Garden Creek - Dan Ransom Designs

Something tells me this is going to be one of the most popular canyoneering trips in the entire Grand Canyon. It has it all. Easy access, a trail to the head of the slot, a trail from the exit. It’s day-trippable, requires no permit, has amazing Zoroaster narrows (pink granite!), and a perennial stream that creates some of the most idylllic waterfalls imaginable.

As part of our plans to get some nice class C video of slots in Grand Canyon, I met up with Rich, Slawa, Anna, Bill, and the Putzig crew at the South Rim Village. I’ve spent over 100 nights in the Grand Canyon backcountry, and this is my first time ever seeing the Village. Is it any wonder? The place is a total zoo. We had little desire to camp at Indian Gardens in the epicenter of the mayhem, so we headed off at 4am from the Bright Angel Trail, and arrived at the head of the slot shortly after sunrise. We had fantastic light all the way through the canyon, and we were able to set up a handful of great shots for the video.

However, it’s not all fun and games. The exit requires a 6 or 7 mile hike, and 4500 feet of vertical or so to get out. It’s a slog, but totally worth it. There’s no such thing as a casual canyon down here…

No doubt, this is one of the gems in Grand Canyon, and it will certainly see a lot more traffic in the future, especially with Todd’s new book finally available for purchase. You can get a copy of Grand Canyoneering here.