North Rim directions: From the east, follow US 89, either south from Page for 25.8 miles, or 58.3 miles north from Cameron, to the junction with US 89A. Follow US 89A north, then west, for 57.25 miles to Jacob Lake, on the Kaibab Plateau, at the junction with southbound Arizona Highway 67 (the Kaibab Plateau-North Rim Parkway). Jacob Lake can also be reached from the north via US 89A, 29.8 miles south of the US 89A/Arizona Highway 389 junction in Fredonia, Arizona, and 34 miles south from US 89 in Kanab, Utah. The North Rim entrance station is located 31 miles south of Jacob Lake via AZ 67. The road ends at Grand Canyon Lodge, 11.7 miles south of the entrance station.

Rim camping: Under the Park Service's new online reservations system, you can make online reservations for the 82-site North Rim Campground, open from May 15 through October 15 with water, tables, toilets, fire pits and grills, and campsite spurs that can accommodate RVs. Note that campgrounds inside the canyon such as Cottonwood or Bright Angel campgrounds are not included in this system because they are part of the backcountry permit system. North Rim campground reservations can be made up to 5 months in advance beginning on the 5th of each month.

The Kaibab National Forest also offers two fee campgrounds near the North Rim on a first-come, first-served basis. The Jacob Lake Campground, with 54 sites, is located just north of Jacob Lake and the junction of AZ 67 and U.S. 89A. The campground is usually open from May 15 through November 1. The 23-site DeMotte Park Campground is 25.7 miles south of Jacob Lake. The campground is usually open from June 1 through November 1. There are tables, water, toilets, fire pits, and grills. The national forest is also open to at-large camping at least 0.25 mile from paved roads and water sources.Get more information from the North Kaibab Ranger District, Kaibab National Forest, P.O. Box 248, Fredonia, AZ 86022. The phone is 520-643-7395.

Rim services and lodging: North Rim services: Between May 15 and October 15, at Grand Canyon Lodge there is a restaurant, snack shop, bar, and post office. A general store is located adjacent to North Rim Campground. Limited camping and backpacking supplies are available at the store. A gas station is located just west of the main Park road on the campground access road. You will find a laundry and showers adjacent to the campground. Medical services are available at the clinic adjacent to the lodge. The Grand Canyon Lodge info and reservations number is (303) 297-2759.

Outside-the-park services and lodging: Kaibab Lodge, located off AZ 67, 25.5 miles south of Jacob Lake, offering lodging and a restaurant. Phone is (520) 526-0924. Adjacent is the North Rim Country Store with gas and diesel and limited groceries. At the 67-89A junction in Jacob Lake is the Jacob Lake Lodge, with lodging and a restaurant. Phone is (520) 643-7232. Adjacent to the lodge is a service station offering gas, diesel, and propane, and minor vehicle repair. There is lodging, food and fuel at Marble Canyon Lodge near the turnoff to Lees Ferry 14.25 miles northwest of the US 89/89A junction, Vermilion Cliffs Lodge (17.7 miles from the US 89/89A junction) and Cliff Dwellers Lodge (23 miles from the US 89/89A junction).

Miscellaneous park information: No wood or charcoal fires are allowed below the rim, but sterno or backpack stoves are permitted. Pets are prohibited below the rim. An Arizona fishing license is required for any angler over the age of fifteen -- and there is a fine rainbow-trout fishery in the Colorado River through the canyon. There is a hikers' shuttle from Grand Canyon Lodge to the often-full North Kaibab trailhead parking lot from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Wilderness care: Practice low- and no-impact use techniques in the Canyon backcountry. Never use soap in any water source. When at the Colorado River, urinate directly into the river, not on dry ground. Pack out human waste or bury it in a shallow hole at least 200 feet from campsites, trails, water sources, and drainages. Carry out all trash and toilet paper; don't burn it. Don't step on areas of the fragile black-gray "cryptobiotic" soil crust. Keep noise down.

Hiker checklist: Hiking in the Grand Canyon requires ample planning, and one of the first steps to being well prepared is packing the right equipment. Don't overburden your pack with too much equipment and unnecessary items; bring only what you really need. Scan the checklist below before your trip into the Grand Canyon to ensure you haven't forgotten an essential item.

You will drink at least 1 gallon of water per day while hiking in the Grand Canyon. If you are bound from the rim to a dry camp, you will need to pack at least 1.5 gallons, provided you reach a reliable water source early on the following day.

Hikers must always carry water on any Grand Canyon trail, even on the Bright Angel and North Kaibab trails, where drinking water is provided. Pipelines can break. As a rule, hikers should always carry at least 1 gallon of water on extended trips away from known water sources. Heed the Park Service recommendation that your water supply should be the heaviest item in your pack.

Your body can absorb only about 1 quart of fluid per hour, so drink 0.5 to 1 quart of some type of electrolyte replacement drink (such as Gookinaid) every hour that you are walking in the heat, 4 quarts for every eight hours. Remember to at least double your normal intake of food to help meet your energy and electrolyte needs.

