In the spring of 2024, I did a five-day, four-night backpacking trip on the Tonto Trail, from Bright Angel Trailhead to Hermit Creek Trailhead with friends from the Flathead Valley.

The first day of our backpack was a short one – just 4.5 miles and 3,000 feet down the Bright Angel Trail to Havasupai Gardens Campground. But because it was supposed to get pretty warm, we got an early start. We were on the trail around 6:30 AM and made it to camp at 10 AM, after two short stops at the 1.5 Mile and 3 Mile Resthouses. We got to see a park service mule train headed down the trail while we were stopped at 3 Mile. When we got to camp, we scored the shadiest site (#8) and settled in for the rest of the day. But it wasn’t a super relaxing day, as there was almost continual helicopter traffic overhead, moving equipment and supplies for the Transcanyon Waterline Project. After an early dinner, we headed out a short ways on the Tonto East Trail to enjoy the evening light. And then we were in our tents by 7:30 PM, as we had alarms set for 4:30 AM the next morning.

Our second day was when we really got to experience the Tonto Trail. The Tonto Platform is an amazing place to experience the Grand Canyon, as you are really down in it, on a prominent, wide bench that is 3,000 feet below the rim and 1,000 feet above the river. The Tonto Trail traverses this open benchland at the rim of the Inner Gorge and runs for about 95 miles, from Red Canyon to Garnet Canyon. As the crow flies, it is just over 3 miles from Havasupai Gardens to Monument Creek. But the section of the Tonto Trail between those two locations is over 10 miles long, as the trail traverses up and down each side drainage and goes around mesas to stay mostly flat. And because it is on an open bench, there is almost no shade for most of the day.

Given the heat and the lack of shade, we knew we needed to get an early start, so we got up at 4:15 AM, packed up in the dark, and were on the trail around 5:45. There is also no water between Havasupai Gardens and Monument Creek, so we were all carrying at least 4 liters each. The early morning light on the Tonto was beautiful, the cactus were starting to bloom, and we got treated to a couple of great views of the river. We also took advantage of any patches of shade that we could find for our snack breaks. As we were headed up the Salt Creek drainage, we were very lucky to see a Grand Canyon Rattlesnake just off the side of the trail. This snake is endemic to the Grand Canyon and is pink in color, so it often blends in with the rocks. I was in front when we encountered the snake and it warned me of its presence with lots of rattling, so we just stepped off the trail and went around it with no issues (except for elevated heart rates). We arrived at Monument Creek around 1 PM and found some nice, secluded campsites that unfortunately had no shade. So after we set up camp, we spent the rest of the afternoon down at the creek, where there was some shade.

After our long, hot day crossing the Tonto, we were very happy to have a layover day at Monument Creek. We slept in (which meant getting up around 6, rather than 4:30), enjoyed a leisurely morning, and then headed off on a day hike down the Monument Trail to Granite Rapids around 8 AM. We got to the river about 9:30, just in time to see a raft trip coming through and running the rapids. After watching the excitement, we settled down in the shade of some tamarisks and enjoyed listening to the roar of the river. We headed back to camp in the early afternoon and spent another afternoon hiding in the shade by the creek, before doing a bit more exploring of the creek in the early evening.

On our fourth day, we finished our final stretch of the Tonto Trail, covering the 3 miles from Monument Creek to Hermit Creek in the morning. We started around 7:30 AM and had nice morning light on our climb out of Monument Creek. By the time we rounded the corner to the Hermit Creek drainage it was already getting pretty warm, so we were glad to get to the Hermit Creek camp at 9:30 and snag the only site that had any shade. After setting up camp, I headed down the Hermit Creek Trail to Hermit Rapids around 11.

Hermit Creek cuts through an impressive gorge of Tapeats Sandstone, with many small waterfalls and flat patio sections where it is possible to find shade. There is also lots of cool geology, from walls plastered with travertine and salt to an immense pegmatite dike full of large crystals of quartz, pink potassium feldspar, silver muscovite mica, and black hornblende. The trail crosses the creek numerous times on the way to the river and I definitely lost it a few times. When I arrived at Hermit Rapids, I wandered downstream to find a spot of shade with a good view and was soon rewarded with a river trip running the Hermit wave train. Then I headed back to camp to spend a leisurely afternoon chasing shade.

Our last day involved traveling from Hermit Creek campground to the Hermit Trailhead. We expected this last day to be a tough one, as we needed to cover about 7.5 miles and ascend 3,800 feet. Since it was supposed to get hot, we opted for another early morning start — we were up before 4 and on the trail about 5:15. One happy consequence of getting up so early is that you get to see the sun rise in the canyon and that is always spectacular. It was a grind to get up to the Cathedral Stairs, which are a set of tight switchbacks that provide access through the Redwall Limestone. We took our minds off the climb by searching for fossils in the limestone and were rewarded with two great finds — a brachiopod and a cross-section of a crinoid. After we took in the view from Breezy Point, we began a long traverse of the Supai group that is mostly flat, with just two steep ascents, and more importantly, mostly in the shade. We took a nice rest break at Santa Maria Spring, topping up our water bottles and getting our shirts and hats wet. And then we headed out into the sun for the final steep climb up through the Coconino Sandstone and Kaibab Limestone, arriving at the Hermit Trailhead just before 1 PM.