Day 1

Shuttle to the South Rim: 1.5-hour drive from Flagstaff
Mileage: 3 miles
Elevation Loss: 2,500 feet

We’ll begin this exceptional Grand Canyon backpacking trip by hiking down the Grandview Trail, a historic Indian route rebuilt by Pete Berry for his Last Chance copper mine. Pete Berry and partners staked the Last Chance claim in 1890 and worked the mine on and off until 1916. Our destination for night 1 is Horseshoe Mesa. The legacy of Grand Canyon mining is abundant here as we explore the remains of the Last Chance mine. Mine shafts and relics are everywhere, as is Pete Barry's original cabin, and the site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For those interested, we’ll also have an opportunity to hike and explore Cave of the Domes. This is the only cave in Grand Canyon National Park open to the public and is found just off the west side of the mesa. At sunset we’ll hike out to the edge of the mesa and drink in the phenomenal views of the Colorado River flowing a whopping 2,300 feet below us.


Day 2

Mileage: 2 miles
Elevation Loss: 1,300 feet

Today we’ll sleep in, eat, and pack up before hiking east off Horseshoe Mesa to Hance Creek. Our hike switchbacks steeply past Paige Spring (our water source while on Horseshoe Mesa) and into the Hance Creek drainage. Once camp is established we’ll enjoy a day hike down the intermittent path leading into the serpentine drainage of Hance Creek Canyon.


Day 3

Mileage: 6.5 miles
Elevation Loss: 1,100 feet

We’ll get up reasonably early, eat and eventually resume our eastward trek along the Tonto Plateau toward Hance Rapids. Grand views unfold on this day as we hike across the plateau to the brink of Red Canyon and hike down to the Colorado River. We'll make camp on the banks of the Colorado and mouth of Red Canyon, which forms a thundering section of whitewater on the Colorado River, Hance Rapids.


Day 4

Mileage: 3 miles (plus 3 miles optional day hiking)
Elevation Gain: 1,000 feet

After breakfast and before breaking camp we’ll take a beautiful day hike upstream to the Papago Rockslide. Those so inclined are welcome to join the guide in climbing over the rock slide to the mouth of Papago Creek on the Colorado River. After lunch we’ll return to camp and pack up for a short hike up Red Canyon, where tilting strata provide stunning scenery and an amazing geologic story, as the area was once an island that rose above the waters of an ancient sea. We’ll hike up the dry creek bed of Red Canyon and eventually make camp at a beautiful spring or the upper part of the canyon.


Day 5

Mileage: 5 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,300 feet
Shuttle to Flagstaff: 1.5-hour drive from the South Rim

A hearty breakfast will precede our hike out as we make our way to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We’ll hike up out of Red Canyon and traverse the Supai and Red Wall formations into an old creek bed. After following the creek for awhile we’ll hike and scramble up out of the creek bed to the trailhead and the end of our Grand Canyon backpacking adventure. From there we'll ride comfortably back to Flagstaff and much deserved - and anticipated - showers.