Since adequate water intake is so critical to a safe and enjoyable trip in the Grand Canyon, it is surprising that so many hikers carry their precious water supply in fragile containers, particularly thin plastic milk jugs. These jugs burst easily if dropped, and can melt on hot rocks in summer. Instead of large, flimsy jugs, transport your water in several smaller, more durable containers.

Caching water on your route of travel is a popular means of lightening your load and ensuring a water supply when you need it on the hike out. Most hikers cache water roughly halfway between the rim and the river, usually on top of the Redwall cliff. Two quarts per person is the typical cache, but hikers intending to camp on the way out should cache 1 to 1.5 gallons. When caching water, mark your containers with your name or initials and the date you expect to retrieve it. Conceal it well, preferably in the shade.

Wherever you obtain your water, it must be purified. Microorganisms including Giardia and E. coli can exist in any Canyon surface water. Boiling water at least 5 minutes is safe, but the time and extra weight in fuel required are reasons enough to consider a pump-type water filter instead.

Filters can clog with silt easily, so choose a filter that you can clean in the field. When the Colorado River is silt-laden, you will need to set water aside (a collapsible bucket is useful for this) and allow the sediment to settle before filtering.

The Backcountry Reservations Office maintains a list of seasonal water sources, updating the list based on the reports of rangers and hikers.

Total Distance: 4 miles
Type of Hike : Day hike or backpack, out-and-back
Difficulty : Easy
Elevation change : 150-foot gain

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Key points:
0.0 Cape Final trailhead.
2.0 End of trail west of Cape Final.

Type of trail: Rehabilitated dirt road; good condition.

Water availability: No water available.

Use Area code: NA9, Walhalla Plateau, at-large camping.

Finding the trailhead: From the North Rim entrance station, proceed 9.5 miles into the park to the junction with the Cape Royal/Point Imperial station. Turn left and follow the narrow, winding pavement 5.4 miles to a Y junction, then bear right toward Cape Royal. The small, easy-to-miss Cape Final trailhead lies on the left (east) side of the road 11.8 miles from the Y junction and 2.5 miles north of the road's end at Cape Royal.

The hike: This trail offers the greatest rewards for the smallest investment of time and effort of any of the North Rim's plateau-top trails. The route follows a gently rising, long-closed road through parklike forests of ponderosa pine to a panoramic viewpoint on the east rim of the Kaibab Plateau, affording an unusual perspective of the Grand Canyon from high above Unkar Creek canyon.

This trip can be taken as a leisurely day hike or as an overnighter and is particularly attractive when summer heat grips the inner Canyon. The entire route affords excellent camping areas on the needle-carpeted ponderosa forest floor and other sites can be found among the pinyons closer to the rim. Few places in the Park offer a finer setting for a Grand Canyon sunrise over the Painted Desert.

From the trailhead, follow the signed Cape Final Trail east into the open forest of ponderosa pine. The trail rises gently to moderately to the crest of an 8,000-foot ridge after 0.75 mile, then follows an undulating course for another 0.5 mile through the peaceful forest to a clearing at the rim of the plateau, where a dramatic view suddenly unfolds.

The depths of Chuar Valley spread out far below. Its broad lower reaches, where hills and gentle slopes are composed of soft Galeros formation rocks (part of the Pre-Cambrian Grand Canyon Supergroup), contrast with the angular profile of the soaring cliffs above. Lava Creek, Chuar's western tributary, is bounded by a striking array of colorful buttes, including the square-edged crag of 7,914-foot Siegfried Pyre and red Supai-capped Gunther Castle. The deep serpentine gorge of the Little Colorado River opens up beyond Marble Platform in the southeast, slicing through the platform into the distance.

From the overlook, sometimes used as a campsite, the trail bends south, then west, where pinyons begin to supplant the ponderosa pines. Soon the trail, more apparently an old road, curves back to the south, where it ends. A foot path winds a short distance through the pinyon from there to the south rim of Cape Final, where a panoramic Grand Canyon vista unfolds. Far below lies Unkar Creek, with the bold pyramid of Vishnu Temple as a backdrop, winding through its cliff-bound canyon to broad Unkar Delta at the Colorado River. In the southeast your view reaches well into the shadowed gorge of the Little Colorado River and to the towering walls of the Palisades of the Desert. Far to the south rises Grand Canyon's South Rim and beyond it mountains including the San Francisco Peaks.

The actual point of Cape Final lies about 0.3 mile east of the overlook, and since it projects well into the void of the Canyon, it affords an all-encompassing view of lower Marble Canyon and the eastern Grand Canyon. You can reach Cape Final by a bushwhack route from the overlook, but perhaps the best way to reach it is to backtrack along the trail to the point where it first bends back to the north, about 200 yards beyond the margins of the pinyon woodland.

