"Into The Canyon" - Hiking the Grand Canyon

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https://redfordcenter.org/films/intothecanyon 

Looks like it was on the National Geographic channel the other night. I hope to catch this sometime.

Yeah, I watched and it was good.  Some of the footage is crazy.  One misstep away from disaster.  They also talked about the proposed tramway.  To me, this just seems so wrong to build an aerial tram to take visitors to a riverside boardwalk in the Grand Canyon with stores, hotels and restaurants.  

The footage was really cool.  You should definitely watch. I think it would be on demand.

Wilson made it a national park 100 years ago today.....just that.

Gonna check this out.. planning a cross country trip with my kiddoes this summer to the Grand Canyon.

side note - anyone have any suggestions to make it an even more amazing experience for us? smiley

>>>>to me, this just seems so wrong to build an aerial tram to take visitors to a riverside boardwalk in the Grand Canyon with stores, hotels and restaurants.

That is weird, although they currently offer pack mules to haul your stuff up an down.   We took the mule trip down to the inner rim during a family vacation when we were kids.  Pretty cool experience, although the mule my mom was on started acting up on a narrow stretch of trail that had a sharp drop off.  Freaked her out.

>>>>>anyone have any suggestions to make it an even more amazing experience for us?

Meteor crater is cool.  Its between Winslow and Flagstaff.

>>That is weird, although they currently offer pack mules to haul your stuff up an down.   We took the mule trip down to the inner rim during a family vacation when we were kids. 

Yeah, I'm aware of the mules plus who could forget the Brady Bunch Grand Canyon episode.

Thread title reminds me of the terrible Neil Cassal song Through The Canyon

Scarlet, look into back country camping.but get on it now, for high season,a few decades Ago I did this with a cool bunch, it was kinda weird going down as all the tourists were hiking back up,but we found a great spot before sundown , and waking up in the morning was Awesome ,we were all alone ...One with that masterpiece of creation Have an Amazing trip

Would like to raft down the Colorado River through the canyon one of these days, but I hear you have to put in for a permit many years in advance.

Scarlet, not sure how old your kids are or what's y'all's activity level is, but I really enjoyed hiking down into the canyon--however, getting out is HARD.  If you aren't campers or you just want to do something neat, they have some faux rustic cabins scattered about the North Rim for a very reasonable price.  The South Rim is lower, so you get a closer view, but it is PACKED.  The North Rim is higher, so you look down further, and it has fewer people.  On the rim there are aspens and a more alpine setting, very nice.  Just wherever you are, make sure you have a nice spot to hang for sunset because that's just THE BOMB.

Ken, I was lucky enough to get on as a passenger on an 18 day permit. My buddy rowed a 12 foot Miwok. This is right before we went swimming in Hermit Rapid, #95.

We almost flipped in Lava Falls also but got REAL lucky.  ​

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Scarlet, the north rim is much nicer than the south. Much less crowded. There's a restaurant right on the edge of the north rim. Rent a cabin, relax, and take in a sunset and a sunrise.

Also google Wupatki Nat'l Monument. 12 miles off Rt 89 (going south to Flagstaff from the Grand). Way worth the visit. 

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I hiked to the base of the canyon by the Colorado River and back up again in 1984 when I was in good shape. Exquisite experience!

Hey Slick, saw this elsewheres,

 

 

My name is Maggie and I’m the General Manager for the Hite Outpost, Outfitter and Adventure Center here at Hite, Utah. I noticed a couple posts regarding Hite area improvements and I wanted to give you guys an official update about renovation plans and changes.

First, a little about the store. The store is now open year round 9am-530pm each day. Once we start to pick up for the season we will have extended hours. Bait and tackle, ice, beer, gas, camping supplies and groceries will be available. We are also opening a grill as well as an espresso and Italian soda bar! Rentals are available including RV rentals in the campground (they sleep 6-8), ATV rentals, kayak and paddle board rentals and rod and reel rentals. We are still in the process of stocking up, but come spring we expect to have all services available. If there is something you would like to see stocked at the store, let us know!

The campground and RV campground have had major renovations! I’ve included both pictures of the developed camprground as well as the RV campground. Both improved campgrounds have water at the camp spots; hot showers, outside showers and bathrooms are located nearby. They are also walking distance from the fish cleaning station. The spots right off the boat ramp have plenty of room for boats and toys. The RV park is big rig friendly and has many pull through spots. The rv park is full hook up, including water, sewer and electricity. It also has handicapped accessible spots as well.

