Getting Away From the River

rand Canyon National Park is 1.2 million acres in size. The Colorado River in the Grand Canyon allows river travelers the possibility to hike in some very wonderful places. When hiking away from the river, here are a few important things to keep in mind:

Let the folks in camp know in what general direction you are headed and when to expect you to return. It's a good habit to get into, just in case...

You may find the going is rough. For most of us, walking in a landscape where there are no trails is not easy. For the sake of the resource, hiking on "durable surfaces" like in stream beds, is the best and often easiest way to go for a stroll.

You will be walking in an open air museum. You may find archeological material left by earlier visitors over the last 10,000 years or so. Leave what you find where you find it. Don't forget to take a photo though!

Grand Canyon National Park has put together a list of archeological locations that are appropriate for visitation for concessions river trips. Updated in 2015, that list is here. On your do-it-yourself river journey, you may find additional locations besides what is on this list. Remember, leave what you find where you find it.

While you may be tempted to roll rocks off of their high perches, please don't do this! Not only for the plants, animals and people below, but there have been incidences where rock rollers have followed the very rocks they rolled. The consequences are never good. Leave the rock rolling to nature.

Yes, you can camp away from the river on your trip, and backpacking away from the river while some folks stay with the boats can greatly expand your understanding of the resource that is Grand Canyon. Just remember you will need a back country use permit to do this. Back country permit information at Grand Canyon National Park may be found here.

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