There, a faint path branches southeast from the main trail (the junction may be marked with a cairn), and you can follow this path for about 150 yards through the ponderosa forest. Once this path begins to fade out, you can see Cape Final's Kaibab limestone promontory up ahead. Simply weave a way through the pinyons, Gambel oaks, and curl-leaf for another 0.2 mile or so to the point.

Hike 2 : Powell Plateau

Total Distance: 5 miles to Powell Plateau; 12 miles to Dutton Point
Type of Hike : Day hike or backpack; out-and-back
Difficulty : Moderate
Elevation change : 820-foot loss; 900-foot gain

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Key points:
0.0 Swamp Point trailhead.
1.0 Muav Saddle trail junction; continue straight ahead.
2.5 Rim of Powell Plateau.

Type of trail: Unmaintained; fair to good to rim of plateau.

Water availability: Muav Saddle spring, 0.2 mile east of Muav Saddle.

Use Area code: AT9, Powell Plateau, at-large camping.

Camping options:Hikers arriving late in the day can camp wherever they wish along the access roads within the Kaibab National Forest. You can camp at the Swamp Point trailhead after obtaining a permit from the Backcountry Reservations Office (Use Area NJ9, Swamp Ridge).

Finding the trailhead: From Jacob Lake, Arizona, follow Arizona Highway 67 south for 26.5 miles to the prominently signed junction with Forest Road 22 (also signed for Dry Park 10) and turn right (west). This junction lies 0.9 mile south of Kaibab Lodge. This good gravel road, with washboards, ascends 2.1 miles to the signed junction with FR 270, where you turn left (south). Follow this occasionally rough and rocky road south for 2.3 miles, avoiding two unsigned right-forking roads, to a junction where a sign points west to Fire Point 12. Turn right here onto FR 223, also rough and rocky in places, and proceed 5.8 miles to left-branching FR 268, signed for Swamp Point. Follow FR 268 south, again rough and rocky in places, for 0.3 mile, then turn left onto FR 268B, a good but narrow gravel road. Follow FR 268B for 1.2 miles to the Park boundary, where the road is designated W4, and its condition quickly deteriorates.

Rocks and roots, potholes, and farther on, high centers make the use of a high-clearance vehicle advisable. After driving 0.2 mile from the Park boundary, avoid an unsigned road that branches left to Kanabownits Spring, and bear right, proceeding generally west through the pristine forest of pine, fir, and aspen. You pass an inviting camping/parking area 7.8 miles from the Park boundary, after which the road becomes extremely rough and rocky for the final 0.1 mile to the Swamp Point trailhead, 19.6 miles from AZ 67.

The final segment of the road to Swamp Point, within Park boundaries, is blocked each winter by fallen trees. Park Service fire crews may not clear the road until mid-June or later each year. Be prepared to spend an extra day or two walking if you find the road blocked by fallen trees. Park Service regulations prohibit driving off established roadways.

The hike: Powell Plateau, an 8-square-mile, pine-forested tableland detached from the North Rim, has been the destination of travelers for centuries. From 1050 to 1150 A.D., several hundred Anasazi occupied more than eighty sites atop the plateau. John Wesley Powell visited the plateau in 1870, prior to his second Colorado River expedition. In 1873, Powell revisited the plateau with landscape artist Thomas Moran. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt hunted mountain lions on Powell Plateau. Uncle Jim Owens, master Kaibab Plateau lion hunter, guided Western novelist Zane Grey to the plateau in 1908, where they captured several of the big cats for Eastern zoos.

The Park Service, following construction of Muav Cabin in 1925, built the trail to Powell Plateau the next year. The trail is still fairly easy to follow to the rim of the plateau, and the hike is becoming increasingly popular, both as a day hike and overnight trip. A rich, parklike forest of ponderosa pine forms a mantle on the plateau and vistas from its rim are outstanding. Fine camping places abound, ranging from rim sites to those nestled in groves of Gambel oak or out in the open, needle-carpeted forest floor.

Hikers who pack enough water can easily wander around the plateau for days, visiting various rim overlooks and exploring hidden draws. Most backpackers, however, stay only one night. Three days would be the ideal amount of time to spend wandering here, and the rewards easily justify the long drive to the trailhead and the effort required to pack in two to three gallons of water.

The Fossil Canyon Corridor brings occasional tour aircraft from the South Rim to the North Rim via Tapeats Amphitheater and Fire Point about 1.5 miles north of Swamp Point. Air traffic in this corridor is infrequent and not likely to significantly disrupt your solitude on the plateau.

From Swamp Point, one of the finest viewpoints on the North Rim, Powell Plateau fills your view from west to southwest. The broad red slickrock terrace of the Esplanade stretches away to the northwest. Beyond the Esplanade, you see the charred knob of Monument Point, Bridgers Knoll, and, in the distance, Fishtail Mesa and the Kanab Plateau. On the far northwest horizon rise the Vermilion Cliffs and southwest Utah's Pine Valley Mountains near St. George. On the western horizon, beyond the cinder cone-studded plateaus, rise the highlands of the Beaver Dam Mountains in the southwest corner of Utah and the Virgin Mountains straddling the Arizona/Nevada border.