Most of you are very interested in the plans to extend the boat ramp. I would like to clarify that is is not a project of the concessioner, this is an NPS project. Being an NPS project, any and all announcements will not be considered official until released by nps. Here’s what I can tell you we’ve been told, and we are following this very closely. NPS has taken measurements of the proposed ramp and is ready to start this project, but with the recent shutdown it’s been pushed back a little. We have not been given a deadline for completion but we have been told this is top on their priority list. From what we have gathered so far, the extension will be gravel. Some of you had concerns about the ramp being gravel. I asked about this as well, and how this would work as water levels rise. I was told every measure would be taken to maintain this ramp, and great care would be taken with the interest of both those who are wanting to launch, as well as river rafters taking out at the launch ramp. I was told that it will be safely and reliably lanchable after completion. The ramp is planning on being extended all the way to the river, so launching should be possible any time of the year. NPS may want to eventually make this the main take out ramp for all rafters instead of the “dirty devil” take out on the other side of the river. This gives me further assurance it will be well maintained, as it will be serving double duty as a boat launch and a raft take out. As far as plans to pave the ramp, we have not heard anything about this. Once the project begins construction hopefully i will get a little more information about plans for that, if any. The number of visitors has declined at Hite over the years with the water level the way it has been. I highly urge you to come out and support us and NPS and try out the new ramp once it’s completed. We are responsible for giving NPS feedback on how current visitors are using these new facilities and what improvements our visitors would like made. If volume and demand is high enough and paving is something visitors are wanting, we can pass that along. I can’t tell you how excited we are that Hite will FINALLY be lanchable year round again!

Fishing report. We have so many upcoming plans and projects here at The Hite Outpost that I haven’t had a chance to do any fishing. I am planning once it warms up a little to start posting semi-regular fishing reports! Stay tuned!

If any of you need to contact us for current conditions, updates, questions or just to say “hi”, call us! The store number is 435-233-6822.

Lastly, a huge thank you to all of you who love this place. Many of you have shared wonderful memories and traditions with us about coming here year after year before it was neglected. We love it too, and we are deeply devoted to bringing it back and keeping it alive for years to come

Thanks Joy.

We used Hite as the take out for our Cataract Canyon river trips, a 26 mile row from the last rapid in mostly flat water with no current. I remember doing it in the moonlight on a hot weather trip. 

Once, we got lucky and as we rowed around a curve in the canyon, there was a friend with a motor boat and we tied our boats up for a nice ride toward Hite. Had to disengage before hitting Lake Bowel as the Park Service folks didn't care for that practice and we had to act like we rowed in. Did I mention he had cold beer for us to drink as we put our feet us for the cruise in? Sa-weet.

The folks in the Lake Powell area have been struggling in recent years to deal with the falling level of the lake, which may be low enough soon that it won't be able to generate electricity. The states involved in the Colorado River Compact, which divies up the water in the river, are fighting things out. That includes arid Arizona. That hasn't stopped the water buffaloes in Washington County and the state in pushing a pipeline project from Powell to St. George. According to the Utah Rivers Council, "This $2+ billion project would pump 28 billion gallons of water 2,000 feet uphill across 140 miles of desert to provide just 160,000 residents in Southwest Utah with more water—primarily for watering their lawns". It will also help them maintain their ridiculous growth rate and golf courses in the arid desert environment. Washington County has one of the highest, if not the highest, water consumption rates in the country.   

For those interested in finding out more, the great folks at the Utah Rivers Council have been fighting the pipeline. http://utahrivers.org/lake-powell-pipeline   

For those interested in the effects of the changing lake levels and the opportunity to restore Glen Canyon, check out the good folks at the Glen Canyon Institute. https://www.glencanyon.org/  

Here's how the declining lake levels are affecting the canyon. What was once a dream is becoming reality.

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One way to support them is to pick up some posters of old photos of the amazing Katie Lee in Glen Canyon. https://www.glencanyon.org/product-category/poster/  

And check out the photos of the November gathering honoring the Monkey Wrench Gang's "Seldom Seen Smith",  AKA Ken Sleight. It was a great time.

https://www.glencanyon.org/glen-canyon-exhibit-and-david-brower-award-ce...

I bought this photo of Cathedral In The Desert there. As you can see, James Kay is the photographer. He has a lot of great shots in his gallery. https://www.jameskay.com/

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The classic Glen Canyon Dam drawing Jim Stiles did for Ed Abbey. "Just one precision earthquake."

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Uh, Sorry to be the bearer of worse news but the Cathedral waterfall pic you posted is missing something.

Quagga