aeg)
Morning Esplanade! I sure love this place. Started hiking at 7 am and reached the Thunder River Trail connection and the second stash of water an hour & 20 minutes later. Now for the real fun part. Those final 2.25 miles were a struggle and a half. But I just kept up my little train that could - slow & steady choo choo. We saw a number of groups heading down as we went up. It's funny, everyone wants to chat heading down but the feeling is not mutual going up. We took a break in the cave and kept going for the final push to the top. Made it to Monument Point at 10:30 am and what a relief! It did not feel like 3 1/2 hours...more like 10. Epic epic everything.

Seriously, I want to live here. Or visit all the time. It's all hard. And usually hot. And pretty darn real. And I think people probably come out changed. These places will be a part of me forever. They are that special and I'm grateful to get to visit.

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Oct 27 2021

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Deer Creek - Kanab Creek Loop, AZ

Backpack		Oct 27 2021
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Backpack	52.00 Miles	7,397 AEG

Backpack	52.00 Miles	5 Days
	7,397 ft AEG

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Jumpup-Nail Trail

Scotty's Castle

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	BiFrost	GrottoGirl
	John9L	slowandsteady

GPS says 69.6 miles and just short of 61,832 feet of gain. Such is what happens when you walk through narrow canyons for five days! John knocked it down to 52 miles and 6,000 feet, which is probably under-doing it a little bit. Regardless of the actual stats, the totals were a lot. And most of the miles and feet were hard. Really, really hard. No pain no gain. What an amazingly beautiful trip!

Tuesday
Drove to the north rim. It had rained and snowed overnight leaving some nice winter scenes at the highest elevations and dust-free driving on the dirt roads. We camped at Sowats on a chilly night that dropped into the upper 20s, and the road there was a deeply rutted, freshly muddy 4wd adventure mess. The kind of drive that a truck loves. It took me 25 minutes in the high-pressure self-wash after the trip to get all the mud cleaned off.

Wednesday - 9.45 miles, -4778ft, 847aeg, 5:37
Left my truck at Sowats and piled in Karl's truck and drove over to Monument Point. The mud was noticeably better after just an extra night of drying out. Even midweek at this time of year, we were surprised to find only 3 cars at Bill Hall. We got started with the climb up to Monument and the familiar descent down to the esplanade where numerous pools of water remained after a day of rain. After a chilly start, it warmed up and by the time we dropped through the redwall break down into Surprise Valley, it became a bit warmer than my preference. I was ready for last push down into the Deer Creek drainage to be over. I took the time to stop at the throne room again. There are more thrones than the last time I was there. There was no water flowing from the spring, but it's not called the Deer Creek Spring Room, it's called the Throne Room ... thus still a worthy stop, and only a few steps off the route.

Deer Creek has flooded hard recently and there's a lot of damage. Water made its way through the camp area though it's still in mostly fine shape. BUT for a zone with "two" camp sites, NPS should really get out there and clean up some of the post-flood growth and deadfall debris. There is really only one site now, though it's certainly big enough to handle two groups. You just get to be social with anybody else who has a permit on the same night.

We headed down to the patio for a sunset happy hour bevvy before heading back up to camp for dinner and relaxation time before bed.

Thursday - ~11.4 mi, -558ft, ~1000aeg, 10:04
This was our unknown day. We had no gps route and only a couple of online reports of people having done it before. It started easy enough with the beautiful push through the Deer Creek Narrows and the drop down to the river (with great new steps constructed since last I was here - rafter permit $$$ being spent well!) along with a stop at the always spectacular falls. From here it was supposed to be about 9 miles of winging it along the Colorado. In a perfect world we could hitch a ride from boaters. But with a group of 5 that was highly unlikely. And we didn't see any boaters until we were more than halfway there anyway!

I will say this quite definitively. We would not have been able to complete this day if not for the shade that the lower angle of the sun provided along the river. I would say that anytime before October 15 or after March 1 (3 weeks before/after the equinoxes) will result in too high of a sun angle and not enough shade to do this stretch in one day. Remember ... it SNOWED on the rim the day before we started. It was not hot. River-level daytime highs were in the 70s. But while there were occasional stretches with signs of previous travel, this stretch should be considered to be 9 miles of off-trail boulder-hopping. While always "right there", the river is not always accessible. At one point we stopped near a beach to filter some water, but found it to be very difficult to get down to the water level without risking the inability to get back up! When hiking in the sun, it was physically draining. Stretches of canyon shade were critical relief.

There's one main stretch where the only route climbs about 300 feet above the river to traverse a cliff band. This is by far the easiest part of the day! The rest is an absolutely exhausting clusterF. It's also stunningly beautiful, wild, remote, and simultaneously enjoyable. We averaged 1mph on the day. There were parts where were able to move at a somewhat more normal backpacking pace, but that means that there were also really rough parts were it was taking us 2 hours to go a single mile.

As the day progressed we realized that daylight might not be a thing when we got to Kanab Creek. It was nice to mentally prepare for that a few hours out, so when we had to light up our headlamps in the last 15 minutes or so it wasn't as defeating as it could be. We set up camp in the dark on the beach adjacent to Kanab Rapid, cooked up dinner and all went to bed relatively early.