The Powell Plateau Trail is clearly visible as it rises via switchbacks up brushy slopes to the plateau rim. From Swamp Point, follow the North Bass Trail for 1 mile and 800 feet down to Muav Saddle, a steady descent that passes in 20 to 30 minutes. Muav Cabin, built as a patrol cabin by the Park Service in 1925, lies several yards north of the saddle via a well-worn path. The structure, with two rooms and cots, is in remarkably good condition. Backpackers may stay overnight here if they wish.

From the unsigned junction at Muav Saddle continue straight ahead, heading southwest, and descend gently through stands of Gambel oak to a slightly lower saddle. From there you begin a moderately ascending traverse, soon passing above an isolated grove of fire-blackened ponderosa pines. Since the 1989 fire that swept these slopes, the trail ahead has become overgrown with Gambel oak and New Mexican locust. For 0.2 mile the trail is a tunnel through the brush. You bushwhack your way into a draw 300 feet above the saddle, then begin a gently rising, northbound traverse.

Views are excellent, stretching northwest past the colorful, rocky depths of Tapeats Amphitheater to many of the distant features observed from Swamp Point. Once the traverse ends, you ascend a series of short, brushy switchbacks to gain a gentle, west-trending ridge. The trail follows the ridge on a moderate grade into the ponderosa pine forest, passes a small green shed housing a Park Service firefighters' cache, and shortly thereafter you mount the rolling plateau, where the trail curves first southwest then south.

The trail ahead becomes increasingly faint on the needle-carpeted forest floor, and you proceed through a beautiful parklike forest harboring many towering, massive old trees.

Powell Plateau is a pristine place, never grazed or logged as other parts of Grand Canyon's rims. The 1989 fire that burned here was mostly a beneficial ground fire, recycling nutrients and clearing the forest floor of debris and encroaching groves of young pines and brush, and seldom "crowning," or burning standing trees.

As the trail leads south along the east rim of the plateau, occasional blowdowns require minor detours. But you really don't need a trail to hike here, simply follow the east rim, undulating over its gently rolling surface.

Memorable views open up from points on the rim, and short detours to the cliff edge beyond the pine forest reveal broad panoramas that reach across the brushy trough of Muav Canyon to Swamp, Rose, and Emerald points and beyond to the gently rolling, forest-clad landscape of the Kaibab Plateau. Muav Canyon frames a tremendous view of Shinumo Amphitheater, Point Sublime on the North Rim rises above Shinumo Amphitheater on the southeast skyline, and beyond the Grand Canyon is the South Rim and the distant alpine summits of the San Francisco Peaks.

To go on to Dutton Point, the southeasternmost point of the plateau and home to what Powell declared to be the finest view in the Grand Canyon, use your topo map and follow the east rim of the plateau, perhaps following faint traces of the trail. Eventually you dip into the southwest-trending draw of Dutton Canyon, about 2 miles from the point where you first reached the plateau. Cross the draw and continue south, following the rim for another 1.4 miles to the point, dipping into two saddles en route.

The pines and oaks part and give way to Kaibab limestone on the 7,555-foot point, where unobstructed views into the Grand Canyon unfold.

Hike 3 : North Kaibab Trail

Total Distance: 28 miles
Type of Hike : Overnighter; out-and-back
Difficulty : Strenuous
Elevation change : 5,770-foot loss and gain

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Key points:
0.0 North Kaibab trailhead.
1.8 Supai Tunnel.
4.7 Junction with Roaring Springs Trail; bear right.
6.9 Cottonwood Campground.
8.0 Junction with Ribbon Falls Trail; bear left.
13.3 Junction with Clear Creek Trail; stay right.
13.8 Phantom Ranch.
14.0 Bridge spanning Bright Angel Creek at entrance to Bright Angel Campground.

Water availability: Piped drinking water is available May through October at Supai Tunnel (1.8 miles) and Cottonwood Campground (6.9 miles) and all year at Bright Angel Campground. Bright Angel Creek provides a perennial water supply along much of the trail, but must be treated before drinking.

Use Area codes: CCG, Cottonwood, designated campground; CBG, Bright Angel, designated campground.

Best day hike destinations: The 3.6-mile round-trip to Supai Tunnel offers memorable inner Canyon views and a fine introduction to Grand Canyon hiking. Strong hikers frequently take the 10-mile round-trip to Roaring Springs, which is far enough below the rim (3,300 feet) for hikers to gain the feel of Grand Canyon hiking and to appreciate its great dimensions.

Finding the trailhead: From Jacob Lake, Arizona, follow Arizona Highway 67 south for 31.2 miles to the North Rim entrance station, then continue south into the park. Pass the Cape Royal/Point Imperial road junction after 9.5 miles and continue straight ahead for another 0.9 mile, where a prominent sign indicates the Kaibab Trail parking lot on the left (east) side of the road.

