Lure of the Canyon

Though I’ve been here before, returning to the South Rim is a visceral shock. Sharp intake of breath, words fail, eyes rivet to the almost incomprehensible, mesmerizing vastness just beyond my feet… so big, so wide, so far down. Standing on the edge makes me feel like a tiny insignificant speck of humanity in the presence of something very large, deep, and old.

How large? The Canyon is 277 miles long. How deep? Six thousand feet at its deepest. How old? Though this has become a point of contention lately between scientists and some creationists, NPS consensus reveals its age to be 5-6 million years. Some of the rocks though, such as ancient Vishnu schist at the River level, are billions of years old.

The uncontested highlight of our most recent trip to the South Rim was riding the mules to Plateau Point, 3060 feet (more than halfway) into the Canyon. We’d been planning this mule trip since 18 years before, but ironically, since our veer over to the Canyon was spur-of-the-moment, we hadn’t made reservations. We’d heard that they should be made at least 6-12 months in advance, so didn’t have much hope of getting one. Lucky for us, though, it wasn’t quite peak season, and we were able to snag a cancelled reservation only two days ahead of time.

Though the South Rim teems with tourists all summer long and is crowded during shoulder seasons as well, the views are superlative. Despite too many people and cars where cars are allowed, South Rim Trail is just under 12 miles of superb hiking, strolling, or on the wheelchair-accessible paved portions, rolling from one overlook to the next.

Nature in the forms of geology, rock strata, and biological diversity of the Canyon walls, creeks, and river are what people come to see and experience, and rightly so. Nonetheless, the human history of the Canyon dominates at Canyon Village. If time permits, admire luxury hotel El Tovar. Built in 1905 as a destination resort by Santa Fe Railroad, El Tovar combines Swiss chalet with Norwegian villa, topped with a shingled turret. The 1909 log Santa Fe Railway Depot is one of only three remaining log depots in the U.S. Exploits of the daring Kolb brothers, early river-running photographers, are memorialized at Kolb Studio. Excellent art, photography, and historic exhibits are shown in the gallery, changing several times a year.

Quick Tips:

With annual visitation to Grand Canyon National Park hovering around 5 million, traffic gridlock and crowds can get in the way of an optimal nature experience. Nowhere is this more so than on the South Rim. Depending on season and time of day, you may get stuck in long lines just trying to get in the park. Avoid holidays, mid-days, and if you can, peak season (Memorial Day to Labor Day). During our mid-May visit, getting through the entrance station never took more than five minutes.

Parking can be a hassle too. Take advantage of the free shuttle buses, but before hopping on, carefully study the schedules and stops. The Hermits Rest Shuttle stops at all seven overlooks on the way there, but only at two on the return trip.

A good place to begin is Information Plaza near Mather Point. Indoors rangers man a desk to answer questions, and displays line the walls. Outdoors, large posters outline hikes and other rim and canyon activities. Books & More, a large well-stocked bookstore, has a corner set aside with seats and TV where you can view DVDs about the Grand Canyon. At Books & More, we joined the Grand Canyon Association, saving us 15% on our purchase, and providing us with membership cards good on similar savings at most national parks.

BYOB, with the last B standing for beverage, water or sport drink recommended. This is an absolute unbreakable must-do if you venture below the Rim at all. Even on the Rim, there are few drinking fountains. Water is more precious than gold here. And please, wear sensible shoes. We saw people on the trails wearing flip-flops, high heels, and even one barefoot guy.

Safety in and on the edge of the Canyon: Grand Canyon is certainly one of the most spectacular places to meet your end. Not surprisingly, most deaths (one to seven yearly) occur as a result of a fall from the edge. People clowning around for the camera, or photographers taking a few steps backwards or sideways for that perfect shot found that was their final earthly act as they stepped out into the abyss.

Others put their lives in danger by becoming dehydrated and suffering heat stroke while hiking, including even the fittest of athletes who have simply misjudged the brutal heat of the canyon, the strenuousness of uphill trails, and their own limitations.

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting there: By car: The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is only 60 miles north of the I-40 and the town of Williams, via Highway 64. Another access point is from Flagstaff, US Highway 180 northwest 80 miles to the east entrance.

