Hi Terrie,

Good to hear from you again and thanks for being a member of my blog, I appreciate that. Thanks also for sharing your own beta from your recent trip, I know you also get to the Grand Canyon frequently. Salt Canyon sounds like something I’d like to explore on a future trip. When planning your trip from the South Bass Trail east on the Tonto, along much of the Gems Route, check out my story about hiking that in April 2024. It’s a great route. We finished up the Hermit Trail that time, but just a month ago, at the end of March (2025), six of us backpacked from Bright Angel west on the Tonto and went up the Boucher Trail, a beautiful and adventurous hike. I’ll post a story about that trip soon.

Keep in touch!

We took Tonto only up to Horseshoe Mesa and exited on the Grandview Trail. I’ve only done the section of Tonto that runs from Elves Chasm to South Bass, but I’m thinking next year of maybe starting at South Bass and heading east on Tonto to see the rest of it.

Thanks for all your great beta! I really enjoy my Big Outside membership.

Hi Zoe,

Thanks, I’m glad you love my blog. And thanks for your question. This story, like many, is partly free for anyone to read, but reading all of it is an exclusive benefit for paid subscribers to The Big Outside. A subscription gives you full access to all of my blog’s stories, including the trip planner section in stories about specific trips, where I share details of the itinerary and other logistics and tips on planning that trip.

This trip is also described in much more detail, including a primary and alternate daily itineraries, in my expert e-book “The Best Backpacking Trip in the Grand Canyon.”

I also offer Custom Trip Planning, where I’ll help you plan this or any trip you read about at my blog, customizing an itinerary ideal for you and helping you with other insights about the trip, including navigating a competitive permit process.

I hope one of those options works for you.

Thanks again. Get in touch anytime.

This sounds so amazing! Can you break down the mileage you did each day and where you camped each night? Love your blog!

Thanks so much!
Zoe

Hi James,

Yes, the Grand Canyon implemented this new backcountry permit system on recreation.gov for 2024 and it’s a little tricky to navigate. The first thing to understand is that you are quite late to apply for a permit reservation in March, which is why the site shows so little availability. The park accepts permit reservations up to four months in advance and most available backcountry camping will get booked up quickly.

I went through that new permit reservation system in November and got a permit for a six-day hike in the canyon in April, so I’m very familiar with it now. Those are questions I address in my e-book “The Best Backpacking Trip in the Grand Canyon.” And I can help you plan that trip and navigate the permit process, including answering the perhaps many questions you might have. See my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how.

Thanks for the comment.

Hi Eric,

Yes, it can, and I’d recommend late March to avoid winter conditions, although you could still encounter snow on the upper sections of trails in the canyon, possibly requiring traction on your boots, like microspikes. But late March is a good time to go there.

Good luck. By the way, I have helped many readers with a personalized trip plan for backpacking in the Grand Canyon, including this specific trip, and I can help you prepare for whatever conditions you’ll encounter. See my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can help you plan your trip.

Nice work, Rob. True words. It’s an amazing hike. Thanks for sharing that.

Hi Mark,

Yes, the shuttle situation isn’t convenient but I think you’ll find it easier than you expect. If you have any lodging pre- or post-trip, call their desk and ask whether an employee would like to make a little easy cash shuttling you from Grandview (leave your car there) to Lipan/Tanner at the start of your hike, arrange it in advance. I’ve done that elsewhere. Or try calling any business on the South Rim; there are many young workers there who’d welcome a little extra cash.

If that fails, Grandview has one of the busiest parking lots/rim overlooks on the South Rim. Go there early on the morning you start hiking and walk around the lot asking whether anyone could drive three of you east to Lipan. Shouldn’t take very long. If that fails (because no one has space for three people and packs), then park at Lipan and plan to finish your hike at Grandview as early in the afternoon as possible, where one of you can hitch a ride to your car and return for the others. Mid-October is busy there, you’ll likely find a ride quickly.

Good luck. You have an amazing hike ahead of you.

Hi James,

It’s neither of those people and I’ll offer this ranger some anonymity by saying only that their first initial is M.

Thanks for the nice compliment about my blog.

Hey Michael,
Love your site, just curious about the bc ranger who gave u the tip on your 74 mi. trek in GRCA . I know a couple of old timers there. Was it L.A. or B.V. by chance? Again, just curious and thanks for all the great articles!

Hi Ella,

Thanks for the nice words about my blog. You ask a legitimate question and I imagine you do receive that kind of treatment often. I will add that, in my experience, many rangers and others who deal with the public in national parks and other public lands will give all (or many) people the same warnings of how difficult or dangerous a specific hike or other outdoor activity is without attempting to judge a person’s experience; in other words, they assume everyone they speak to has similarly little experience. I’ve received such warnings countless times for activities that, in some cases, I would consider beginner-level.

That said, the Escalante Route, which is part of the full trip the story describes, included a couple of sections that were more “spicy” than I would normally expect to encounter on a backpacking route—and I’ll point out here that the Escalante Route is an unmaintained route that’s marked by cairns but sometimes faint or non-existent on the ground.