This parking lot fills to capacity nearly every day by late morning. If it is full when you arrive, you must drive to the public parking areas near Grand Canyon Lodge, then either walk the mule trail that parallels the Park road for 1.5 miles to the trailhead or ride the shuttle bus (inquire at the Grand Canyon Lodge transportation desk for shuttle schedules).

The hike: The North Kaibab Trail is the North Rim's only maintained trail, lying within the frequently patrolled Corridor Zone of the Park. Unlike many of the Grand Canyon's trails that follow the path of least resistance in search of breaks in the cliff bands, this straightforward trail forges its way through the Canyon's obstructions.

Backpackers on the trail are restricted to staying in developed campgrounds and usually pass their first night at Cottonwood Campground (6.9 miles and 4,200 feet below the rim), and their second night at Bright Angel Campground.

The trail begins behind the information sign at the rim, below the entrance to the trailhead parking lot. You descend steadily at once, passing through a cool forest of white fir, Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, and aspen.

Switchbacks soon lead you deeper into the void of Roaring Springs Canyon, and the grade abates briefly atop the sheer, desert-varnished cliffs of Coconino sandstone. After 1.8 miles, at 6,840 feet, you reach a water faucet offering seasonal water and toilets in a confined, rocky draw. Then you plunge through the Esplanade sandstone via the short Supai Tunnel. Rather than traverse the Supai rock layer as do most Grand Canyon trails, the North Kaibab Trail descends the Supai more directly, via switchbacks, where the grade becomes moderately steep.

The hot, shadeless descent leads to the top of the Redwall limestone, where a sturdy bridge spans the rocky gorge of Roaring Springs Canyon. Beyond the bridge begins a lengthy, generally descending traverse through the Redwall, following the wall of cliffs descending via several switchbacks. Soon the green oasis below Roaring Springs comes into view on the canyon floor below. After you first spy three vigorous springs spouting from the Muav limestone cliff, a much larger spring appears, its waters falling down the canyon wall in a pretty, terraced cascade. Roaring Springs supplies water to both Canyon rims.

Soon the trail descends more steeply, over slopes of Bright Angel shale cloaked in a dense woodland of pinyon and juniper, and after a single switchback you meet the signed spur trail to Roaring Springs at 5,040 feet. That trail descends 100 feet in about 0.3 mile to a cottonwood-shaded picnic area.

Bear right at the junction and begin a moderately descending, occasionally steep, traverse of the shale slopes, now only sparsely clad by gnarled pinyons, junipers, scrub live oak, and manzanita. Views begin to open up to the east from this stretch into upper Bright Angel Canyon, flanked by brushy slopes, towering cliffs, and the forest-fringed North Rim. After meandering across the shale slopes, you begin to enter the Tapeats sandstone narrows as you approach the roiling waters of Bright Angel Creek, a sizable, vigorous stream.

Bridge the creek at the mouth of Manzanita Canyon, then proceed downstream several yards above its willow-bordered, winding course. Plants of the Lower Sonoran Zone, including datura, yucca, mormon tea, and Engelmann prickly pear, mix into the thickets of scrub live oak that mass along the trailside slopes.

After walking 1.4 miles from the bridge, a trailside sign proclaims the entrance to Cottonwood Campground, at 4,040 feet, opposite the mouth of The Transept's exceedingly deep gorge. The campground lies in an open setting in a broad part of the canyon, embraced by colorful cliffs, with the music of the creek nearby. Soaring cliffs, ranging from the Tapeats sandstone to the Kaibab limestone, bound Bright Angel Canyon and The Transept, framing views of the conifer-fringed North Rim more than 4,000 feet above. Bright Angel Point juts into the canyon almost overhead to the north, and Komo Point looms above to the east.

Spreading clumps of scrub live oak offer a modicum of shade and afford reasonable privacy between campsites. A variety of desert shrubs, cacti, and bunchgrasses dress the slopes above the sites. Drinking water (May through October) and toilets are provided, and each site features a picnic table, pack poles, and ammo cans for food storage. At the lower end of the campground is a seasonally staffed ranger station, situated in the only shady grove of Fremont cottonwoods in the campground.

After the trail leaves the campground, excellent views stretch down-canyon to the South Rim and above to Oza Butte on the northwest skyline. About 0.5 mile below the campground you drop down to a rock-hop crossing of perennial Wall Creek. Beyond, the trail proceeds through open flats, now on a tread of dark red Shinumo quartzite. About 1.2 miles below the campground, the signed trail to Ribbon Falls continues straight ahead, while the main trail branches left, ascending the steep, 100-foot hill ahead.

Few hikers forgo the spur trail to Ribbon Falls, which bridges the creek several yards ahead, then contours into a shallow amphitheater bounded by dark red cliffs of Shinumo quartzite, reaching the falls after 0.3 mile. Ribbon Falls plunges about 100 feet over the resistant ledge of a diabase sill and lands on a moss-draped travertine cone. Water-loving hanging gardens vegetation thrives near the cool spray of the falls, including maidenhair fern, golden columbine, and scarlet monkeyflower.