Friday - ~10.2 miles, 691ft, ~900aeg, 7:57
After a rough day along the Colorado, it was a relief to begin heading up Kanab. The water was a little bit turbid after the rain a few days earlier, but became clearer as we headed upstream, and was always fine for filtering. The lower stretch of Kanab was a pleasant creek walk. There was a little bit of mud and lots of shallow water crossings. But as the miles went on, it was still a little slow going. When we reached the side canyon for Whispering Falls, we dropped our packs and headed up. Here we encountered the only other people on our hike other than at the Deer Creek Camp. A group of four that was camped farther up Kanab had day hiked down to see the falls and we were all there at the same time. Whispering is a really special spot and worthy of the little side trip.

After the falls, we headed upstream with the goal of reaching Showerbath for camp. The canyon got rougher as we went along. Deeper pools, larger boulders, slower travel in general. After yesterday's suckfest along the river, we were all a bit exhausted. We were in unknown territory yesterday and today, but Karl and 9L had both been to the upper part of Kanab previously and assured us that travel would improve tomorrow. As I did math based on travel speed, miles to go, daylight, etc. I started to suggest that perhaps we consider an option for camp near Scotty's Hollow, more than a mile less than our plan. I didn't hear any arguments, and I think we were all happy to find a great shelf to camp at less than an hour before sunset that would prevent a second consecutive day of arriving at camp in the dark.

Saturday ~13.8mi, 1050ft, ~1650aeg, 8:23
We started the day by taking the side trip up Scotty's Hollow. There's a picturesque little waterfall near the beginning and the route up above it goes through a cool little rabbit hole. We proceeded about a mile up canyon, a narrow, winding canyon with a pleasant creek flowing through it. Next time, I'll plan an extra day to spend in this part of Kanab as there is much to explore and we simply didn't have the time to give it the attention it deserved.

Back to Kanab proper, we began our upstream progress and realized how happy we were to stop where we did last night. This first mile or so between Scotty's and Showerbath is a pretty slow section with huge boulders and some water obstacles. We took a break at Showerbath, filtered water and took a few photos.

As promised, from this point up, the canyon was easier to hike through (and quicker). The water dried up in about 2 miles and we finally started to dry our feet out for the first time in two days. We stopped at the Jumpup Kanab junction before heading up into the Jumpup narrows. A couple of miles up the narrows we took a break at Indian Hollow and another short side trip into this scenic side canyon before heading upstream again.

A couple more miles and the narrows open, and the views open and reminded us all that we were in Grand Canyon. Another mile or so and we reached our planned night 4 camp where we set up along a trickling creek for a relaxing evening.

Sunday 6.7mi, 2451ft, ~3000aeg, 3:59
Easy like Sunday Morning! A couple miles of creek hiking through golden autumn cottonwoods in Sowats Canyon led us to where the Jumpup Nail trail crosses and we were happy to be back on a developed trail. Along the way I ignored Mountain Sheep spring. It had nice water flowing. I wasn't interested and kept going! A short climb out of Sowats landed us back on the esplanade, where we enjoyed a couple of the most pleasant miles of walking since the last time we were on the esplanade 4 days earlier!

Once we topped off our water at Kwagunt, it's about 2 miles and 2000 feet to reach the trailhead back at Sowats point. Of course, we missed the wilderness boundary and had to do a quick backtrack for the obligatory wilderness sign photo. Back at the truck, we found a couple of gifts from friends we knew would be in the area.

We shuttled back to Bill Hall where there were now a dozen vehicles. A few days of drying had the Sowats road in pristine condition. It's impressive how such a mess could recover so quickly. It's a mandatory 4wd road when wet, but a careful driver could have gotten out there in a sedan when dry.

Stopped at Jacob's Lake and ran into Wendy and friends and chatted for a bit. Always fun to find other Hazzers out an about on hiking adventures!

Recap
A truly phenomenal trip through some amazing, beautiful, wild, and remote country. Very difficult hiking and easy to underestimate. Weather/heat/sun is critical especially during the river portion and could easily overwhelm even experienced desert hikers. Obviously Kanab and Jumpup are subject to flooding and that's always a factor when planning a trip here. I could have easily done this as a 6 night trip instead of 4. This is a trip that will be fodder for stories I tell the grandkids one day.

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

3 archives

Oct 30 2020

pseudalpine

Guides 59
Routes 1,100
Photos 1,176
Triplogs 1,290

male

Joined Jan 01 2023
Arizona

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Oct 30 2020
		pseudalpine • Triplogs 1,290

Hiking	1.60 Miles	604 AEG

Hiking	1.60 Miles
	604 ft AEG

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

3 archives

Oct 12 2016

FOTG

Guides 37
Routes 556
Photos 10,872
Triplogs 1,052

43 male

Joined Jan 21 2013
AZ

Northwest, AZ

Backpack		Oct 12 2016
		FOTG • Triplogs 1,052

Backpack	36.42 Miles	9,015 AEG

Backpack	36.42 Miles	3 Days
	9,015 ft AEG

Linked

Tapeats Spring

Partners

none

no partners

This was the main reason for my week long trip to the north rim and it did not disappoint. This backpack had been on my mind for a few years now. My permit was for four days, however, I was ok with returning a day earlier, as I had already had a very eventful fall break.

