The Tonto 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. ...

on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park, 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 sove ...

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 ...

Access

The Tonto Trail does not terminate at either rim of the Grand Canyon, but begins along the south bank of 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 watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

at Garnet Canyon (western end) and ends at Red Canyon (eastern end), also at the Colorado River. Through most of its 95-mile length, the trail runs along the Tonto Platform, the bench in the Grand Canyon that separates the inner gorge from the upper canyon. 95 miles (152.9 km): Garnet Canyon to Red Canyon Approximate mileages between key points on the Tonto Trail: 11.6 miles (18.7 km): Garnet Creek to Bass Canyon 35.7 miles (57.5 km): Bass Canyon to Hermit Creek 12 miles (19.3 km): Hermit Creek to Bright Angel Trail (Indian Garden) 4.5 miles (7.2 km): Bright Angel Trail to South Kaibab Trail 21.3 miles (34.3 km): South Kaibab Trail to Grandview Trail (Horseshoe Mesa) 9.9 miles (15.9 km): Grandview Trail to New Hance Trail (Red Canyon)

Description

Tonto crosses the

South Bass Trail The South Bass Trail is a hiking trail located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. Access The trail is accessible by use of United States Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service roads along the ...

, Boucher Trail,

Hermit Trail The Hermit Trail is a hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. This trail provides access to a historic area of Grand Canyon and offers a more challenging route to the Colorado River for more experience ...

, Monument Trail,

Bright Angel Trail The Bright Angel Trail is a hiking trail located in Grand Canyon National Park in the U.S. state of Arizona. Description The trail originates at Grand Canyon Village on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, descending 4380 feet to the Colorad ...

South Kaibab Trail The South Kaibab Trail is a hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. Unlike the Bright Angel Trail which also begins at the south rim of the Grand Canyon and leads to the Colorado River, the South Kaiba ...

and ends at the New Hance Trail. The Grandview Trail is also accessible via its eastern and western spurs. All of the connecting trails provide access to and from the Grand Canyon south rim, while the Bright Angel Trail and South Kaibab Trail both provide access to the Colorado River, and the north rim via 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 ...

.Grand Canyon Explorer / Tonto Trail Description
/ref> At Garnet Canyon, the Tonto Trail officially ends, but a trail continues along the Colorado River to Elves Chasm. There is also a junction with the Royal Arch Route, which requires a short rappel to access the river trail. At Red Canyon, the eastern end of the ''Tonto Trail'', the

Escalante Route The Escalante Route is a hiking trail on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. It starts near the Tanner Rapids ( Tanner Graben) on the Colorado River and follows the river. It also passes by Esca ...

continues eastward, connecting to the

Tanner Trail The Tanner Trail is a hiking trail located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. The trailhead is located at Lipan Point, a prominent lookout located to the east of the Grand Canyon Village, ...

and Beamer Trail at Tanner Rapids. There is additional access to the Colorado River in Monument Canyon, Hermit Creek Canyon and Boucher Creek Canyon via approximately 1½ mile spur trails that lead to designated campsites at the river.

Condition

Trail conditions vary based on the amount of traffic certain sections receive. The section between the Bright Angel Trail and the South Kaibab Trail (4.6 miles, 7.4 kilometres) is the most heavily travelled and the easiest to follow. Less traveled sections are subject to overgrowth by canyon flora early in the spring season, and may require route finding skills to traverse.

Water availability

All water sources along this trail must be treated, filtered, or boiled before drinking, with the exception of water available at the junction with the Bright Angel Trail (at Indian Garden). Hermit Creek, Monument Creek, and Garden Creek flow year round and can be consumed after purification. Water from Horn Creek should be avoided except in emergency circumstances due to

radioactive contamination Radioactive contamination, also called radiological pollution, is the deposition of, or presence of radioactive substances on surfaces or within solids, liquids, or gases (including the human body), where their presence is unintended or undesirab ...

from the Lost Orphan

Uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

Mine (defunct) below Powell Point. The park's Backcountry Information Center has current water conditions for all water sources along the Tonto Trail.

Camping

Camping is allowed along the Tonto Trail by permit only, issued by the Grand Canyon National Park Backcountry Information Center. Use of these areas overnight are regulated by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

, and they call for a maximum number of groups (7 to 11 people) and parties (1 to 6 people), as well as a maximum total number of persons. The Tonto Trail passes through numerous backcountry use areas. The three letter code indicates the park's use area designation (listed from east to west): Use permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis from the park's Backcountry Information Center. Requests are taken beginning on the 1st day of the month, up to four months before the requested first night of camping.

Hazards

Hazards hikers can encounter along the Tonto Trail include

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...

, sudden rainstorms, flash flooding, loose footing, rockfall, encounters with wildlife, and extreme heat. At the Colorado River, additional hazards include

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...

(due to the river's consistently cold temperatures),

trauma Trauma most often refers to: * Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source * Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event *Traumatic i ...

(due to collisions with boulders in rapids), and

drowning Drowning is a type of suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where others present are either unaware of the victim's situation or unable to offer as ...

. Grand Canyon Hikers who venture east of the South Kaibab Trail or west of the Hermit Trail are more likely to find solitude and isolation in addition to other hazards related to desert hiking.

References

External links

Grand Canyon National Park, Official site
{{Grand Canyon trails Hiking trails in Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon, South Rim