Back at the junction, follow the switchbacks of the North Kaibab Trail, rising steeply over the hill, then descend just as steeply down the other side to the edge of the creekbed below. After about 0.3 mile, another signed trail branches west to Ribbon Falls. This trail, however, requires a difficult crossing of Bright Angel Creek via slippery boulders and is best avoided.

The trail continues down the broad, spectacular canyon, staying atop a shrub-dotted bench above the creek. Up ahead, the creek dives into an inner gorge known as The Box. As you approach it, you slosh through the mud of one seep and shortly thereafter encounter a more vigorous spring that flows down the trailbed. Bordered by thickets of willow, saw grass, and horsetails, there is no avoiding this wet stretch. Partly submerged slabs help you avoid wet feet.

After 3.7 miles of hiking through the shadowed confines of The Box, the canyon begins to open up. Once again, South Rim views unfold, reaching up to Yavapai Point, now looming very close rather than the distant, almost unattainable goal it appeared to be from the Cottonwood Campground environs.

Soon you pass the Clear Creek Trail branching left. Cottonwoods and mesquite soon appear as you approach the Phantom Ranch complex. The trail skirts the snack bar building, then becomes quite rocky and dusty as it passes Phantom Ranger Station, and soon reaches the bridge at the entrance to Bright Angel Campground.

From Bright Angel Campground, you can backtrack to the North Rim or go on to the South Rim via the Bright Angel or South Kaibab trail.

Hike 4 : Thunder River - Tapeats Creek - Deer Creek Loop via the Bill Hall Trail

Total Distance: 27.1 miles
Type of Hike : Rim-to-river backpack of 4 or more days, for experienced Grand Canyon hikers only; "lollipop" loop with out-and-back start/finish
Difficulty : Very strenuous
Elevation change : 5,850-foot loss from rim to river

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Key points:
0.0 Bill Hall trailhead.
0.8 Monument Point.
3.4 Junction with Thunder River Trail; turn left.
6.4 Upper rim of Surprise Valley.
7.7 First junction with Deer Creek Trail; bear left.
8.1 Second junction with Deer Creek Trail; bear left.
8.9 Rim of Thunder River canyon.
9.5 Spur trail to Thunder Spring; stay right.
10.3 Tapeats Creek.
10.4 Upper Tapeats campsite.
12.7 Lower Tapeats campsite, Colorado River.
14.0 Beginning of trail segment at Hundred and Thirtyfive Mile Rapids.
16.8 Head of Deer Creek Narrows.
17.6 Deer Spring.
19.0 Junction with spur to Thunder River Trail; bear left.
19.4 Junction with Thunder River Trail; bear left.
20.7 Upper rim of Surprise Valley.
23.7 Junction with Bill Hall Trail; turn right.
26.3 Monument Point.
27.1 Bill Hall trailhead.

Average hiking times: 6 to 7 hours to Upper Tapeats campsite; 2 hours to the Colorado River; 3 hours to Deer Creek narrows; 7 to 8 hours to the Esplanade; 7 to 8 hours to the Bill Hall trailhead

Type of trail: Unmaintained; fair to good condition.

Water availability: Thunder Spring; Thunder River, Tapeats Creek, Colorado River, Deer Creek. Briefly following significant rainfall, water may be available in slickrock waterpockets on the Esplanade. It is VERY IMPORTANT to cache water on the Esplanade.

Use Area codes: AY9, Esplanade, at-large camping; AM9, Surprise Valley, at-large camping; AW7, Upper Tapeats; AW8, Lower Tapeats, designated campsites; AX9, Deer Creek, at-large camping

Best day hike destinations: The easy 1.6-mile round-trip to Monument Point affords far-ranging vistas of the remote central Grand Canyon. Strong hikers will enjoy the 12.8-mile round-trip to the rim of the Esplanade above Surprise Valley, where views of the Colorado River unfold.

Finding the trailhead: Although the driving distance to the Bill Hall trailhead is longer than any other in the Grand Canyon, the gravel roads are in very good condition, and the 1.5-hour trip from the highway is an enjoyable scenic drive through the rich forests of the Kaibab Plateau. From Jacob Lake, Arizona, follow Arizona Highway 67 south for 26.5 miles to the junction with Forest Road 22 (also signed for Dry Park 10) and turn right (west). This junction lies 0.9 mile south of Kaibab Lodge. Stay on FR 22 (sometimes signed as Forest Road 422) for 17.6 miles, then turn left onto Forest Road 425, signed for Thunder River Trail 13. Go 10 miles, avoiding right-branching Forest Roads 233 and 232, to a junction where FR 425 branches left and becomes a poor, unmaintained road at a junction adjacent to the Big Saddle Cabin and corrals. Bear right here, staying on the good gravel road, now Forest Road 292. Bear right again after 0.25 mile; follow signs pointing to Crazy Jug Point. At a four-way junction atop the North Rim, 1.5 miles from FR 425. Follow the middle fork, FR 292A, a smooth but narrow dirt road, for the remaining 1.7 miles to the spacious trailhead parking area at the road's end, 30.8 miles from the highway. All roads en route, and the trailhead, lie within the boundaries of the Kaibab National Forest. Hikers arriving late in the day can camp wherever they wish along the route to the trailhead.