Day one was a pretty standard hike down Bill Hall and the Deer Creek Trail. I really enjoyed the esplanade portion of the hike and think that this section of trail may get overlooked a little because of the attractions at the CO and along Thunder and Tapeats. However, I think its right up with them, in terms of scenery and beauty. Only two people at the Deer Creek site so that was nice. I was a little surprised at how rugged and steep the drop was into Deer Creek was, but I kind of enjoyed it and put it on par with other more rugged descents, such as Boucher. The narrows of Deer Creek were absolutely amazing and rival the attraction of the falls in my opinion. The only issue was the dozen or so rafters lounging around the narrows, makes for poor photos. It made me think, that the real threats to the canyon's treasures and solitude are not from the foot traffic on the rim, but the traffic coming up from the river. I kept chuckling to myself about how different the partying schlubs beached on the narrows and down by the falls were in comparison to the characters I was reading about in The Emerald Mile. I ended up being pretty beat, despite the modest day and was in bed not to long after the sunset.

On day two I took the traditional route back to Tapeats Creek and had my camp set up in the AV9 use area pretty early in the morning. I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Tapeats Creek and it was simply amazing on so many levels. I got back to camp reeling with some adrenaline from the awesome day, but it quickly wore off and I was in bed again very shortly after sunset. The moon kept it pretty well lit in my area for most of the night and the temps were nearly perfect, as I never even crawled into my bag. I made the wet hike back to the Thunder River Trail the next morning, stopped for some pictures of the waterfalls and took some long breaks on the way up to soak it all in. I had to walk a little over a mile to get back to my campsite, but there waiting for me safe and sound was Jackie and the pups, so all was well.

A tremendous area, a tremendous hike and maybe my most memorable trip in the canyon to date!

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cave popcorn

_____________________

6 archives

Oct 16 2014

Tough_Boots

Routes 67
Photos 2,708
Triplogs 755

89 male

Joined Mar 28 2008
Phoenix, AZ

Deer Creek / Thunder River, AZ

Backpack		Oct 16 2014
		Tough_Boots • Triplogs 755

Backpack	32.50 Miles	9,741 AEG

Backpack	32.50 Miles	4 Days
	9,741 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

Partners

partners

	BiFrost	chumley
	John9L	Jonnybackpack

You really can't beat this trip.

Day One: Woke up at our campsite on the north rim and prepared for our descent. We drove to the trailhead and headed down. We mostly split up and met for long breaks on the Esplanade and Deer Creek Spring. We made it to our campsite at Deer Creek, set up camp, and then headed through the narrows and down to the falls.

Day Two: We broke camp and headed to Tapeats along the Colorado River. Smoke had drifted into the area from what we assumed were some controlled burns on the rim. This stretch of trail is pretty rugged with lots of ups and downs. We made it to Tapeats Creek and then headed up creek to our camp at Upper Tapeats. We had a beautiful and roomy spot for two nights. We set up camp and then headed up to check out Thunder River spring.

Day Three: I was not as adventurous as some and passed up a trip to Tapeats cave. As sore as my muscles were and the prospect of possibly hiking out the next day with damp shoes was, I opted to hike back down to the river and check out the boat beach a little upstream. Chumley showed me a route he found on satellite view. I attempted it but it was a bust. It disappeared pretty quick and I ended up a couple hundred feet up surrounded by nothing but skree. I came back down and took the route along the river. I met a few rafters and had a pretty nice day.

Day Four: Hiked out of that ditch. It was long. It was steep. It was awesome.

Thanks to Chumley for organizing this. Its probably the prettiest route I've done in the canyon so far.

_____________________

1 archive

Oct 16 2014

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Deer Creek / Thunder River, AZ

Backpack		Oct 16 2014
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Backpack	29.87 Miles	9,044 AEG

Backpack	29.87 Miles	4 Days
	9,044 ft AEG

Linked

[ checklist ] Cag Shot Camp-fire Campsite HAZ - Selfie Inscriptions Intrepid Back Shot Swimming Hole

Partners

partners

	BiFrost	John9L
	Jonnybackpack	Tough_Boots

An awesome 4-day backpack loop starting with Deer Creek. Hit the Deer Spring on the way down. Did the narrows to the falls both Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

We took the high route on the traverse across to Lower Tapeats before heading up to Upper Tapeats. Friday afternoon we headed up to check out Thunder River. As I sort of expected, I wasn't able to convince myself to risk the final climb to the cave. Karl tried after me and came to the same conclusion. I'm pretty sure if I watched somebody else do it first it would be no problem. But we had no such guide so that will have to wait for another day.

Saturday was our excursion to Tapeats Cave and Sunday we hiked out early in the day.

In the downtime, we harassed canyon mice and made sure that the liquid weight we had carried in wouldn't slow us down on the way out.

I'm not sure what part of this loop I liked the most. Deer Creek Narrows are special. The falls are incredible. Tapeats Creek is a force to be reckoned with, and the cave is amazing. Thunder River is a wonder. And as always, the massive views the canyon provides can't be beat.

