Grandview Loop 

Depart Flagstaff early for an enjoyable drive to the South Rim and the Grandview Trailhead. We will hike 3 miles down to Horseshoe Mesa where we will eat our lunch and enjoy a well-earned break. We will then continue down to Cottonwood Creek on the west side of Horseshoe Mesa. This is where we will spend our first night below the rim. Cottonwood Creek provides a refreshing place to rest up. The creek polishes beautiful slickrock into narrows downstream and offers excellent afternoon exploration. This area was also home to ancient life; as you scan the cliffs with your eyes, see if you can spot the ancient granaries.

Drive Time: 1.5 hours

Distance & Elevation: 4.5 miles, 3500-foot descent

Light Breakfast,Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, prepare for a full day of exploration. We will pack up camp and travel on the Tonto Trail around Horseshoe Mesa. The hike will include unbelievable vistas into the vast Grand Canyon and glances into the depths of the inner gorge. Drop below the Tonto plateau and find camp along Hance Creek. Settle in the shade of Cottonwood trees and soak your feet in the cool water or do a little exploring along the creek. As the sun goes down, enjoy the changing colors on the cliffs that surround you and watch as the stars slowly appear in the night sky.

Distance & Elevation: 4.4 miles, 200-foot ascent / 300-foot descent

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is a layover day at Hance Creek but don’t plan on relaxing. We will attempt to hike to the Colorado River and back via the eastern-most section of the Tonto Trail. It’s a long hike, clocking in at 13 miles roundtrip, but the elevation gain and loss are moderate. We’ll just be carrying daypacks and traveling light as we wind our way in and out of the beautiful red shales of Mineral Canyon before descending a boulder-strewn slope to Hance Rapid at the mouth of Red Canyon. We’ll enjoy a well-earned lunch by the river before heading back to our camp for the night.

Distance & Elevation: 13 miles, 1100-foot descent/ascent

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a beautiful sunrise and leisurely breakfast, we will pack up camp and begin our ascent out of the canyon. We start with a 2-mile hike up to Horseshoe Mesa via a rugged route on its east side. From the mesa, it’s back up the 3-mile Grandview Trail that we descended on Day 1. The steep climb demands regular breaks to catch our breath, as well as take in the remarkable scenery. The views back towards Coronado Butte and the Sinking Ship, and the meandering Colorado River will be etched in your memory forever. Upon arrival back at Grandview Point, we will celebrate our accomplishment with a delicious lunch overlooking the canyon. The drive back to Flagstaff should have us arriving by approximately 4pm.

Distance & Elevation: 4.9 miles, 3700-foot ascent

Breakfast, Lunch

Our 3-day itinerary is designed for those looking for a shorter trip that still offers some challenging hiking in a quiter section of Grand Canyon. The itinerary is the same as above except we skip the layover day at Hance Creek and won’t hike to the Colorado River.

• A professional, licensed and medically trained guide
• All necessary gear: backpack, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, trekking poles
• All cooking/eating gear: bowls, cups, utensils (your guide will prepare all meals)
• All meals from a light breakfast on Day 1 through lunch on the last day + trail snacks
• Roundtrip transportation from your hotel in Flagstaff, AZ to Grand Canyon
• Entrance fees and backcountry permits
• 5% National Park Service Commercial Fee (a required fee that passes through to Grand Canyon National Park)

• Transportation to/from Flagstaff, AZ
• Lodging the night before/after the trip
• Clothing, raingear, and footwear
• Personal toiletries, sunscreen
• Water bottles/hydration bladder
• Headlamp or flashlight
• Guide gratuity (suggested 10-20% of trip cost)

*Upon Booking you will receive a detailed trip information packet

Most backpacking trips in Grand Canyon will accommodate 5 people plus one guide. On occasion, a group may be as large as 9 people plus 2 guides.

Children under the age of 13 are generally not permitted on backpacking trips. This restriction may be negotiable on private tours. Please contact us with any questions regarding this policy.

In order to confirm a reservation, we require an initial deposit of $250 per person, with the final balance due 90 days prior to the trip’s departure. If you book a trip within 90 days of the trip’s scheduled departure, then full payment is due at the time of booking.

Once we confirm availability, you will be provided with an online registration link. Your deposit is payable online by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or ACH transfer.

This trip will begin/end in Flagstaff, AZ and you will need to spend the night prior to your trip’s scheduled departure in Flagstaff. You will want to fly into either Phoenix (2 hour drive) or Flagstaff.

We will hold a pre-trip orientation at 4:00pm the evening prior to your trip’s departure at the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff. Departure times and logistics for the following morning will be discussed at the orientation.

Most trips will depart between 4:30am and 6:30am. *This meeting is not mandatory, but highly recommended, as we will depart early the next morning. If you are unable to attend, please let us know in advance so that we can make alternate arrangements.

We will provide all transportation to/from trailheads for the duration of the trip. We will pick you up at your hotel in Flagstaff and return you there at the trip’s conclusion. Guests staying at the Little America Hotel (recommended) can leave their cars at the hotel. The hotel will often store your luggage for you, as well. If not, we are happy to store extra luggage at our warehouse for the duration of the trip. If you are staying at a different hotel, you will need to check with them as to whether you can leave your car there.

Expect to be back in Flagstaff by 5pm at the latest on the last day of the trip. Many trips will return earlier but we cannot make any guarantees. In general, it is recommended that you do not plan to fly home on the same day your trip finishes. Since each trip has slightly different logistics, feel free to contact us with specific questions related to the expected return time for your trip.