You’re welcome, Sinjin.

Thank you so much, Michael – will be in touch!

I appreciate your quick reply. Very helpful!

Sinjin

Hi Sinjin,

Thanks for the kind words about my blog and for these good questions, as well as for joining The Big Outside for full access to all of my blog’s stories.

The one short rappel (about 20 feet) had a fixed anchor of slings when we were there; I expect that’s what you’d find, but backup tubular webbing and rap rings are a good idea. We used a short rope; your 9mm would be fine, understanding it creates a bit less friction than a fatter rope, but it would work. I think 40 feet is probably enough but close, 50 feet would be plenty.

You’re right, there’s some scrambling and exposure in Royal Arch Canyon but the rest of the route isn’t as challenging (although quite strenuous), and beyond Royal Arch Canyon, there’s visible trail on much of the loop. Going before the reservation road opens should be really nice, I imagine not many backpackers would be heading in then. Water is scarce, but sounds like you’re planning for that.

Your subscription, of course, lets you read this entire story, including my tips about managing the rappel and other details of the route and planning this hike that appear at the bottom of this story (above).

Have a great trip. It’s a wonderful hike. And click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Please keep in touch!

Thank you for this excellent write-up, and insight into the sketchier parts of this hike. A friend of mine and I are going to do this (permits in hand) in a couple of weeks, so we are starting to get ready. Finding your blog has been great, so thank you for that. We are both very experienced backpackers, and I have done some pretty sketchy things in the Canyon (most notably the Walter Powell Route a few years ago) so we are somewhat ready for this.

I also spent 9 years in Mountain Rescue, and was the team leader for three of those years, so lots of technical experience. It appears that on the technical side, we have heard that there is only that one required rappel that is only about 20 feet or so, and then you have to set the anchor. What we have been told is to bring about 40-feet of rope, and about 40ft to set the anchor as well (my plan was with 2″ tubular webbing that we could leave, with a pair of rap rings.) Does this sound like enough? I notice in your video that one member is carrying a full rope. I have an older 9mm rope that I was going to cut down to 50ft, hoping that would be enough and save a good amount of weight. What do you think of that plan?

Then, it looks like the main challenges are the numerous spots of real exposure, but all doable if you are careful and intentional, and then the endless quest for water. We will be well prepared for the water part, and thankfully I have been to Elves a number of times by boat. The actual pool and ledge camp at Royal Arch looks amazing, and a perfect spot to get our act together and well rested for the rest of the journey.

Oh, and we are doing it over 6 full days, assuming that we have to walk in to South Bass, since the Hualapai Nation is currently closed – so we will have to do the 7-mile hike across the plateau to get to the trailhead.

Any impressions from you would be more than welcome – and yes, I read the discussion above as well.

Thank you –

Sinjin

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the compliment about my story and sharing your route-finding experience. That’s very interesting. I didn’t know about that route on the right side or see it when we went through there, but the next time I backpack the Royal Arch Route—as I very much want to do—I’m going to look for it and compare it with the traverse on the left side. I will say that, with caution, the route on the left is fairly easy to do safely.

Keep in touch.

A friend and I did this route twice. The first time, when we got to the drop off you describe in your first paragraph, we saw the trail on the left side nearly disappear into the wall and thought “no way.” We took a break, ate a snack and I wandered off up the right wall and found a passable route that required us to remove our packs and shove them through a hole, similar to the one in your video. Later, talking to a ranger at the South Rim, we learned that spot is called the “Spider Man Steps.” He told us we’re supposed to face the wall and side step with our toes across the narrow ledge, using handholds in the rock wall. We looked at each other and said “no way.”

On our second trip we just took the route on the right wall without a second thought.