“Something that’s very special about the Grand Canyon is that just about anyone can experience it,” began John Melville. “Someone who spends an hour at the rim looking down has an inspiring experience—I haven’t met anyone who has gotten to the rim and not said ‘WOW!’ Inspiring as the vistas are from the top, I must say that it’s ten times as impressive if you see it from the inside out. The price of admission is physically demanding. But as you walk down, you see the history of the peoples of the canyon, and, perhaps even more fascinating, the history of the earth. You start on rocks put down 250 million years ago. By the bottom of the canyon, rocks date to 1.7 billion years ago—that’s before there were continents. It’s hard to get your head around it.”
Neither the deepest nor the widest gorge in the world, the Grand Canyon is nonetheless recognized as one of the planet’s most awe-inspiring erosion events—a 277-mile-long chasm that yawns from four to eighteen miles across and reaches depths of more than a mile, a seemingly endless series of abrupt cliffs and gentle slopes. The National Park Service reports that an average of 250 hikers are rescued from the Grand Canyon each year—usually because they didn’t bring adequate water or take into account the intensity of the midday heat or the fact that at one point they’d have to hike back up to the rim. “Sometimes people forget that the Grand Canyon is really a desert,” John continued. “When you’re hiking out there, you realize how precious water is in these environs.”
John has hiked and marveled at many of the trails in Grand Canyon National Park. When asked to isolate a few favorite hikes, two jumped to his mind: Trans-Canyon and Jewels of the Canyon. “The Trans-Canyon is certainly one of the park’s classic hikes, the most recommended if you’ve never walked the canyon before,” John explained. “It gives you a tremendous sense of accomplishment, as you actually cross the canyon. It also brings you to the North Rim, which sees only a fraction of the visitors that the South Rim experiences. The North Rim is 1,000 feet higher than the South, and as a result has Ponderosa pines and aspens. The colors are stunning in the fall. It’s about fourteen miles from the rim down to the historic Phantom Ranch, and most people do it in a few days. The first day, you descend some 4,200 feet over seven miles. It’s hard on the knees, but the views really help take the pain away. We camp at Bright Angel Creek that night, and follow the creek the next day down to Phantom Ranch. This day, we only lose 1,500 feet over seven miles.
“Phantom Ranch was set up as a tourist camp in 1900—Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir, among other notables, stayed there. They have a little canteen that serves the best lemonade in the world—at least, the setting makes it seem so! We usually have a layover day here, which allows time to explore secluded Phantom Canyon. It’s a magical little world of waterfalls, pools, and little slides that you can glide down. The brilliant green foliage against the deep red and black rocks is visually stunning. While you’re there, you should take a nocturnal adventure to the middle of a suspension bridge over the Colorado. The Grand Canyon is one of the most isolated (and hence darkest) places in the Lower Forty-eight, and the stars are absolutely brilliant.
“Most hikers will take the Bright Angel Trail from Phantom Ranch to the South Rim. The trail follows a geologic fault that was used by the Indians who once lived here. It’s five miles to our next camp at Indian Gardens, where the Hualapai people once grew watermelons. One of my favorite parts of the hike comes on this afternoon. From our camp, we hike out to a spot called Plateau Point to make dinner. It’s about 1,200 or 1,400 feet above Phantom Ranch. You’re sitting out in the middle of the canyon, having dinner as the sun sets—and you only have to carry out your cookware.
“I’ll never forget the finish of my first Trans-Canyon hike. As my group came out of the canyon, we were enveloped by a group of tourists visiting from Japan who’d just gotten off their tour bus. A few of us were asked where we’d come from, and we pointed across the canyon. We then explained in English, and the tour guide translated that we’d come from the other side. The whole group of visitors burst into applause simultaneously.”
John’s next trip departs from the South Rim. The Jewels of the Canyon hike takes its sobriquet from the mineral-named canyons you pass through—Turquoise, Ruby, Serpentine, etc. It covers portions of three trails—South Bass, Tonto, and Hermit. “This is not a hike that many people do,” John continued. “Both South Bass and Hermit are considerably more challenging than the trails on the Trans-Canyon walk, and there’s very little water or shade. In fact, you can only go in the winter and early spring, as by the end of April, there’s no easily accessible water. None of these trails are officially maintained; it’s not a place to go if you’ve never been before.
“One of the highlights along the Jewels of the Canyon walk is Boucher Canyon, before you reach Hermit Trail. From the Tonto Trail, you can follow Boucher Creek down to one of the most beautiful sand beaches on the Colorado. But you should think twice before jumping in for a swim—the river is just forty-five degrees, and drownings brought on by hypothermia are a major cause of death in the Grand Canyon.” Another highlight in the early spring is the panoply of color availed by the native flora. “We often think of desert plants like cactus as being ornery and even ugly,” John added. “But when cactus and prickly pear are blooming, they’re wonderful.
JOHN MELVILLE is a volunteer trip leader for Sierra Club Outings, focusing on the Grand Canyon. When he’s not leading Trans-Canyon hikes, he’s an information technology manager at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
► Getting There: For North Rim hikes, fly into Las Vegas (served by most major carriers) or Flagstaff, Arizona, served by several carriers, including Alaska Airlines (800-252-7522; www.alaskaair.com). For South Rim hikes, fly to Flagstaff or Phoenix.
► Best Time to Visit: Most hikers favor the early spring and early fall.
► Accommodations: For hikes departing from the North Rim, the nearest lodging is Grand Canyon Lodge–North Rim (877-386-4383; www.grandcanyonlodgenorth.com). For South Rim departures, Xanterra South Rim (888-297-2757; www.grandcanyonlodges.com) offers a number of options.
► Guides/Outfitters: There are many outfitters that lead hiking trips in the Grand Canyon, including Sierra Club Outings (415-977-5522; www.sierraclub.org/outings) and the Grand Canyon Field Institute (866-471-4435; www.grandcanyon.org/fieldinstitute).