The hike: These trails, forming a "lollipop" loop at the Grand Canyon end, offer the most memorable and rewarding loop in the Grand Canyon. Descending, you get long-range vistas, the broad slickrock terrace of the Esplanade, turbulent streams, waterfalls, lush riparian oases, exciting narrows, and excellent campsites. Perhaps the most memorable and incongruous sight in the Grand Canyon, Thunder Spring is a virtual river that surges out of a limestone cave, surrounded by cliff-bound desert. Below the spring, Thunder River's powerful waters and verdant riparian ribbon accompany hikers for the remaining distance to Tapeats Creek and its scenic campsites. After following the Tapeats to the Colorado River, the 4.1-mile connector between the Lower Tapeats campsite and the head of the Deer Creek Narrows allows seasoned Grand Canyon backpackers to ascend via the Deer Creek Trail past the creek's exciting sandstone narrows back to Surprise Valley. Four hiking days are needed to complete this trip, plus any days you choose to remain at a site.

Trip itinerary: Most backpackers make the 10.4 mile trip down to Tapeats Creek and the Upper Tapeats campsite in one long day, and reach Deer Creek campsites the second day. The 10.3-mile hike out from Deer Creek should be accomplished over 2 more days, using an Esplanade campsite en route back to the rim.

Water note: It is absolutely necessary to cache water on this route for use on the third and fourth hiking days. Unless there is water in catch pockets on the Esplanade, and don't count on it, Deer Spring 9.5 miles from the North Rim will be your last water source before you return to the rim. On your way in the first day, you should cache 1 to 1.5 gallon per person in the lower Espalanade/upper Surprise Valley area where you will camp on the third night.

Trailhead to Tapeats Creek: This section of trail makes three significant descents. The first two are separated by lengthy segments of gentle grades, unlike many South Rim trails that descend from rim to river steadily and abruptly.

The Bill Hall trailhead lies several yards back from the North Rim on the fringes of a burn that consumed thousands of acres of forest and woodland on the western reaches of the Kaibab Plateau in the spring of 1996. From the trailhead, pass through a gate in an old fenceline, avoid a right-branching forest road, and follow the trail to the left, indicated by Park Service signs. The trail leads within moments down to a saddle on the rim, where the trail forks. The right branch is the main trail and the left branch leads a short distance to a point offering a fine view of Tapeats Amphitheater.

Beyond this detour, the Bill Hall Trail begins a moderate ascent of the hill ahead, passing through a charred woodland of pinyon and juniper. After topping the hill at 7,206 feet, the trail angles briefly downhill, then gently ascends the rim to turn south just east of Monument Point. Fine vistas from this point on the trail extend northwest across the vast tableland of the Kanab Plateau to the distant Vermilion Cliffs. Views into the Grand Canyon open up below to the south. The slickrock expanse of Tapeats Amphitheater spreads out far below, surrounded by Muav Saddle, Powell Plateau, Steamboat Mountain, and Bridgers Knoll. Great Thumb Mesa looms boldly on the South Rim, separated from your vantage by the 6-mile-wide void of the Grand Canyon.

Here the trail drops abruptly off the rim in broken ledges of Kaibab limestone. The initial part of the descent is extremely steep and rocky, requiring some scrambling and boulder-hopping. The footing is poor, and the exposure to steep cliffs makes this a trail for experienced hikers only. Beyond the first Kaibab cliff band, a very steep descent of the south ridge of Monument Point ensues. You drop to a fire-charred saddle, then follow switchbacks down to Point 6520, just above the rocky notch of Bridgers Knoll saddle.

There the narrow trail curves northwest and begins an undulating 0.5-mile traverse beneath Monument Point. Gnarled pinyons and junipers dot the slopes, sharing space with sagebrush, mormon tea, and buffaloberry. Your view stretches far away to the southwest down the trough of the central Grand Canyon. Sheer cliffs of Redwall limestone embrace the deep inner gorge.

At length you reach a break in the Toroweap limestone cliffs below and begin descending. The inviting slickrock expanse of the Esplanade, with its blackbrush flats and pinyon-juniper woodlands, spreads out below. After one switchback, you reach a bulging limestone outcrop that you must carefully downclimb. Some hikers may feel more comfortable lowering their packs here with a stretch of rope. Another minor downclimb soon follows, after which a series of steep switchbacks takes you down a wooded debris cone that obscures the Coconino sandstone.

After the angle of the slope moderates, you follow a steep, straightforward course down the sagebrush and blackbrush-clad slopes, enter a minor draw, then briefly ascend out of the draw to meet the cairn-marked Thunder River Trail on the Esplanade at 5,420 feet.

