River Trail (Arizona)

Last updated
River Trail
River-tr-gcnp.JPG
Zoroaster Temple and suspension bridges from River Trail
Length2 mi (3 km)
Location Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States
Trailheads Bright Angel Trail
South Kaibab Trail
Use Hiking
Stock (Horse use)
Elevation
Highest pointCliff above Colorado River, 2,800 ft (850 m)
Lowest point Colorado River, 2,400 ft (730 m)
Hiking details
Trail difficultyModerate
SeasonYear Round
Sights Grand Canyon
Colorado River
Hazards Severe Weather
Overexertion
Dehydration

The River Trail is a hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. This trail connects the end of the Bright Angel Trail with Phantom Ranch and the South Kaibab Trail.

Contents

Description

Mileages and features along River Trail [1]
Distance (mi)Elv (ft)LocationTrail Junction
02526River Resthouse, Pipe Creek Bright Angel Trail
1.32491Silver suspension bridge
22600South Kaibab Trail South Kaibab Trail

Though it has no official trailhead, the River Trail is an important link in the trail system in Grand Canyon. This trail connects the Bright Angel Trail at its western terminus with Phantom Ranch and the Bright Angel Campground via the silver suspension bridge. One mile (1.6 km) beyond the silver bridge is the eastern terminus and junction with the South Kaibab Trail. Heading north on the South Kaibab Trail leads to the Black Suspension Bridge and across the river to the North Kaibab Trail junction. [2]

Condition

Sand dunes along River Trail River-tr-sanddunes.JPG
Sand dunes along River Trail

Grand Canyon National Park categorizes the River Trail as a corridor trail, and receives regular maintenance and patrols by park rangers. [3]

On 31 July and 1 August 2006, passing thunderstorms eroded long sections of the River Trail at an area called the sand dunes, exposing power and water lines that run along and under the trail's road bed. The sand dunes are an area of trail made up of beach sand that winds have blown up the side of the inner gorge along the south bank of the Colorado River. The trail was briefly closed to mule traffic but remained open to hikers. Repairs were expected to take seven to fourteen days. [4]

Water availability

The primary water source along the River Trail is the Colorado River. If water is to be taken from the river for drinking, it must be either filtered, treated, or boiled before consuming. [5]

Due to the proximity to Phantom Ranch and the Bright Angel Campground, hikers who are not in a life-or-death need for water should proceed across the silver suspension bridge past the mule corral, where a water spigot is located near the restroom building before the junction with the South Kaibab Trail and North Kaibab Trail.

Camping

Camping is not allowed along the River Trail. Hikers must proceed to the Bright Angel Campground where they can camp with a permit issued by the Grand Canyon National Park Backcountry Information Center. Use of the campground overnight is regulated by the National Park Service, and they call for a maximum number of groups (7 to 11 people) and parties (1 to 6 people), as well as a maximum total number of persons. [6]

The closest campground to the River Trail is the Bright Angel Campground, located about 1-mile (1.6 km) north of the junction with the silver suspension bridge. [6] The three letter code indicates the park's use area designation:

Overnight camping areas near River Trail
AreaNameTypeGroup(s)PartiesMax People
CBGBright AngelCampground2and3190

Use permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis from the park's Backcountry Information Center. Requests are taken beginning on the 1st day of the month, up to four months before the requested first night of camping. [7]

Hazards

Hazards hikers can encounter along the River Trail include dehydration, sudden rainstorms, flash flooding, loose footing, rockfall, encounters with wildlife, and extreme heat. At the Colorado River, additional hazards include hypothermia (due to the river's consistently cold temperatures), trauma (due to collisions with boulders in rapids), and drowning. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

Grand Canyon National Park Protected area in Arizona, United States

Grand Canyon National Park, located in northwestern Arizona, is the 15th site in the United States to have been named as a national park. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often considered one of the Wonders of the World. The park, which covers 1,217,262 acres of unincorporated area in Coconino and Mohave counties, received more than six million recreational visitors in 2017, which is the second highest count of all American national parks after Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Grand Canyon was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. The park celebrated its 100th anniversary on February 26, 2019.

South Kaibab Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The South Kaibab Trail is a hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. Unlike the Bright Angel Trail which also begins at the south rim of the Grand Canyon and leads to the Colorado River, the South Kaibab Trail follows a ridge out to Skeleton Point allowing for 360-degree views of the canyon.

Bright Angel Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Bright Angel Trail is a hiking trail located in Grand Canyon National Park in the U.S. state of Arizona.