By air: Pulliam Airport in Flagstaff is the nearest commercial airport. US Airways/America West provides turbo-prop service to and from Phoenix at the small (but soon to be renovated) airport. Nearest international airports are in Phoenix (247 miles, 4.5 hours driving time) and Las Vegas (270 miles, 5.5 hours driving time). Grand Canyon Airport is a small non-commercial field.

By train: Amtrak’s Southwest Chief stops daily in Flagstaff and Williams Junction from Los Angeles and the Midwest (Chicago, Kansas City).

By bus: Greyhound has a depot in Flagstaff, but doesn’t stop in Williams.

Getting around while there: I would eagerly welcome prohibition of cars from the busiest national parks, and Grand Canyon is high on my list of those. Since 1995, NPS has been trying to address and work on their traffic problem. Solutions seem to be mired in endless bureaucracy and politics. After a light rail system was considered too costly, the focus changed to a transit center south of the park at Tusayan, where visitors could park their cars and hop on shuttles to the park. More than a decade later, this may still be in the planning stages.

The Greenway is also part of the plan to reduce auto traffic and emissions on the Rim. Portions of this hiking/bicycle trail have been built on the South Rim, such as the trail connecting Canyon View Information Plaza with Market Plaza and Grand Canyon Village. A future bicycle rental facility is planned as part of an expanding Greenway system.

Three free shuttle routes operate on the South Rim: Village Route, Kaibab Route (both run all year), and Hermit’s Rest Route (runs March 1 – November 30). These run every 15-30 minutes from one hour before sunrise to seasonal stop times. Special assistance is available for mobility-impaired visitors. Trans Canyon Shuttle provides rim-to-rim shuttles seasonally for a fee.

Grand Canyon Railway offers round-trip and one-way train rides between Williams and the historic railroad station at Grand Canyon Village, using vintage railroad cars.

Campgrounds inside Grand Canyon National Park were either too costly, or our 38 foot motor home was too big for their spaces, so we stayed instead at this delightful and perfectly satisfactory campground in Kaibab National Forest, less than 10 miles from the South Rim. Nightly fee was only $5, thanks to Bob’s Golden Age pass, which allows us to camp for half-price at most federal campgrounds (but not Grand Canyon’s Trailer Village, concessionaire operated by Xanterra).

At Ten-X, in a mixed forest of ponderosa and piñon pine, juniper, and Gambel oak, 70 spacious sites are spread out among three loops, with plenty of room between sites. Aggressive thinning had recently been carried out, burning some of the understory vegetation and blackening lower tree trunks. Small forest creatures and birds abound. Garbage receptacles are animal-proof, with retractable handles. Sites have tables, grills, and firepits, and vault toilets are spread out among the loops.

The site we chose, Space 58, was a very long pull-through on the far corner of the third loop, Moenkapi. So long, in fact, it could easily have accommodated two motor homes. We had plenty of room to set up our chairs in seclusion with a nice forest view. A mile-long foot trail began adjacent to our site. It follows the western circumference of the campground, and leads into a signed nature trail, which ends on the campground entrance road. Stays are limited to 14 days; we stayed a week.

I will always associate Ten-X with the uninvited hitchhiker who lived with us in our motor home for a brief time. Little scratchy noises up front, combined with peripheral vision glimpses of a small creature some nights led us to believe it was a mouse. But then we started finding turds; they seemed too big. Maybe a squirrel? One morning we found a towel near the dash shredded. Could it be building a nest?

The following week, checking into an RV park in Bullhead City, it was hotter than blazes. Stepping outside, I saw a tiny newborn creature writhing and dying (basically being cooked) on the asphalt beside our motor home. It had to have come from us. Googling newborns of small creatures that night, I found it: a baby rat. It must have been the last of the litter, because from then on, there was no more sign nor sound of our hitchhikers. Mama rat’s tragic choice of our motor home as a birthing nest must have led to her and her young’s demise.

Distance: 12 miles total; Trailview to Powell Point 2 miles; Elevation change: fairly level; Open to foot travel only, bicycles not permitted. Paved portions wheelchair accessible.

The beauty of the South Rim Trail is that it’s so versatile, so spectacular, and its views change constantly with season, weather, and time of day. You can take a short hike or a long one, or anywhere in between. The major disadvantage can be the crowds, and this is especially true in summer and on holidays. Every time the shuttle stops at an overlook, here come at least a handful of tourists. But they don’t stay long, because they don’t want to miss the next shuttle.

