The Clear Creek Trail
[
] is a
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
trail
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...
below the North Rim, from lower Bright Angel Canyon into lower Clear Creek Canyon of the
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park, located in northwestern Arizona, is the 15th site in the United States to have been named as a national park. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often consider ...
, located in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
.
Description
The trail begins near the
Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...
at the bottom of the
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
, about north of
Phantom Ranch
Phantom Ranch is a lodge inside Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. It sits at the bottom of Grand Canyon, on the east side of Bright Angel Creek, a little over half a mile north of the Creek's confluence with the Colorado River. Opened in ...
at a junction with the
North Kaibab Trail
The North Kaibab Trail is a hiking trail in the North Rim side of the Grand Canyon, in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.
Access
Access to this part of the park by car is seasonal, open from mid-May to mid-Octobe ...
. From the trail head, the trail ascends to the Tonto Platform over the first . Once on the platform, the trail heads east around the south side of Zoroaster Temple, a large butte on the north side of the river that's easily identified from
Grand Canyon Village on the south rim. The trail follows contours around the temple for several miles until it reaches the Ottoman Amphitheater, and then descends into the Clear Creek drainage. Total trail length to Clear Creek is about .
Camping in the Clear Creek area is "at large" with two exceptions: No camping is allowed between the trail head at the junction with the North Kaibab Trail and Sumner Wash, and in the Clear Creek drainage from its mouth at the Colorado River upstream to the first major side-canyon entering from the east. Most creek beds along the trail are dry. Perennial water is only available at Clear Creek at the eastern terminus of the trail. All water in the Clear Creek area must be filtered, treated, or boiled before consuming.
History
Construction of the trail was a
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...
project during 1934 and 1935.
It was originally used as a mule trail for visitors from Phantom Ranch, but this ended during World War II. Clear Creek Trail is the only trail that traverses the Tonto Platform on the north side of the Colorado River.
See also
*
The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
*
List of trails in Grand Canyon National Park
References
External links
Grand Canyon National Park, Official siteClear Creek TrailNational Park Service factsheet.
{{Grand Canyon trails
Hiking trails in Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, North Rim
Civilian Conservation Corps in Arizona