Hiking up-canyon, as we did, requires scrambling maybe 200 feet up a loose rockslide where care is required and progress is a bit slow; its greatest risk is a rock rolling and injuring someone, but it’s not so steep that you’d fall far if you slipped. Not far beyond Papago Canyon (hiking up-canyon), you must scramble down a 30-foot cliff where there are decent foot ledges in the easiest place to scramble the cliff (which you’ll have to locate from below or above). We hiked up-canyon and had to descend that cliff; I’ve done plenty of third-class scrambling (and rock climbing) for years and did not find it difficult to locate and descend that section. We passed our packs down, though some people might prefer to lower them with a 30-foot cord. People uncomfortable with exposure may not feel comfortable on that section. Other parts of the Escalante Route consist of a narrow footpath with a steep slope on the downhill side, which can elicit a sense of exposure for some people.

Otherwise, much of this trip is on trails that don’t pose any serious hazard or exposure.

This story has a photo of one of my friends scrambling up the rockslide. You’ll find much more detail about this route’s navigational challenges and tricky scrambling in my e-guide “The Best Backpacking Trip in the Grand Canyon.”

I hope that helps. Good luck.

Hi Matt,

You’re right that going up New Hance is no joke and I can say from experience that going down it was seven of the most tiring miles I’ve ever hiked, with all of those pounding, big ledge drops on that trail. Your hike covered a big chunk of what I consider (and a longtime Grand Canyon backcountry ranger told me is) the “The Best Backpacking Trip in the Grand Canyon.” Great hike.

Since you’ve hiked the Escalante and obviously know your girls better than I do, I’m not sure I can tell you anything you don’t already know. You might show your daughters photos in my story about that trip and ask what they think. But I also think that Hermits to Bright Angel is one of the nicest and most beginner-friendly multi-day hikes in the canyon and a great one for a family, not nearly as strenuous as Escalante (or New Hance). See the photos in this story.

If you’d like my help planning that or any trip, check out my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how.

Thanks for the comment and keep in touch.

Thanks for taking the time to detail all these great backcountry hikes. My wife and I just did Tanner to New Hance via the Escalante and it was definitely an adventure. Going up New Hance is no joke!!

We want to plan a nice 3-4 day backcountry trip to do with our three girls 12, 12, and 15. We are avid hikers and they have done Bright Angel to the river and back multiple times previously. Would you suggest the Escalante for them or would something like Hermit to Bright Angel be better?

Thanks for your help!

The first half of May is commonly a good time for backpacking in the Grand Canyon. Yes, I’d go then. It could be hot, or moderate, or even cooler than normal (if you’re lucky). But it’s definitely a recommendable time of year to do this hike, and you might still have wildflowers blooming. But I will emphasize that six days is an aggressive itinerary for this route, so just be aware of that. Good luck!

Congrats on your Grand Canyon plans, Matthew, you have a classic hike awaiting you. When you’re ready for your next Grand Canyon hike, see a full menu of all of my stories about trips there in my All Trips List at The Big Outside. Thanks for the comment.

Doing South Kaibab to Bright Angel this December but looking to maybe doing some of the Tonto Trail if I have time! Thanks for this article 🙂 Amazing photos.

Jason, I found that once you get past the (admittedly beautiful) corridor trails in the GC, the entire experience changes. It’s more challenging, which I like, but also more wild-feeling, remote, with greater solitude and sense of being in a truly unique landscape. I hope you’ll post a comment after your trip to share it how went. Thanks again for writing, always good to hear from you.

Really appreciate the insight! Looking forward to the trip in a few months and will keep you posted. Used to doing the corridor trails so will be nice to change it up!

Hi Jason,

Thanks and good to hear from you. I think Lipan Point to Grandview Trail can be done in either direction; arguably, it’s tougher climbing the Tanner than climbing river to rim from farther west on the Colorado River to Horseshoe Mesa and the Grandview Trail, but going from the river to the rim is a big day on any trail. On the Tanner, besides it having three tough, steep sections, there’s no water, while you can get water on the Tonto between the river and Horseshoe Mesa (Hance Creek or usually Cottonwood Creek), although there’s no water on the Grandview above Horseshoe Mesa. Grandview Trail is a beautiful hike going up or down and a good trail.

The Beamer Trail is definitely worth hiking only the first 1-3 miles of before turning around. You’ll have access to the Colorado along there to get water and cool off, too. When the Beamer starts climbing above the river, you’ll go several miles without any water or river access until you reach the end of the Beamer Trail. But the nicest section of the Beamer is once it gains a plateau some 400 feet above the river and follows it for miles; that’s more than a few miles from Tanner Beach (at the bottom of the Tanner Trail).

I’ve hiked down the New Hance Trail. It’s one of the harder South Rim trails because of many big ledge drops, so that would be tough going up or down. The Grandview Trail is not only friendlier, it’s more scenic, although the New Hance ascends a nice side canyon. The beach at Hance Rapids on the river has excellent camping.

Have a good trip.

Two questions: for my described route, would you suggest west to east/east to west? We aren’t doing south kaibab so avoid that climb as described in yours. Most of the reports I read online have people doing it east to west but wonder if it really makes a difference.

Second, the Beamer trail side trip looks really neat. Not sure if our 4 day itinerary will allow it though. Would you prioritize this section? Is it only worth it to make the 9 mile journey to the end of Beamer or do you get nice views even just a few miles from the Tanner trail junction? I guess if we did choose to allocate more time to Beamer we could save time on the western side by coming up the New Hance Trail instead of the Grandview Trail. Haven’t done either…

Appreciate any feedback and thanks again!