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| Backpack | 41.00 Miles |
8,600 AEG |
| | Backpack | 41.00 Miles | 5 Days | | |
| 8,600 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | March 26, 2025
We left Phoenix around 1:45pm and headed up. We would take FR328 to FR2512 and work our way to the abandoned ranger station in Pasture Wash. The final few miles were slow and rocky but fine for any 4x4 with decent tires. We would return via the fence line along the Havasupai Boundary and this option was much quicker and not as tedious. I would recommend the fence line. We met the rest of our group and spent the night car camping.
March 27, 2025
We got up fairly early and started to gear up for the hike. Karl and Chris set the shuttle and we started hiking around 8:30am from the abandoned ranger station. The going is fairly easy as you go cross country towards the start of the Point Huitzil Route. I led the way and checked my GPS Route which kept us on track. We eventually dropped into a drainage and headed towards the rim and the start of the route marked by cairns.
The route starts with a steep and loose descent that requires careful footing but nothing overwhelming. You drop a few hundred feet and then traverse and drop again. Route finding is fairly straightforward as we headed down. We eventually came to a steep off camber downclimb that’s exposed. I dropped my pack and scrambled down and helped the others lower packs. Just below this is the rabbit hole with the tree. I climbed in and checked it out while the others climbed down. I lowered my pack and then climbed down the tree. The top section is a bit tricky but once you reach a tree nob it’s easy the rest of the way. We would lower packs and each member descended the log. I really enjoyed the teamwork aspect. Just below the log is the rock art panel and we took a short break here. From here there are a few more obstacles and the Moki Steps, which are fairly easy. Once below this there is a short traverse and then a long slope leading to the drainage below. Once we reached the drainage, we continued a short way until we reached the water and took a break here.
After our break we connected into Royal Arch drainage and headed down. The going is fairly straightforward with a few pour offs you have to bypass. We eventually arrived at the “ledge of death” and took the bypass on the right that includes the rabbit hole. We would drop back to the creek and continued. The drainage takes a lot of effort as you rock hop and down climb sporadic obstacles. There is always an intuitive way down and there were no swimmers. We eventually turned towards Royal Arch and this final stretch of canyon is challenging and fun. There are several large boulder problems but there is always a way. We eventually arrived at the Bridge and were glad to be done! We would set up camp and relax the rest of the evening.
March 28, 2025
Day two started slowly but we eventually packed up and started our way back up canyon. Again it’s slow going with several climbs and the boulder jam. With much effort we exited the canyon and climbed up to the first real trail of our trip. From here it’s mostly easy going as we head to the NE and make our way to the rappel. I would arrive first and dropped down to the fixed rope. There’s plenty of room to stage and I took a look over the edge. There were two separate ropes already in place. One is doubled over for use with a harness. The second was fairly skinny with a few knots. It didn’t look great so I decided to play it safe and wait for the others with the harness. They eventually arrived and after a break we got situated and started down. Evan went first followed by me. Once we were both down we lowered the packs and the group continued the rappel. I really enjoyed the teamwork and by the time everyone was down, we had the backpacks on the trail and ready to go. From here it’s a short walk to Toltec Beach, our camp for the night.
We spent a couple of hours at Toltec Beach as we relaxed and set up camp. It got to be midafternoon, and we started our walk to Elves Chasm. The going is fairly slow as the “trail” is rocky, loose and off camber. The map said it’s 1.3 miles and it took me roughly 50 minutes to get to Elves. Once there we took an extended break and jumped in the cold and refreshing water. This place is amazing! Once we had our fill we packed up and returned to camp and settled in for night two.
March 29, 2025
We left camp fairly early with a relatively big day in store. We loaded up on water, as we expected Copper to be dry. I left with 7-8 liters of water. The first two miles are along the Colorado River and it’s mostly slow going as you traverse the river and wind your way through the rock slope. We eventually hit Garnet Canyon and started up towards the Tapeats Break. The climb up is fairly intuitive and all of us climbed up with our packs on. Once up top the long grind across the Tonto begins. It was nice being on a real trail but it was hot and fully exposed. We hiked a few miles and took a break. We would continue on as the sun beat down and wore on us. I would eventually arrive at Copped Canyon and I immediately took a break in a shade spot. The others arrived and all of us took a break. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and setting up camp. A few members hiked down canyon and found several pools of water. I would not depend on these as they’re fully exposed to the sun and will dry up.
March 30, 2025
It was another slow morning as we only had to hike 5 miles to South Bass where we planned on camping. I headed over and it’s mostly easy going and I arrived at South Bass and relaxed while the others slowly hiked in. We would set up camp and then day hiked to the river. We found decent water in the Bass Tanks but I wasn’t crazy about it. We eventually dropped down to the River and headed to the beach just past the Ross Wheeler. We spent hours here and relaxed and watched a boating party float through. The Colorado River was mostly clear so I loaded up on water and eventually returned to camp late afternoon. We would spend our final night relaxing.
March 31, 2025
Our final day started early as we packed up camp and started the hike out. It’s fairly straightforward as you follow the trail and make the hearty climb up through the Redwall and the Supai. We took breaks as needed and took our time on the climb out. Once up top, Chris shuttled me to ranger station where I got in Karl’s 4Runner and returned to the South Bass Trailhead just as Karl & Kathy were topping out. We got situated and started the return to Phoenix. It was another memorable trip into the Canyon! It never gets old! |
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