Bear left at the junction and proceed southeast. The 3-mile stretch ahead is delightful, reminiscent of Utah's canyon country. Much of the trail across the Esplanade is nearly level, vistas are panoramic, and the tread ranges from slickrock to firm sand. Abundant cairns show the way across the slickrock platform. The trail contours around the head of three Deer Creek tributary canyons, while passing through scattered woodlands of pinyon and juniper.

If recent rains have fallen, some of the innumerable waterpockets on the slickrock terrace may be filled, and you can augment your water supply. The waterpockets here are shallow, though, and evaporate quickly.

At length you approach the south rim of the Esplanade, then curve west, and begin descending in earnest just north of the rim. After following a draw brushy with scrub live oak, you reach the rim of Surprise Valley at 4,900 feet at the head of the second major descent on the trail. A stretch of the Colorado River, upstream from Tapeats Creek, is visible to the southeast, coursing through Middle Granite Gorge 3,000 feet below.

The steep and rocky, but well-constructed trail descends via moderately steep switchbacks to a rocky saddle below one of the great slump blocks, then traverse steadily downhill above a draw, and you soon thereafter reach the cairned junction with the Deer Creek Trail at 3,800 feet.

Bear left at the junction and descend a moderate grade through Surprise Valley's sun-baked hills, which gather tremendous heat during summer. About 200 feet and 0.4 mile below the last junction, you reach another junction with a spur leading west to the Deer Creek Trail. Bear left again, drop into the headwaters wash of Bonita Creek, then begin a moderate, winding ascent through hilly terrain to a broad saddle at 3,850 feet, flanked by large Supai boulders. From here you can hear Thunder Spring, and a minor detour a few yards east to a nest of boulders reveals your first view of the spring.

The third, and steepest, rockiest descent follows, initially dropping down the broken rib of a Redwall slump block and into the Thunder River drainage. Thunder Spring, a large stream surging out of the twin portals of Thunder Cave in the Muav limestone cliff to the north, is in constant view as you slowly descend the rugged trail.

About 600 vertical feet below the Surprise Valley rim, you reach the junction with a spur trail on a small platform opposite Thunder Spring. Few hikers can resist the 150 yard detour; though the spur trail rises steeply at times, it quickly leads to the foot of the 120-foot waterfall. There is no finer oasis in the Grand Canyon. Tall cottonwoods cast ample shade, willow thickets and a profusion of scarlet monkeyflowers in season hug the banks of the infant Thunder River. Only about 0.5 mile in length, the Thunder is a mad torrent rushing headlong down its narrow, steep canyon in an unending series of low waterfalls and foaming cascades. Remember that no camping is allowed in the Thunder River drainage.

The exceedingly steep descent continues down the canyon beyond the spur trail, shortly passing through an outlying grove of cottonwoods. Soon you reach a boulder field studded with barrel cactus and Tapeats sandstone blocks. After weaving your way through the boulder field, the trail leads to the banks of Thunder River in the cool spray of a low waterfall.

Follow the creekside beneath a canopy of cottonwood and redbud trees. Thickets of thorny mesquite soon signal your approach to Tapeats Creek, and within minutes you reach the banks of that large stream, below the Thunder River confluence, and turn south, heading downcanyon. Ignore the cairned trail on the opposite bank and follow the west banks of the creek for 0.1 mile through a jungle of willow and arrow weed to Upper Tapeats campsite at 2,440 feet.

Here you will find about three small-party campsites and a larger group site. A solar dehydrating toilet is provided. Due to the north-south orientation of Tapeats Creek canyon, the camp enjoys considerable shade in the morning and afternoon hours. Voluminous Tapeats Creek rumbles by next to the camp.

Most backpackers will want to pass their first night here; trying to hike through to the river and Lower Tapeats campsite in one long day is simply too exhausting for most.

Tapeats Creek to Deer Creek narrows: To reach the Colorado River, follow the well-worn trail downcanyon from the camp, along the west banks of the creek. Sometimes choked with boulders, other times requiring a bushwhack through thickets of willow and arrow-weed, the trail alternates from the riparian ribbon to the hot, dry slopes above. About 15 minutes and about 0.3 mile from the camp is a campsite lying beyond the confines of the designated camping area, a site that hikers should avoid using.

Here, where the trail begins to ascend, another trail forks left, leading quickly down to a ford of Tapeats Creek, knee-deep during low stream flows, 20 feet wide, and deceptively swift, with a slippery, rocky bed. Beyond the ford is a trail that follows the east bank downstream. Although the Park Service recommends using that trail, it is accessible only when the creek is low, and the route requires a second ford farther downstream, and occasional scrambling and two short downclimbs en route.

The trail that follows the west bank is equally as rough, but it avoids the potentially hazardous fords. From the junction with the trail to the ford, this trail begins with a steep ascent onto red Hakatai shale slopes, then quickly descends into a gully. Be sure to turn left and descend this gull