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| Hiking | 6.40 Miles |
3,600 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.40 Miles | 4 Hrs 45 Mns | | 1.35 mph |
| 3,600 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This hike was shared with my 12-yr old son as a warm up and to check out the Grandview Trail and Horseshoe Mesa in preparation for a planned March backpacking trip coming through the area.
Overall reaction: this was possibly the best hike I have ever done! The trail was in excellent condition, the scenery is of course unmatched, and on this day the weather offered a bit of everything.
As we drove up from Phoenix we encountered snow around Flagstaff. When we entered the park, though it wasn't snowing, we were informed that crampons were required on all trails below the Rim. BONUS! we had brought our crampons just in case. We stopped at the visitor center to get the latest trail condition report, and as we walked the short (200 yd) distance from the parking lot, it suddenly began to snow and sleet, with a stiff wind blowing it just about horizontal across the walkway. The sight of frozen European tourists in shorts and sandals (with socks, natch) almost made us forget how cold our own fingers were.
However it was to be a day of changing weather, and as we drove to the trailhead, ten miles east, it became sunny again. We strapped on our crampons and headed down the trail. Sure enough, the north facing slope had sheltered the trail and packed snow/ice made the crampons a necessity for safe hiking.
As we proceeded down this wonderful steep trail, intermittent snow and hail fell. Lower down this turned to light rain, but the day was mostly sunny. The crampons came off about 500' below the rim. As this trail offers expansive "grand" views up and down canyon, we were treated to the sight of snow and rain showers making their way across the buttes and in and out of the canyons. Snow was clearly visible on the crest of the North Rim just a few miles away. And a rainbow arched over Horseshoe Mesa, perhaps suggesting the pot of gold (or copper?) was to be found in the mines there.
Grandview is an old miner's trail following an ancient native people's route, and though steep the upper reaches are a wonder of late 19th-century trail construction. Various sections of trail are supported by juniper log cribbing (think of large lincoln logs) or stone walls and ramps. Significant sections are cobbled, paved of local sandstone, and offer excellent footing in both the down and up directions. Despite the accurate trail-book descriptions of "significant exposure" we never felt endangered. No doubt the crampons contributed to the feelings of security, especially in the two places where boulders intrude on the trail and force a side-shuffle to safely continue past.
About two thirds of the way down, the trail levels out a bit and crosses a side slope. There were several rock slides in evidence and a larger one had us a bit nervous, knowing that a rainy day like this was just the type that could loosen everything up again. Indeed, on the return hike we clearly heard the sounds of a large rockfall coming from a canyon to the east of Coconino Saddle, though the slide itself was out of view.
After two hours of enjoyable hiking we reached Horseshoe Mesa. At that moment, Mother Nature whipped up a stiff breeze and blessed us with a five-minute rain shower. Just as I began to regret not having my gloves with me, the sun returned, rain stopped and everything was perfect again.
We explored around a bit, in particular checking out the campsites, and the "interesting" composting toilets. These are cadillac toilets compared to a cat hole, but don't count on a whole lot of privacy when sitting atop these thrones!
The return trip was just as beautiful, and to my surprise, took only 15 minutes more than the trip down. The park service guide does say this trail is three times steeper than the Bright Angel, and we learned that the old "two hours up for every hour down" rule doesn't apply here.
POST SCRIPT:
Three days after this hike, a large rock slide below the trailhead washed out a quarter mile section of trail. As I post this (March 2005) the trail is expected to remain closed for three months or more. Our planned backpacking trip was quickly re-routed by the Backcountry Office (thank you) and we ended up in Cremation Creek and Lone Tree Canyon, off the South Kaibab Trail. |
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