It was a great trip with an awesome group of people! We'll have to do it again!

Jon and Patrick posted a video of the trip on their WildernessTV page: It's highly entertaining! http://vimeo.com/111694462

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Deer Mouse

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Deer Creek Deer Creek Falls Deer Spring Great Thumb Mesa Navajo Bridge Surprise Valley Tapeats Creek Thunder River

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunset

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

Bonita Creek

Dry

Medium flow

Medium flow

Gallon + per minute

Medium flow

Gallon + per minute

Medium flow

Gallon + per minute

_____________________

I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

2 archives

Oct 16 2014

BiFrost

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Deer Creek / Thunder River, AZ

Backpack		Oct 16 2014
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Backpack	28.57 Miles	8,413 AEG

Backpack	28.57 Miles	4 Days
	8,413 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

	chumley	John9L
	Jonnybackpack	Tough_Boots

Chumley offered up this GC gem that I couldn't refuse and we were off to Deer Creek-Thunder River. We did the loop from Bill Hall TH and once at Surprise Valley headed down towards Deer Creek area. First we hit Deer Spring for much needed break as the afternoon heat was starting to take it's toll. Then on to camp at Deer Creek and had enough time to check out the Deer Creek Narrows and falls in the afternoon. Awesome area to spend an afternoon before returning to camp.

Day 2 some went back to Deer Creek for another look while the rest enjoyed the patio narrows before taking the route over to Tapeats Creek. The route climbs out of Deer Creek traversing above the Colorado before it eventually drops down. It follows the Colorado for a bit before reaching Tapeats Creek. Short break there and we continued steeply above Tapeats on a bypass for the first mile above the creek. Eventually reached our camp for 2 nights at Upper Tapeats early enough for some of the group to hit Thunder River area before night fall. Another great destination to spend a few hours!

Day 3 was sort of a off day with the group heading to various destinations....Tapeats Cave, Colorado, and Thunder River. After another relaxing day in the canyon we spent another night in the same location before making an early exit out of camp for the rim. Tough hike out from 2400 to 7200 feet but awesome views as always which even included sweet sunrise on Thunder River falls.

Thanks Chumley for putting this trip together

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Deer Mouse

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cag Shot Campsite

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Tapeats Creek

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

_____________________

2 archives

Oct 16 2014

John9L

Guides 6
Routes 183
Photos 5,612
Triplogs 1,647

male

Joined Mar 12 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Deer Creek / Thunder River, AZ

Backpack		Oct 16 2014
		John9L • Triplogs 1,647

Backpack	29.50 Miles	8,700 AEG

Backpack	29.50 Miles	4 Days
	8,700 ft AEG

Linked

[ checklist ] Redwall Limestone Tapeats Sandstone Toroweap Formation

Partners

partners

	BiFrost	chumley
	Jonnybackpack	Tough_Boots

Earlier this summer I talked to Chumley about the fall and we wanted to do a couple of hikes on the North Rim of my beloved Canyon. I would plan North Bass and he would plan Thunder River / Tapeats Creek. We scored the permits and the time flew by.

We left Phoenix on Wednesday morning in two cars (thanks Chumley & Karl for driving!) and made our way to the north rim. The drive to the trailhead took about six hours and that includes a couple of stops. The dirt roads leading to Monument Point are in very good condition and made for fast travel. We covered 33 miles in under an hour. We found a camp about a half mile from the trailhead and car camped overlooking the Canyon. Life is good!

Day 1 – October 16, 2014
We packed up our gear and drove over to Monument Point and started the hike down the Bill Hall Trail. You start by climbing a couple of hundred feet to the high point and then you start the descent. The going is a little rough at first and then the trail levels off as you traverse to the west. After a bit you start the steep descent to the Esplanade. From there we made good time as we headed for the Redwall Break. Along the way we stopped to look for some water pockets. We found one of them but it was muddy and not reliable.

We continued on and hit the break soon after. The view down into Surprise Valley is stunning! This was the scene of an ancient land slide four million years ago. There are three large chunks of Redwall that slid down and appear as large mounds. Our route leads past the west mound. We continued hiking and headed west for Deer Creek. The going is fairly easy and then you start to descend. Our group got spread out but met back up at Deer Spring. This is an amazing area with water pouring directly out of the rock wall. I drank several handfuls of untreated water and it was delicious!

After the spring we made our way to camp and got everything set up. We then headed down to the Deer Creek Narrows and explored the area all the way down to the Colorado River. This is an exceptional area that is truly beautiful! Deer Creek has cut a channel in the Tapeats layer and Deer Creek Falls pours out just a matter of feet from the Colorado. We all returned to camp and settled in for the night. This was a fun day!

Day 2 – October 17, 2014
Our group woke early and noticed the smoke in the air. We guessed the smoke drifted into the Canyon from a controlled burn on the north rim. Our views will be compromised. Chumley, JonnyB & Patrick left camp first so they could explore the narrows again. The rest of us took our time and enjoyed breakfast. We all met at The Patio around 10am and then started the hike to Tapeats Creek. There is an established route all the way. The going was straightforward with amazing views! We stayed on the high route and eventually dropped down to the river. There is a fun scramble about a half mile from Tapeats Creek. Going down would be more difficult.

