Tonto Trail

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The Tonto Trail is a hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park, located within the U.S. state of Arizona.

Tonto Trail
Tower of Set from Tonto Trail, between Horn Creek and Salt Creek
Length	70 mi; 112.6 km
Trailheads	Garnet Canyon Red Canyon
Use	Hiking
Trail Difficulty	Moderate to Strenuous
Season	Year Round
Sights	Grand Canyon Colorado River
Hazards	Severe Weather Overexertion Dehydration Flash Flood

1 Description
2 References
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Description

The Tonto Trail does not terminate at either rim of Grand Canyon, but begins along the south bank of the Colorado River at Garnet Canyon (western end) and ends at Red Canyon (eastern end), also at the Colorado River. Through most of its 70 mile length, the trail runs along the Tonto Platform, the bench in Grand Canyon that separates the inner gorge from the upper canyon.

Tonto crosses the South Bass Trail, Boucher Trail, Hermit Trail, Bright Angel Trail, South Kaibab Trail and the New Hance Trail. The Grandview Trail is also accessible via its eastern and western spurs. All of the connecting trails provide access to and from the Grand Canyon south rim, while the Bright Angel Trail and South Kaibab Trail both provide access to the Colorado River, and the north rim via the North Kaibab Trail.^[1]

At Garnet Canyon, the Tonto Trail officially ends, but a trail continues along the Colorado River to Elves Chasm. There is also a junction with the Royal Arch Route, which requires a rappel from to access the river trail. At Red Canyon, the eastern end of the Tonto Trail, the Escalante Route continues eastward, connecting to the Tanner Trail and Beamer Trail at Unkar Creek.^[2]

There is additional access to the Colorado River in Monument Canyon via a 1½ mile spur trail that leads to Granite Rapids. There is a designated campsite at the river. There is also access to the river via all trails that cross the Tonto, except the Grandview Trail.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Condition

Trail conditions vary based on the amount of traffic certain sections receive. The section between the Bright Angel Trail and the South Kaibab Trail (4.6 miles, 7.4 kilometres) is the most heavily travelled and the easiest to follow. Less travelled sections are subject to overgrowth by canyon flora early in the spring season, and may require route finding skills to traverse.^[3]

[edit] Water availability

All water sources along this trail must be treated, filtered, or boiled before drinking, with the exception of water available at the junction with the Bright Angel Trail (at Indian Garden).^{[citation needed]}

Hermit Creek, Monument Creek, and Garden Creek flow year round and can be consumed after purification. Water from Horn Creek should be avoided except in extreme life-and-death circumstances due to high radioactive contamination from the Lost Orphan Uranium Mine (defunct) below Powell Point.

The park's Backcountry Information Center has current water conditions for all water sources along the Tonto Trail.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Camping

Camping is allowed along the Tonto Trail by permit only, issued by the Grand Canyon National Park Backcountry Information Center. Use of these areas overnight are regulated by the National Park Service, and they call for a maximum number of groups (7 to 11 people) and parties (1 to 6 people), as well as a maximum total number of persons.^{[citation needed]}

The Tonto Trail passes through numerous backcountry use areas.^[4]^[5] The three letter code indicates the park's use area designation (listed from east to west):

Use areas along Tonto Trail from east to west
Area	Name	Type	Group(s)		Parties	Max People
BD9	Red Canyon	At-large	1	and	2	23
BE9	Hance Creek	At-large	1	and	2	23
BG9	Cottonwood Creek	At-large	1	and	2	23
BH9	Grapevine	At-large	1	and	2	23
BJ9	Cremation	At-large	1	and	2	23
CIG	Indian Garden	Campground	1	and	15	50
BL4	Horn Creek	Campsite	0		1	6
BL5	Salt Creek	Campsite	0		1	6
BL6	Cedar Spring	Campsite	0		1	6
BL7	Monument Creek	Campsite	1	and	2	23
BL8	Granite Rapids	Campsite	1	and	2	23
BM7	Hermit Creek	Campsite	1	and	3	29
BM8	Hermit Rapids	Campsite	1	and	1	17
BN9	Boucher	At-large	1	and	2	23
BO9	Slate	At-large	1	and	2	23
BP9	Ruby	At-large	1	and	2	23
BQ9	South Bass	At-large	1	and	2	23
BR9	Garnet	At-large	1	and	2	23

Use permits are available on a first-come, first-serve basis from the park's Backcountry Information Center. Requests are taken beginning on the 1st day of the month, up to four month's before the requested first night of camping.^[6]

[edit] Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace ethics ask that in at-large use areas, hikers camp where it appears that others have camped before. The park's Backcountry Information Center can assist in pointing out good locations for campsites prior to hiking-in.

There are no trash recepticles along the Tonto Trail or at any campsites. All trash must be carried out to trash recepticles located at some trailheads or in parking areas.

To minimize human impact in high use areas of the trail, some camping areas in the Monument and Hermit use areas have pit toilets. Also, there are composting toilet facilities at the junction with the Bright Angel Trail (at Indian Garden) and the junction with the South Kaibab Trail. In all other areas of the Tonto Trail human waste should be buried in a cat-hole six to eight inches deep. When at the Colorado River, urinate directly into the flow of the river (not in an eddy).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Hazards

Hazards hikers can encounter along the Tonto Trail include dehydration, sudden rainstorms, flash flooding, loose footing, rockfall, encounters with wildlife, and extreme heat. At the Colorado River, additional hazards include hypothermia (due to the river's consistently cold temperatures), trauma (due to collisions with boulders in rapids), and drowning.^{[citation needed]}

Hikers who venture east of the South Kaibab Trail or west of the Hermit Trail are more likely to find solitude and isolation in addition to other hazards related to desert hiking.^[7]