| Nankoweap Trail | |
|---|---|
| Length | 13.9 mi (22 km) |
| Location | Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States |
| Trailheads | North Rim Colorado River, Grand Canyon (North Rim) |
| Use | Hiking Backpacking |
| Elevation Change | 6,040 ft (1,841 m) |
| Highest point | North Rim, 8,840 ft (2,694 m) |
| Lowest point | Colorado River, 2,800 ft (853 m) |
| Trail difficulty | Expert (unmaintained) |
| Season | Early Spring to Late Fall |
| Sights | Grand Canyon Colorado River Puebloan granaries |
| Hazards | Severe Weather Overexertion Dehydration Flash Flood |
The Nankoweap Trail is a hiking trail on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. The Nankoweap trail descends 6,040 feet in 14 miles from the Saddle Mountain trailhead to Nankoweap Creek and on to the Colorado River. It is considered to be the hardest of the trails into the Canyon. You have to carry and cache water as there is none in the 11 miles between the trailhead and Nankoweap Creek. "The Scary Part" is a section that is 6 inches wide under a sheer cliff with a couple of hundred foot drop punishing the slightest misstep. Getting across "The Scary Part" with a full pack is a serious challenge.
Thought to be an Ancestral Puebloan trail, John Wesley Powell supervised the development of the Nankoweap Trail in 1882 as a means to allow geologists access to the area. Interest in the trail revived after Harvey Butchart described it in his 1970 Grand Canyon Treks trail guide.[1]
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