We eventually hit Tapeats Creek and then started the hike up to the shelf above the creek. From there we made our way north and reconnected to the creek. We continued on and had to make two creek crossings and there were a couple of relatively easy scrambles to shelves above the creek. Before long we reached camp and settled in for the afternoon. Later that day we made the hike up to Thunder River and what a sight it is! Water gushes right out of the rock wall. It was spectacular! Chumley and Karl tried to climb to the top of falls but there is a three foot gap that has zero margin for error. They turned back. I would need to be roped up to cross the gap. Afterward we all returned to camp and that ended day two.

Day 3 – October 18, 2014
This is our layover day. We don’t have to move camp and we have a few options. We could either relax in camp, head back to the Colorado River or head up creek to Tapeats Cave. I chose to go with Chumley and Karl to Tapeats Cave and I’m glad I did! The route was challenging and the scenery spectacular. The cave was very cool. You can see my separate trip report for Tapeats Cave. http://hikearizona.com/photoset=32502

Day 4 – October 19, 2014
On our final day in the Canyon, we had to make the 9.5 mile hike back to the rim. Jon & Patrick left camp first around 5:30am. Kyle and Karl left after 6am and Chumley and I headed out around 6:40am. All of us took our time on the hike out. We topped off our water at Thunder River and then continued on to Surprise Valley where the sun finally greeted us. It is a spectacular day! The miles poured by as we hiked back up to the Esplanade and then on to Monument Point. All of us were back to the trailhead well before noon. Our trip has come to an end and what a trip it was!

Thunder River and Deer Creek are an exceptional area that might be my favorite place in the Canyon! There is a huge amount of water flowing through here and it’s a very lush area. I highly recommend spending a few days down here. There is a lot to see and do. You won’t be disappointed!

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Campsite

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bridgers Knoll Deer Creek Falls Deer Spring Surprise Valley Tapeats Rapids

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

_____________________

1 archive

Sep 24 2014

hikeaz

Guides 6
Photos 346
Triplogs 225

69 male

Joined May 13 2002
Tempe, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Backpack		Sep 24 2014
		hikeaz • Triplogs 225

Backpack	2.55 Miles	1,790 AEG

Backpack	2.55 Miles	3 Days
	1,790 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Wonderful 'traditional' Deer Creek Loop - Bill Hall to Surprise Valley, east past Thunder River Falls to Upper Tapeats camp. Down the creek-left trail to Lower Tapeats and over to Deer Creek camp. Then up and out of Deer Creek, across Surprise Valley and back up to the Bill Hall T/H. But for the last 30 minutes (rain, thunder, lightning & hail) the weather was perfect.
Esplanade potholes were full in places, some not; regardless, do not count on them.
Traditionally travelled forest roads into Bill Hall are in awesome shape with beautiful autumn foliage.

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

_____________________

"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw

1 archive

Nov 02 2013

Dave1

Routes 29
Photos 1,548
Triplogs 1,802

49 male

Joined Jan 25 2009
Phoenix, AZ

Deer Creek/Thunder River Loop, AZ

Backpack		Nov 02 2013
		Dave1 • Triplogs 1,802

Backpack	25.75 Miles	8,500 AEG

Backpack	25.75 Miles	2 Days
	8,500 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

Partners

partners

	PrestonSands	The_Eagle
	Tortoise_Hiker

Awesome hike! One of my top favorites. The company was as good as the scenery! Thanks for joining me, gentlemen! And thanks for supplying the vehicle, Bruce! I wish we had done this in 3 days though so it wouldn't have been so rushed.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bridgers Knoll Deer Creek Deer Creek Falls Deer Spring Tapeats Creek Tapeats Rapids Throne Room Thunder River Thunder Spring

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Campsite

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation Light

_____________________

Nov 02 2013

PrestonSands

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

48 male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Deer Creek/Thunder River Loop, AZ

Backpack		Nov 02 2013
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Backpack	25.75 Miles	8,500 AEG

Backpack	25.75 Miles	2 Days
	8,500 ft AEG		35 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

	Dave1	The_Eagle
	Tortoise_Hiker

After an hour's sleep, I met up with Dave, Bruce and Denny in Camp Verde in the middle of the night (morning?), then crawled into the Brucemobile for the long journey to the North Rim. The sun rose as we crossed the Colorado River, turning the Vermillion Cliffs...vermillion. Quite a sight. After a breakfast stop in Jacobs Lake, we headed into the wild woods on slightly snowy back roads, encountering several turkeys and a couple of "you shore got a purdy mouth" boys along the way. Dave led the way into the Canyon on the Bill Hall Trail...

The four of us descended to the broad red rock country of the Esplanade, with its Sedona like feel. We stashed water for the return hike before our big drop through the Redwall. It was a big drop indeed down jumbled blocks of massive landslide debris to the floor of desolate Surprise Valley, which looked like it would be HOT :sweat:

during the summer. We searched for and found a little mesquite tree to cool off under and eat lunch, before continuing onto Deer Creek.