The South Rim Trail can be accessed at seventeen or more points from South Rim Drive. Its easternmost point is Pipe Creek Vista, off Desert View Drive. Hermit’s Rest is its westernmost point. Between Pipe Creek Vista and Maricopa Point the trail is paved and mostly handicap accessible. East of Maricopa Point, it’s dirt but still well-maintained. I hiked/rode almost its whole length in various segments, but not all on the same day.

I thought I’d alternate hiking and shuttle bus eastbound from Hermits Rest, but learned quickly (the hard way as my planned stop whizzed by) that the shuttle makes very few eastbound stops, so I shuttled all the way back to the transfer station, and walked ¾ mile to Trailview Overlook. This stretch gives some great far views of Grand Canyon Village, as well as zig-zaggy Bright Angel Trail, Bright Angel Canyon, and Bright Angel Fault. From the overlook, 50+ miles southeast, San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff loom on the horizon.

Another leisurely ¾ mile walk gets you to Maricopa Point. From here, the reddish rock formation called the Battleship can be best viewed. Between Maricopa and Powell Point the trail is detoured around Orphan Mine. Orphan began as a copper mine in 1893, but poor ore and difficulty transporting caused its closure not long after.

The Orphan was reborn in the 1950s when high-grade uranium was discovered. Mined out by 1969, it was taken over by NPS in 1988. No big surprise to discover that the areas around the remaining structures and down-canyon are contaminated with radioactive materials and mining wastes. Studies are underway to determine how best to clean up the mess. Nearest views of the skeletal metal head frame are from about halfway between Maricopa and Powell points.

Powell Memorial dominates the Rim at Powell Point. The square stone structure with steps to the top leads to a plaque honoring John Wesley Powell and his fellow River runners who accompanied him on his epic 1869 and 1872 journeys down the Colorado in primitive wooden boats.

Distance: 12 miles total; Hermits Rest to Hopi Point 6 miles; Elevation change: fairly level; Open to foot travel only, bicycles not permitted. Surface: dirt.

Hermit’s Rest, on the eastern end of South Rim Trail, is architect Mary Colter’s whimsical fantasy in rock, built as a rest stop for tourists, to resemble a hermit’s hovel. Hermit Trailhead, one of the three main trails down into the canyon, begins immediately west of the Rest. From Pima Point, a mile east, you get good views of Hermit Trail, built in 1912 by Santa Fe Railroad as an alternative to Bright Angel Trail, which was then a toll-trail. Far below, the blue-green Colorado River ribbons its way past Granite Rapids.

Mohave Point and Hopi Point are the only two eastbound shuttle bus stops on Hermit’s Rest Route. Hopi Point is known as a prime location to view spectacular sunsets. I’d walked 1/3 mile from Powell Point to Hopi Point intending to catch sunset there. As the sun lowered and shadows lengthened, more and more people arrived, taking seats on the stone retaining wall, setting up cameras, and using the porta-potties. The crowds became distracting to me and made me restless.

Seeking solitude, I hit the trail for Mohave Point, ¾ mile further eastward. I was so glad I did. I was alone with the ever-present ravens circling overhead, warm sunlight painting the canyon walls gold and white on the upper layers, deep red beneath, punctuated with low-growing tufts of dark green pinon and juniper clinging to near-vertical cliffs. Arriving at Mohave Point, I was relieved to see it was spread out, with numerous separate overlooks, and there were less people than there had been at Hopi Point.

Impending sunset over the Canyon had the effect of making the people at Mohave Point speak in whispers that afternoon. I would imagine this is not always the case, especially with bigger crowds and boisterous children. But as darkness fell, it was magical standing in the hushed silence right at the edge of the Canyon on a rock outcropping, leaning on the safety of curved metal guard rails, gazing at the sunset and last light reflecting off the River far below, making it glimmer.

Distance: 12 miles total; Canyon Village to Pipe Creek Vista: 4 miles; Elevation change: fairly level; Open to foot travel only, bicycles not permitted. Surface: paved.

On the east edge of Canyon Village, Verkamp’s Curios is celebrating its 100th anniversary. John Verkamp opened the first curio shop at the Grand Canyon, and his family still runs the 1906-built store, though they no longer live on the second floor. Dignitaries, rangers on horseback, and camera-toting publicity crews are milling around the just-completed celebration and ceremonies.

