The approximately 32-mile Escalante Route is a one way trek in Grand Canyon National Park. The trek starts and ends on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and includes over 10 miles of hiking on Escalante Trail along the Colorado River. Overall, the Grand Canyon’s Escalante Route was beautiful and unique. Highlights include the 75 Mile Creek Canyon, a mini-canyon jutting off from the Grand Canyon formed by the Colorado River. Beginning at the Colorado River, we followed the edge of this off-shoot canyon, the trail on the edge of a sheer +100 foot wall to the start of the canyon, 75 Mile Creek, which was a small trickling waterfall. In just about a mile, the mini-canyons floor had risen to meet us about 15 feet below the top of the waterfall. This made a fantastic place to camp and a fun adventure to then climb down the waterfall and back out the bottom of the canyon back to the Colorado River. Other highlights include scaling the Papago Wall, some fun, low-risk Class 3 moves; and navigating the spicy rockfall descent that immediately follows.

Of course, the canyon itself is beautiful and a bucket-list destination. The Escalante Route packs a great value in an accessible route for intermediate to advanced backpackers in 3.5 days - and the myriad of exit options allows you to extend the trip along the Tonto Trail. One of my favorite long weekend destinations in the Grand Canyon, and much less trafficked than the rim-to-rim options. 

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