As we dropped into Deer Creek canyon, the sound of a waterfall greeted us below massive Redwall cliffs. Deer Spring poured out of a hole in a cliff. We cooled off and reloaded on water at the base of the falls, enjoying a little piece of paradise. Deer Creek itself started off beautiful and grew to jaw-dropping-amazing as we entered Deer Creek Narrows. I was blown away by the Narrows with its slot canyon and waterfalls. After a brief search, we found a route down to the base of enormous Deer Creek Falls, on the shores of the Colorado River. A beautiful and impressive waterfall, to say the least.

We backtracked a bit to the beginning of the Narrows, and began our off trail journey up the Colorado River at dusk. A couple hours later we reached Tapeats Creek and our camp for the night. Mountain House never tasted better. Much needed sleep came quickly. :zzz:

Sunday morning dawned and we were on our way, making a steep climb up the western wall of Tapeats Canyon. High above the creek, we contoured along above the cliffs into a deep gorge of overwhelming scenic beauty, where a ribbon of whitewater snaked its way through a never ending series of red rock walls. I filled one memory card on my camera, then loaded another. Our route involved crossing the swift, chilly waters of Tapeats Creek a couple of times, which we did with care.

Two miles up Tapeats Creek, we reached its confluence with the thundering Thunder River. One last creek crossing and we began ascending Thunder River's course to its source. Aptly named Thunder Spring greeted us amidst a lush, leafy green canopy, below a sheer cliff of Redwall Limestone. We rested here awhile, enjoying the impossible beauty. Dave and I attempted unsuccessfully to reach the cave where the spring flowed out of. It was possible, but the move from one ledge to another over open air seemed too risky. We continued on, reaching Surprise Valley once again, where we fueled up for our push through the Redwall cliffs. Gerhardt, the German hiker we had met the day before, joined us for lunch.

Up the cliff and across the Esplanade once more, where we retrieved our water stash and rested for he final push to the North Rim. A lone bighorn sheep atop a cliff watched us for some time as we trudged up the Bill Hall Trail. The setting sun turned the Kaibab Limestone from white to gold as we crested Monument Point, exhausted. A short time later we arrived at the trailhead at dusk. A change of clothes and were racing down the back roads toward Jacobs Lake Lodge, where we enjoyed a well deserved, delicious post-hike dinner. Best burger I've had in a while.

Following dinner, four dead-tired zombies climbed back into the Brucemobile, and sped south into the night for home. An amazing, unforgettable, and perfect trip. I had a blast with you guys!

Thank you for organizing this epic adventure, Dave! :worthy:

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Many-Headed Barrel Cactus

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Stromatolites

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Humor

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bridgers Knoll

Autumn Foliage Observation Light

_____________________

"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

Nov 02 2013

Tortoise_Hiker

Guides 1
Routes 148
Photos 9,924
Triplogs 3,652

63 male

Joined Apr 02 2005
Mesa, AZ

Deer Creek/Thunder River Loop, AZ

Backpack		Nov 02 2013
		Tortoise_Hiker • Triplogs 3,652

Backpack	25.43 Miles	8,229 AEG

Backpack	25.43 Miles	2 Days
	8,229 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

Partners

partners

	Dave1	PrestonSands
	The_Eagle

What a great trip. On the drive up we stopped at Jacobs Lake for a snack then saw one "sleeping deer", one Fox, and eleven Turkeys before getting to the trailhead. we hit the trail about 10:00am with Dave leading the way. Wasn't very long before the great views started and we were passed by a man named Gerhart from Germany. We would see him a few more times before our trip was over. There is so much to see from this loop that it is for sure one of my top hikes. The first day we saw the grand views from up top and the red rock and all the cool rock formations on the Esplanade. From there it was Surprise Valley more views and lunch. Next it was Deer Spring, Deer Creek, Deer Creek Narrows, and Deer Creek Falls. There were some good views of the Colorado and I believe the Granite Narrows upstream a little ways. From there Dave pointed out one sheep as we headed towards Tapeats Creek. We wound up hiking in the dark a couple hours as Dave proved to be a pretty good leader in the dark too. We wound up in camp around 8:00pm at the confluence of Tapeats Creek and the Colorado River. We set up our tents and cooked up some Mountain House. Dave surprised us with a cold beverage he brought for each of us. :thanx:

I checked out the stars and shot the bull for a few then I was out. :zzz:

I think everyone slept pretty good and we were on our way up Tapeats Creek by 8:00am. The creek was pretty cool and cool when we crossed it too. Preston let us use his Poles the couple times we crossed and it worked pretty well. From there it was up along Thunder River to right below the spring. Very cool section. A nice break here and we were on our way. Us two old guys left first so we didn't slow things down to much and we all met at the junction in Surprise Valley for lunch. We had a cache there and on the Esplanade which worked out good. With a break here and there it went pretty good climbing out. We even saw a Bighorn Sheep checking us out from the top. We finished a little before dark as did Gerhart. From there it was on to Jacobs Lake for a bacon cheeseburger and diet Pepsi. MmMm! A big thanks to Dave for planning such a great trip, Bruce for using his car, and Preston for being the nicest Hazer. You guy's made the trip even better and you even cracked me up from time to time

. Good times and a trip I won't soon forget.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Deer Creek Falls Tapeats Creek Thunder River

Autumn Foliage Observation Light

_____________________

Tortoise Hiking. Stop and smell the Petrichor.

