A North Rim Classic: Off Trail in the Grand Canyon Part 2

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by Dave Baker- Owner, Summit Hut Tucson, AZ

About 5 million people a year visit Grand Canyon National Park, with the vast majority of these visits taking place at the Visitor’s Center and overlooks along the South Rim.

If you want to leave the crowds behind, look no further than the North Rim, a mere 10 miles to the north across the Colorado River (but 220 miles by automobile).  With far fewer people, hotels, restaurants, gift shops and interpretive displays, the North Rim offers a distinctly different experience than the South.

Things get even quieter in the Grand Canyon’s backcountry.  A rich network of spectacular and rough trails penetrates the vast wilderness that lies beneath the rim. The most popular of these are in the “Bright Angle Corridor”, with historic Phantom Ranch as the focal point.

Grand Canyon hikers who really want to get away from it all dream about the huge expanse of country that can only be reached by leaving even the trails behind, and striking out on cross country routes.  These trips are challenging, beautiful, fun, and totally engaging.  But they are serious too. Heat, scarce water, skin-shredding bush whacks, cliff bands, and very steep, rugged terrain are the main headliners.

This past October, Bob Wade from Ute Mountaineer, James Wilson from Wilson’s Eastside Sports, and Dave Baker (me) from Summit Hut, represented Grassroots Outdoor Alliance on a cross country loop off the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We were joined by Brenda Baker, Jacek Macias and Jim Ohlman.

Our route was the Crystal Creek – Phantom Creek loop which leaves the North Rim near Tiyo Point. We walked 50 miles over 8 days on the trip, which works out to just a little over 6 miles a day. Not a great distance at all, but it took most all day to cover these short miles due to the rugged terrain and route finding difficulties.

Dropping off the North Rim, we followed an ancient route that has been used by people for thousands of years. At our first camp in Shiva Saddle we found pottery shards and discarded flint flakes scattered all about. For the rest of the trip we continued to find other signs of the Ancients, including a small cliff ruin and several agave roasting pits.

The following two days were spent in Crystal Creek making our way towards the Colorado River. On one of these days Bob, Jacek and Jim took time to complete only the 5th ascent of the Tower of Ra, over 30 years after the first ascent back in the 1970’s. No mystery why this magnificent summit receives so few visitors; Ra is surprisingly remote and requires both technical climbing skills and keen route finding ability to gain its summit.

Day four found us on the banks of the Colorado River twice; once early in the morning at the famed Crystal Rapid, and again near sunset at a lovely beach overlooking Ninety-Four Mile Rapid, some four and half miles up-river from Crystal.  There was no route along the river bank, however. Instead, we scrambled a thousand feet up an imposing, steep slope to gain access to the Tonto Platform which offered a parallel route high above the River. Late in the afternoon, we reached a point atop a 300 foot cliff with a view of our desired campsite far below on the beach at Ninety-Four Mile. Though the escarpment was seemingly vertical, we used an amazing route down the cliff that linked short chimneys and hidden ledges to reach the bottom.

Two more days were spent trekking to Phantom Creek, a deep side canyon that is graced with a beautiful permanent stream. On the way to Phantom though, we had a “dry camp” in the parched upper reaches of Trinity Creek, which meant we had packs heavy with water as we climbed the steep ravine above Ninety-Four to reach the Tonto Platform. On the second day of the trek to Phantom Creek, Bob and Jacek bagged Cheops Pyramid, another of the famed Inner Canyon summits.

Our seventh day was far and away the shortest in distance; we only covered 2 miles! But the route from our camp in Phantom Canyon back up to Shiva Saddle was complicated by having to climb through the Redwall cliff, easily the most imposing and intimidating of the great Grand Canyon rock formations. Bob led the way up two fourth class pitches which ended on a ledge half way up the cliff. A long traverse on the ledge (with over 400 feet of exposure!), gave access to a gulley which broke through the remainder of the Redwall.  We reached Shiva Saddle early in the afternoon, and settled in for the coldest night of the trip under a snug sandstone overhang.

An eight day trip is a pretty long one, but this one ended too quickly it seemed. A final climb back up to the North Rim led to a peaceful walk through a deep pine and aspen forest, our cars, and the return home.

Sponsored Gear List

Thermolite Antishock

Leki Thermolite Antishock Trekking poles are a virtual necessity for off-trail hiking in the Grand Canyon. Through the years I’ve learned from firsthand experience that Leki poles out perform any other brand I’ve seen used on these rough and demanding trips. No mystery, this is because of superior quality.  Leki’s grips, tips, straps, expanders, and the poles themselves all perform better. I like the Thermolite poles because they are 4 or 5 ounces lighter than other aluminum shafted poles, yet because of the high quality components, they really take a beating.

MicroNight Bivy

Hummingbird Sleeping Bag

Outdoor Research’s MicroNight Bivy and Hummingbird Sleeping Bag were perfectly suited for our Grand Canyon trip.  The Humming bird weighs only 1 lb 13 oz and the MicroNight checks in at a mere 1 lb 3 ounces.  This combination is lightweight, compressible and provides a whole lot of protection. And for me, the best of all was the generous cut at the hips and knees on both products. Much roomier than the classic tight mummy cut, just how I like it for a comfortable night’s sleep.

Flex-Tex Gaiters™

I’ve been using Flextex Gaiters from Outdoor Research for years now, and I’m a devoted fan. Highly breathable and extremely tough, they are perfect companions in brushy and sticker infested country. A bonus; breathable as they are, these gaiters do a decent job of shedding water and keeping snow out too. Rumor has it that the Flextex will soon be offered in a nice desert tan color. Perfect!

Helium Quick Sacks™

Outdoor Research Helium Quick Sacks: Made from siliconized nylon, these sacks are incredibly light, very well built and have just the right feature set. Enough said.

Sun Runner Cap™

Outdoor Research should get an award for “best of breed” for their Sun Runner Cap. The Sun Runner takes a deceptively simple brimmed cap design; adds venting and a removable “neck skirt” to create a very light and effective sun hat. The fabric used on the skirt is light and comfortable; it feels fine even in sweltering conditions. Terry, my companion for the Arizona Trail, wore one of these, and he swore by it. Now I know why.

Click Here for photos from the trip.