Phantom Ranch Historic Grand Canyon lodging

Phantom Ranch is a lodge inside Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. It sits at the bottom of Grand Canyon, on the east side of Bright Angel Creek, a little over half a mile north of the Creek's confluence with the Colorado River. Opened in 1922, Phantom Ranch is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

North Kaibab Trail

The North Kaibab Trail is a hiking trail in the North Rim side of the Grand Canyon, in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

Hermit Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Hermit Trail is a hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. This trail provides access to a historic area of Grand Canyon and offers a more challenging route to the Colorado River for more experienced canyon hikers.

Tonto Trail

Template:Short descriotion

Boucher Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Boucher Trail is a hiking trail of the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

Clear Creek Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Clear Creek Trail is a hiking trail below the North Rim, from lower Bright Angel Canyon into lower Clear Creek Canyon of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

Bright Angel Point Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Bright Angel Point Trail is a hiking trail located on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

Plateau Point Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Plateau Point Trail is a hiking and pack trail located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

Tanner Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Tanner Trail is a hiking trail located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. The trailhead is located at Lipan Point, a prominent lookout located to the east of the Grand Canyon Village, and the trail ends at the Colorado River at Tanner Rapids.

South Bass Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The South Bass Trail is a hiking trail located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

The Grand Canyon National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the state of Arizona. The Park encompasses the Grand Canyon and the surrounding rim areas. The Park maintains an intricate trail system both above and below the rims of the canyon. To properly maintain and supervise the many trails and campgrounds in the backcountry of the Grand Canyon, Park implemented a system of zoning the different areas of the canyon and the surrounding rim area into backcountry "use areas," designated by a two-letter, one-number code system.

Bright Angel Creek

Bright Angel Creek is located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon National Park flowing into the Colorado River at the end of the North Kaibab Trail on the north side of the river. The creek originates from Roaring Springs that emerge from a cliff along the North Kaibab Trail and drains to the Colorado. The North Kaibab Trail largely follows the creek, including through "the Box," a narrow, high-walled part of the trail that becomes extremely hot in daylight during the summer months.

Isis Temple

Isis Temple, in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, is a prominence below the North Rim, and adjacent to Granite Gorge. The prominence lies north of the north bank of the west-flowing Colorado River and is just north of Granite Gorge. The Trinity Creek and canyon flow due-south at its west border; its north, and northeast border/flank is formed by Phantom Creek and canyon, a west tributary of Bright Angel Creek; the creeks intersect about 3 mi southeast, and 1 mi north of Granite Gorge. The Isis Temple prominence, is only ~202 ft lower than Grand Canyon Village, the main public center on Grand Canyon’s South Rim.

Grand Canyon Supergroup

The Grand Canyon Supergroup is a Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic sequence of sedimentary strata, mostly exposed in the eastern Grand Canyon of Arizona. This group is composed of the Unkar Group, Nankoweap Formation, Chuar Group and the Sixtymile Formation, which overlie Vishnu Basement Rocks. Several notable landmarks of the Grand Canyon, such as the "Isis Temple and Cheops Pyramid" and the "Apollo Temple," are surface manifestations of the Grand Canyon Supergroup.

Black Suspension Bridge

The Black Suspension Bridge spans the Colorado River in the inner canyon of Grand Canyon National Park. The span length is 440 feet. The bridge is part of the South Kaibab Trail and is the river crossing used by mules going to Phantom Ranch. The Black Bridge and Silver Bridge, located about 700 meters downstream, are the only spans in hundreds of river miles.

White Rim Road

The White Rim Road is a 71.2-mile-long (114.6 km) unpaved four-wheel drive road that traverses the top of the White Rim Sandstone formation below the Island in the Sky mesa of Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah in the United States. The road was constructed in the 1950s by the Atomic Energy Commission to provide access for individual prospectors intent on mining uranium deposits for use in nuclear weapons production during the Cold War. Large deposits had been found in similar areas within the region; however, the mines along the White Rim Road produced very little uranium and all the mines were abandoned.

References

  1. Grand Canyon National Park, Overnight Use of Trans-canyon Corridor Trails, Winter edition
  2. Official guide to hiking the Grand Canyon / by Scott Thybony - ISBN   0-938216-48-1
  3. Backcountry Management Plan, Grand Canyon National Park, Appendix G, Section C, p.39
  4. Storms Cause Trail Damage in Grand Canyon National Park, NPS Press Release 2 August 2006
  5. Grand Canyon National Park Backcountry FAQ, Treating Water
  6. 1 2 Grand Canyon National Park Use Areas
  7. Grand Canyon National Park Backcountry Use Permit Procedure
  8. Grand Canyon National Park Summer Hiking

Coordinates: 36°05′53″N112°06′38″W / 36.09813°N 112.11058°W / 36.09813; -112.11058