Leaving the hubbub of Canyon Village behind, relative solitude awaits on this wide paved portion of the South Rim Trail. My companions are limited to various and sundry hikers on the trail, most of whom are speaking French this afternoon, and ravens flying overhead and perching on gnarly trees. Some of the wind-battered pines and junipers have grown into unlikely shapes, trunks bending sideways at 90 degree angles, then up again.

Peering down into the Canyon, one ray of sunlight illuminates Bright Angel Trail to the west. Maybe that’s how it got its name? Shortly, a detour sign leads around Yavapai Observation Station. It’s been closed for extensive remodeling and renovation since 2005, but was expected to open by summer 2006. Judging by appearances, I doubt construction’s running on schedule. They’re already more than a month behind the posted "scheduled completion date" April 15th, 2006. Views from the Rim at Yavapai are compelling nevertheless.

My first-ever view of the Canyon in 1988 was from Mather Point, ¾ mile east of Yavapai. Back then, after driving all night, sleep deprived and groggy, Bob and I had yet to check in at Mather Campground. An hour past sunrise, we just stood and stared at the colors brightening as the early morning sun rose, glinting on the layered walls and massive geological formations deep below, as guardian ravens circled overhead. As the closest point to the entrance station and nearest to the new Canyon View Information Plaza and Visitor Center, Mather Point is many visitors’ first view of the Canyon.

Another 1 1/3 mile east on the Rim Trail is Pipe Creek Vista, the current east end of South Rim Trail. At some time in the future, the Rim Trail may extend another 28 miles east all the way to Desert View as part of the Greenway master plan.

The Grand Canyon is where many of this ground-breaking architect’s work can be found. Not only was Mary Jane Colter one of the first female architects in a male-dominated profession, but the structures she created were truly revolutionary. For 46 years she was the chief architect and decorator for Fred Harvey Company. Rather than imitate European styles of architecture, she sought inspiration from nature and local indigenous peoples.

Red stone and adobe Hopi House was designed by Colter after she’d visited pueblo-style dwellings in Old Oraibi. It was constructed mainly by Hopi Indians themselves. Indian arts and crafts were sold on the ground floor, and the Hopi artists, craftsmen, and dancers lived upstairs. Nowadays gorgeous Indian artwork is found inside on all levels of the multistory building. Corner fireplaces, wall niches, and low doors add to the cozy and fascinating interior. Ceilings are thatched with layers of saplings and timbers.

Lookout Studio’s walls of indigenous Kaibab limestone intentionally blend in with the Rim of the Canyon. Irregularity of features is the keyword in many of Colter’s creations, and at Lookout, both rooftop and chimney are made of oddly shaped stones, allowing desert plants to take root in soil between the cracks. Inside the studio, books and souvenirs are for sale, but the real attraction is climbing downstairs outside to the multi-leveled terraces to gaze out over the Canyon.

Bright Angel Lodge is Colter’s latest work in Grand Canyon Village, built in 1935. It replaced an old dilapidated turn-of-the-century hotel, but several historic cabins of Bright Angel Camp remain, most notably, Buckey O’Neill Cabin and Red Horse Station. Bright Angel Lodge was not built luxury-style as were many of the grand old national park hotels. Attractive yet functional, it was built for tourists with more modest incomes. One of Colter’s most famous creations, the Geologic Fireplace is found in the History Room. From the hearth built from ancient Colorado River bottom rocks, up strata by strata, are the geological layers of the Canyon represented in the ten feet to its top.

Hermit’s Rest, at the endpoint of Hermit’s Rest Route, is one of my favorite Colter buildings, slapdash in appearance only. Named for a prospector/miner/hermit who’d lived nearby, it’s similarly camouflaged as Lookout Studio. An earthen mound behind it slopes into the roof, sporting whimsical rubble-masonry chimneys. Indoors is souvenir and bookshop, and best of all, an open area with hide-covered chairs where you can sit and contemplate the cavernous stone fireplace.

The Watchtower at Desert View, on the east side of the Rim, is the other of my favorites. Colter designed it to resemble a prehistoric Puebloan tower. The ground floor has log ceiling and big picture windows. Stairs lead to the Hopi Room, with pictographs by Hopi artist Kabotie (Lomawywesa), depicting the Snake Legend and other stories. Other galleries contain reproduced petroglyphs by artist Fred Geary. The fourth and highest level is an observatory and the highest point on the South Rim at 7522 feet.