Wanting to explore more routes to the river in the Grand Canyon after our trip down the Hermit Trail in 2020, Paul and I returned in October 2021 along with our friends Randy and Bill to hike down the Tanner Trail. This is an ancient route traced back to the Anasazi, now named for the miner who improved it in the 1800s. None of the trails to the river are easy, and this one might be one of the steepest. It’s rocky and relentless, but in pretty good condition.
The Tanner Trail descends from the east rim of the canyon. Technically speaking, you’re along the same side as the south rim, which is just to the west, but the Colorado River bends to the north, and so the rim of the canyon bends with it. Out on the east rim, the canyon bottom is wide and flat. There is no narrow inner gorge blocking the river from view as it does to the west, and so from Lipan point, where the trail departs, you can see all the way to the Colorado River. And from the bottom, you can look up and see the Desert View Watchtower all the way up on the rim’s edge.
This part of the canyon is so wide and open, it is very photogenic.
We made it down to the river and headed east on the Beamer Trail. Our plan was to hike all the way to the confluence of the Little Colorado – ambitious, but not outside of our capabilities. After a long flat stretch along the canyon floor, the left the river (the only water source) behind as we followed the trail to higher elevations. Once or twice we lost the trail, once or twice the exposure was a little trying on the nerves, but it was really pretty.
As the heat of the day was starting to bear down on us it was becoming evident that Randy wasn’t feeling well. Though he’s not one to complain and wanted to push on, it seemed evident that our water was depleting at a faster rate than we were moving forward. Given the heat, running out of water could get ugly fast.
Respecting the harsh nature of the terrain is an important part of having a safe and enjoyable journey in this environment. We decided to turn around and return to water. (Let’s be honest – the only female of the group made that call but no one argued with me!)
While we could have easily tried again in the morning with the weather on our side, our permits would not allow for such a change of itinerary. It’s a downside of backpacking in the National parks, but worth it to come to cool places like this. We’ll have to come another time to get to the confluence. As a consolation, we met some girls on the Hayduke Trail who had come from the confluence and were quite disappointed that the usually brilliant turquoise waters of the Little Colorado were brown and turbid.
Unfortunately, being downstream of the confluence, the entire Colorado River was extremely turbid. Colorado River water is always sandy, but this was worse than usual. Oftentimes in the Grand Canyon, the best water sources are from the side streams feeding the Colorado, with fresh and clear water, but there is no such source on the Beamer Trail. Needless to say, we put our water filters to the test.
We set up camp near Lava Canyon Rapids and watched the rafters float by. A party set up camp across the shore and we waved to one another. We rested and enjoyed the beach.
The next morning, we found ourselves with a fairly wide open day. Our permits were to camp at Tanner Beach, only 3 miles away. We decided to explore Palisade Canyon, a side canyon near our campsite that looked interesting.
We meandered back, exploring the narrow canyon at a leisurely pace. Randy was still feeling under the weather and we got some light drizzle, which reaffirmed our decision not to proceed the day before. Eventually we returned to the Beamer Trail and made our way to Tanner Beach. From there, after we set up camp and ate some snacks, we explored downriver, following the Escalante Trail for awhile, or roaming along the flat canyon bottom near the edge of the river.
Eventually, we could see the clouds were beginning to look menacing, so we returned to camp to prepare everything for some potential rain. We got a hell of a downpour. It rarely rains in the canyon, and yet it seems to rain almost every time we go! Fortunately, we all had our shelters this time, though Bill could have used some more guylines given the wind.
Each of us hunkered in our own shelters to wait out the storm. I cooked us an early dinner and we ate wile watching the rain. Eventually, the clouds parted, and we returned to the beach to watch a lovely sunset.
The next day we got up early to make the climb out before the sun was high in the sky. Up in the front, Bill spotted a Bighorn Sheep on the ridge above. We watched him for a moment. He wasn’t as close as the last one I saw in the canyon, but still looked quite regal.
There are a few natural stopping points along the climb where we would all catch up, take a break and have a snack. Eventually, the final ascent kicks off. The rocks change from pink to tan, there are more pine trees, and the trail turns into a rock staircase. We broke up according to pace, with Bill reaching the top first, then me, then Paul and Randy together.
Hopefully in the next year we’ll return to the Tanner Trail and finish the hike out to the Confluence.