Monument Creek Trail Photoset • John9L • 2016-04-02 • HikeArizona.COM

Monument Creek Trail, AZ

	2016-04-02
	24 by John9L

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Monument Creek Trail

Northwest, AZ

Monument Creek Trail

Northwest, AZ

Backpack	22.00 Miles	6,400 AEG

Backpack	22.00 Miles	2 Days
	6,400 ft AEG

Linked

linked

Hermit Trail - Grand Canyon

Tonto Trail

Partners

partners

clairebear

Claire and I headed back to the Grand Canyon for a nice overnighter down the Hermit Trail. We spent the night in Monument Creek and had a fun afternoon heading down to Granite Rapid and exploring the narrows by camp. We hiked out Sunday morning to beat the heat.

We drove up on Friday night and camped in the national forest west of Tusayan. This let us take our time on Saturday morning. We made a quick stop to Maswik for a light breakfast and then drove to Hermits Rest where we started hiking around 9:45am. The first few miles down Hermit make a steep drop. We made steady progress and hit the Supai where you make a long traverse. The going was moderate as the temps climbed while the sun beamed down. Shade was a commodity. Before long we hit the Cathedral Stairs and dropped to the Tonto. From there we headed for Monument Creek where we set up camp in the penthouse site.

After we had camp set up, Claire & I went for a day hike down canyon towards Granite Rapid. The going is very easy as we wind down canyon in and out of shade. Soon after we hit the Colorado River and headed for Granite Rapids. This rapid is a beast and I really enjoy admiring it from shore! It must be a thrill for river runners! After we had our fill we headed up river along the shore to check for backpackers or rafters. We were shocked to find the area completely vacant! My first two times here had multiple groups including rafters. The solitude here is a real treat. We spent time relaxing in the shade and admiring the views. I took some time to filter Colorado River water which was flowing green and clear... very easy for filtering.

We eventually turned around and headed back for camp. The return flew by and once there we decided to drop down through the narrows. It's short and relatively easy. We both wanted to keep our feet dry so we took our time as we worked our way down. This is a really fun area as we scrambled and stemmed to keep dry. I stepped in water a few times but my feet were dry overall. We had a blast and joked about going down a second time.

We settled in for a clear evening with pleasant temps. Monument Creek was filled with four small groups spread out. We have the penthouse site. This is the group site so make sure there aren't any large groups before taking this site. We enjoyed our dehydrated dinners and admired the stars. A few satellites flew over but no shooting stars. The overnight temps were very comfy as we both slept well. I love these pleasant nights in the Canyon!

Our day two started early as we wanted to beat the heat on the hike out. We broke down camp and had breakfast and hit the trail around 7:45am. The going went well on the hike out. There was a mix of shade and sunlight along the Tonto. We had all shade for the climb up Cathedral Stairs which really helped. We continued on along the Supai Traverse and took a break about a mile before the Santa Maria Spring. From there it was the typical grind up the Hermit Trail. Once up top we stopped at Hermits Rest for a cookie sandwich and soda. Another solid trip complete!

I really enjoy the camps off Hermits Rest. With this hike I have spent at least one night at all the major camps: Boucher, Hermits Camp, Hermits Rapid, Granite Rapids & now Monument Creek. These are perfect options for those wanting to get off the corridor trails and see another part of the Grand Canyon. Go to Boucher last.

Wildflowers Observation Light

	Monument Creek	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Plenty of water flowing down Monument Creek in the usual places. Water flowing near the camp and on through the slot. It then flows underground and appears again near the Colorado River.

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