Nov 02 2013

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Deer Creek/Thunder River Loop, AZ

Backpack		Nov 02 2013
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Backpack	25.43 Miles	8,229 AEG

Backpack	25.43 Miles	2 Days
	8,229 ft AEG		37 LBS Pack

Linked

Partners

partners

	Dave1	PrestonSands
	Tortoise_Hiker

WOW!
This one has been on my list for awhile now.

Quite a hike for only my second real backpack trip...

Dave put together one heck of a trip. Timing on the weather could not have been any better with highs in the 60's and lows in the mid 40's at night. Perfect for my best sleep ever on a hike.

For me, this would be an impossible Day hike. It was brutal in two days for me. My hats off to todak for day hiking this killer loop.

Up at 2am, left North Phoenix at 3 am, stopped in Jacob Lake for some eats (27 degrees) and were at the Monument Point TH, 350 miles later, and on the trail at 10 am at a comfortable 47 degrees.

Pretty awesome looking over the edge and trying to follow the route you'd be taking over the next few days.

A slight climb for 3/4 of a mile before the Bill Hall Trail drops 1700' for the next almost two miles before meeting the Thunder River Trail. At this point you are on the Esplanade of the Supai Layer (You are in Sedona Toto). Mushroom and other unusual rock formations abound. This grade is a nice relief from the loose downhill we just finished and lasts for 3 miles or so.

Now it's time to make your next drop. More uneven steepness that test the muscles you don't normally use.... and then you are in Surprise Valley. We take a lunch break under the only bush big enough to provide any shade.

We start the drop into Deer Creek next. Part way down you start to hear water. Then you come to the top of the Cliff area that Deer Spring is located. Dave hangs precariously off the edge of the Cliff to attempt to get a glimpse. No Luck. When we get below the spring, is actually tucked under a lip in the wall and squirting out nicely. Preston splashes around like a baby bird in the pool.

Deer Creek is a wonderland. Creek, Water, and lush riparian areas quickly change into narrow slot canyon walls. This leads right out to a spot 200' above the Colorado River and Deer Creek Falls. I took a break while the boys went down to check it out.

We started the trek over to our Campsite. We were able to get the majority of our remaining elevation gain for the day done, to the Deer Creek Saddle, just prior to the sun going down. We started the 3+ mile walk in the dark to Tapeats Creek camp. Dave busted out the cairn finder and got us safely across to our camp at the confluence of the Colorado and Tapeats Creek. :y:

8pm at camp

Day 1
13.73 Miles
1,767 AEG
09:25 Time

Day One Video http://youtu.be/clUT1sLeQjA

The Second day started right off the bat on the Thunder River Trail with a 300' climb in less than .15 miles. Tapeats Creek was running nicely and the views were eye opening. Sure glad we did not miss this. The confluence with Thunder River was a bit less than 2.5 miles. We had to cross the creek twice the route we took, but there were options on both sides of the creek in places.

From Tapeats Creek to get to Thunder Spring is a bit of a climb. A little more than 3/4 mile and you are at the Spring. What a site!

Thunder River Spring emerges from the desert cliffs as a spectacular set of waterfalls that cascade 1/2 mile down a steep side canyon to Tapeats Creek.
Thunder River's estimated discharge of 21 million gallons per day (over 240 gallons/second) ranks number 2 for springs on the north side of the Grand Canyon behind Tapeats Spring. Tapeats Spring gushes forth with 48 million gallons per day.

We cooled off and filled our water for the last time. DAve and Preston attempted to get into the spring outlet. No luck this time. The climb out of Thunder Spring was a tease for what was to come.

Across Surprise Valley to our first cache at the Deer Creek/Thunder River intersection, and we had some lunch. Our new friend Gerhart stopped and chatted. He's in from Germany on vacation and this is his 20th straight year in the Canyon. He is 60 years young and was doing the same loop as us, in the same two days.

The first climb up to the Esplanade was as steep as feared. The walk across was once again a nice respite from the steepness. One last climb and we finished just before dark.

Day 2
11.71 Miles
6,455 AEG
09:50 Time

Day Two Video http://youtu.be/OoyBs12CT8A

The BEST! Bacon Cheese Burger ever at Jacobs Lake after the hike. (Dave ordered two meals)

A big thanks to the boys! :y:

I provided the truck and Dave, Denny and Preston took care of most of the the Driving and Petrol. (I think they felt guilty that I had to work on 3 hours sleep, and they all had Monday off!)

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Informational/Interpretive Sign World Element

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bridgers Knoll Deer Creek Deer Spring Tapeats Creek Throne Room Thunder River Thunder Spring

Autumn Foliage Observation Light
Some of the trees were beginning to turn

	Bonita Creek	Dry	Dry
	Saw no water when we crossed - but it was dark

	Deer Creek	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Flowing Strong and Clear

	Deer Creek Falls	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Flowing strong and Clear

	Deer Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Strong Flow from the Wall! Increadible

	Tapeats Creek	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Lots of clean clear water

	Thunder River	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Plenty of cool clean water

	Thunder Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Thunder River Spring emerges from the desert cliffs as a spectacular set of waterfalls that cascade 1/2 mile down a steep side canyon to Tapeats Creek. Thunder River's estimated discharge of 21 million gallons per day (over 240 gallons/second) ranks number 2 for springs on the north side of the Grand Canyon behind Tapeats Spring.

