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| Travel Forum Index » Backcountry » Grand Canyon |
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| Joe-46er |
 Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 8:48 pm |
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Is there really away to get away from the crowds and find some
solitude with maybe a 1 or 2 day backpacking trip away from the
commercialized sites? Are maps available to such trails? Must one
always get a permit to hike in/near the GC? Thanks.
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"Take a little 5FU, leucovorin and irenotecan for thy stomach's sake." -- 1 Timothy 5:23 (adapted) |
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| kapecki |
| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 6:38 pm |
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Assuming you want to see the Canyon (as opposed to the forest
surrounding it), anything other than the North and South Kaibab trails
and the Bright Angel trail will get you away from the big time crowds,
but unless you venture on to the really obscure trails, you'll still be
seeing other hikers.
A good compromise is the Hermit trail to the Hermit camp (7 miles) with
opportunities for day hikes (including a 3 mile round trip to the
river)that could fill out a two-night trip.
Less well-travelled (and harder to follow) are the Tanner, Grandview,
and South Bass Trails. The Tonto Trail, which runs east-west on the
platform, is probably not within your time constraints.
Except for the North Kaibab, those are all South Rim trails. There are
a number of obscure (and not easy to get to) North Rim trails, such as
the Lava Falls and North Bass Trails, where you are likely to see no
one. I haven't hiked them myself.
There are tons of guidebooks and good maps available (see, for example,
the National Geographic park mark).
Yes, you need permits for any overnight hiking in the park (some of the
North Rim trails start in the national forest, but end in the park).
Not surprisingly, the more obscure the trail, the more likely there
will be an opening. Call the backcountry ranger office to check.
If you're willing to take a chance, you can show up, put your name on a
waiting list, and see if you get a permit. There are lots of no shows.
One caution: all of my personal experience is over ten years old, so
other posters may have better info and some of mine could be wrong. |
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| rick++ |
| Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 8:42 am |
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Quote: Is there really away to get away from the crowds and find some
solitude with maybe a 1 or 2 day backpacking trip away from the
commercialized sites? Are maps available to such trails? Must one
always get a permit to hike in/near the GC? Thanks.
Much of the year the Canyon is a very severe place to travel.
If you have to ask questions like this, you should test yourself
in one of the popular places, then consider a more remote trip next
time. |
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| Peter Clinch |
| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 3:30 am |
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rick++ wrote:
Quote: Much of the year the Canyon is a very severe place to travel.
If you have to ask questions like this, you should test yourself
in one of the popular places, then consider a more remote trip next
time.
Agreed. On my visit I had the luxury of a guide, in the form of the pal
I was visiting who was working as a ranger at the time, so he could do
all the detailed planning with plenty of background and knowledge of
both the place and of me.
It's a big enough place, both geographically and spiritually, that you
won't "do" it in a single visit, so think of a first trip as a recce and
information gathering trip for a better follow up.
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net p.j.clinch@dundee.ac.uk http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ |
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