In April 2013, we did a three-day, two-night backpack trip from the Bright Angel Trailhead to Hermits Rest in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. John was 60 and I was 58.
We didn’t have that far to go that first day, so we didn’t start down until mid-afternoon.
We had been lucky enough to get a permit to camp at Horn Creek that first night. However, it would be a dry camp. So, we stopped at Havasupai Gardens to eat supper and collect enough water to see us through to Monument Creek the following day. After eating, we moved on to the solitude that the Tonto Trail can provide.
I don’t think the Tonto Trail gets its due respect. There is certainly nothing wrong with the views that tourists get from the rim and rafters get from the river. However, the Tonto Trail offers the best of both worlds with views up toward the rim …
… as well as down to the river.
While the Tonto Platform is a desert, it is most certainly not barren or without color.
We hiked the short distance to Horn Creek and arrived not long before dark. At the time, the water in Horn Creek was considered unsafe to drink because of concerns about radioactivity.
We continued the next morning. All along the Tonto are side canyons formed by creeks that feed into the main canyon. Looking at a map, one can see how the trail zigzags as it circumvents each one, Salt Creek Canyon in this case.
We thoroughly enjoyed the expansive views as we went.
Later in the day, we reached the edge of Monument Canyon and could see the Monument Creek Camp below.
Monument Creek is a popular area, and we were pleasantly surprised that the camp wasn’t fully booked, so no one needed to camp nearby.
That evening, John did the short hike down Monument Trail toward the river …
… to see Granite Rapids.
The next day, after leaving camp and heading toward the junction with the Tonto Trail, we did a side trip. We explored the Monument Creek slot canyon. We left our backpacks behind as it is a short hike.
We both hoped to keep our boots dry, and most of the time it was a simple matter …
… however, there were times when a little bridging was necessary.
Once we reached the bottom of the slot canyon, we could then see the formation that gave the creek its name, the Monument.
An obvious social trail took us out of the creek bed and up to the Monument.
We then climbed out of the canyon to head back onto the Tonto Trail. But first we had to backtrack a bit to retrieve our packs. We were able to look back and get a view of Monument Creek Canyon.
We continued on the Tonto Trail until we turned off onto the Hermit Trail and began our final climb out of the canyon. We took one last look back.
Like all trails out of the canyon, the Hermit Trail can be steep and rugged in places. However, for the most part, the Hermit Trail is quite good with a more gradual grade.
It was extremely windy the evening we were heading up. I couldn’t keep my hat on, as the brim would get pushed down over my face. Fortunately for John, his hat did the opposite.
When we were here two years ago, we had done a day hike on a portion of the Hermit Trail from Hermits Rest as far as the rest house at Santa Maria Spring.
Once we reached this landmark, we knew we didn’t have too much farther to go.
It had been a long day, and we were plenty tired when we got to the parking lot. But this short trip had been a great warm-up for some more challenging trips we had planned.
All photos from this trip are on Flickr.
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