_____________________

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

May 28 2011

Vaporman

Guides 3
Routes 4
Photos 8,687
Triplogs 931

46 male

Joined Mar 28 2005
Gilbert, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Canyoneering		May 28 2011
		Vaporman • Triplogs 931

Canyoneering	28.00 Miles	8,000 AEG

Canyoneering	28.00 Miles	4 Days
	8,000 ft AEG		50 LBS Pack

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

C - Strong current; wading/swimming; waterfalls; possible wet/dry suit

Risky - Extraordinary risk factors exist; solid skills/judgement reqd; no beginners

VI - Two or more days

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azrocketchick

This technical canyon & area has been on my GC list for some time now and finally got around to visiting these amAZing gems. :y:

Drove up Friday night and camped at Monument Point before dropping down the Bill Hall trail early the next morning. Such amAZing views from this trail!

Dropped Gatorades at the junction with Thunder River trail and continued across the slickrock and thru the Redwall and down into Surprise Valley and east towards Thunder River. I've seen loads of pics of Thunder River, but you really need to see it for yourself to fully soak it all in. :sweat:

We stopped at the falls for a bit with a few of us scrambling up to the springs coming out of the cliff. Roped up we continued up to the left spring and up and into the cave entrance. We didn't get very far into the cave, just enough to do some stemming and check out the hallway behind the springs. Sweet! : rambo :

We stemmed back out of the cave entrance and rappelled & scrambled back down to our friends & packs before continuing on to our campsite at Upper Tapeats Creek. Such an awesome campsite with the sun setting across the canyon walls high above and the gushing creek nearby. Gotta love Grand Canyon camping!

The next morning, we broke camp early and headed further down Tapeats Creek staying to the right side of the canyon to avoid any dicy creek crossings. Eventually we hiked along the cool looking lower Tapeats narrows but unfortunately we didn't have any packrafts on this trip. :lol:

We filtered some more Tapeats water before making the hike downstream along the scenic Colorado River. It stayed fairly flat with some sandy & scrambling sections but as it neared Deer Creek it climbs 500ft to reach a saddle before dropping into Deer Creek. We dropped our packs and walked the trail down canyon while admiring the amAZingly sweet narrows that were the main goal of the whole trip. :y:

I ran down and evaluated the flow of the falls while they rest stayed back and setup camp. The falls were flowing pretty good but not so much that I felt it'd be too risky to descend.

Ran back up and setup camp while downplaying the flow of the falls and started gearing up for a late afternoon run thru Deer Creek Narrows. Afterwards we crashed back in camp and enjoyed a much need large dinner.

Technical beta on narrows: It starts off with a slick downclimb on the far side of the narrows just below the first two falls. You down the narrows with loads of wading, rock hopping, occasional down climb, and potentially loads of rafters gawking from above. :lol:

Eventually you reach the first 15ft rappel alongside a gushing falls but you can avoid most of the flow. Some more creek spelunking and you reach the 2nd rappel. I had them put me on belay while I climbed up the the bolts.

This is a double drop alongside a 40ft falls into a pool and then the creek bends around a corner and drops another 15ft. We used whistles here in order to stay in contact and I stayed at the anchors and had a contingency anchor setup in case someone had issues while rappelling the falls. At the bottom of the 2nd rappel are the anchors for the 3rd 20ft drop but I'm glad we had a 80ft rope for that drop since the current below is kinna strong as it gushes down the 180ft falls.

I stayed on rope as I waded/swam across to the final anchors and set it up while my two partners came down and joined me before making the final flipping amAZing 180ft rappel. :y:

Such a sweet falls to rappel and since it was gushing quite well, we got hammered by the lower falls before reaching the bottom pool. : rambo :

The next morning we slept in a bit before gearing back up for another technical run thru Deer Creek Narrows. :y:

If you're going to haul all that extra weight around, you might as well get a 2nd run out of it... :sweat:

Afterwards we dropped the wet gear in camp to dry a bit before heading up creek and checking out Deer Creek Springs and the Throne room. After enjoying those gems we returned to break down camp and pack up all the dry canyoneering gear before making a late afternoon climb thru Surprise Valley and up to the top of the Esplanade just after sunset were we camped our third and final night in the canyon. :cry:

The next morning, we huffed it along the slickrock and up the final climbs on the Bill Hall trail to finally top out at the super scenic Monument Point. Such an amAZing GC backpacking loop and I already can't wait to do it again!!!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Throwing a Wendy

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Throne Room

_____________________

Yea, canyoneering is an extreme sport... EXTREMELY dramatic!!! =p

Sep 23 1999

mazatzal

Routes 36
Photos 2,658
Triplogs 1,347

67 male

Joined Jul 28 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Backpack		Sep 23 1999
		mazatzal • Triplogs 1,347

Backpack	28.00 Miles	7,100 AEG

Backpack	28.00 Miles	4 Days
	7,100 ft AEG

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