Grand Canyon National Park: Cliff Spring Trail

GrandStaircase-1260

After taking in the views at Cape Royal, we drove a short way north on the Walhalla Plateau to Cliff Spring Trailhead for a hike before lunch on Friday, September 16. Cliff Spring Trail drops beneath the rim of the Walhalla Plateau into a steep canyon until it reaches a natural spring about half a mile from the trailhead. The trail continues for another half mile before it peters out. Theodore Roosevelt camped at Cliff Spring during a 1913 hunting trip to the North Rim.

GrandStaircase-1230

From the trailhead at a pullout at the road, the trail descended to the west through a shallow ravine forested with Ponderosa Pine.

GrandStaircase-1231

Many-Flower Gilia

GrandStaircase-1232

GrandStaircase-1233

Hoary-Aster

GrandStaircase-1234

About one hundred yards along the trail we came upon a granary created by the Kayenta Ancestral Puebloans, who lived in the area between 900 and 1150 CE.

GrandStaircase-1235

The granary would have been used to store harvests of maize, squash, and beans farmed on the plateaus.

GrandStaircase-1236

GrandStaircase-1237

Image: Sean M. Santos

GrandStaircase-1238

We continued on and passed a party of hikers heading back to the trailhead. There were only two other vehicles besides ours, so we knew that we’ve have relative solitude on this hike, particularly since one group was already accounted for.

GrandStaircase-1239

Showy Goldeneye

GrandStaircase-1240

Rush Skeletonplant

GrandStaircase-1241

The ravine grew steeper, becoming more earnestly a canyon, and the trail traversed one of the slopes rather than the bottom as it had at first.

GrandStaircase-1242

The canyon/ravine was littered with occasional boulders that had fallen from points higher on the slope, attesting to the constant erosion of the Grand Canyon.

GrandStaircase-1243

GrandStaircase-1244

GrandStaircase-1245

The ravine gave way to a narrow, steep-sided canyon as the path crossed from one side to the other and continued under the cliffs on the north side of the canyon.

GrandStaircase-1246

GrandStaircase-1247

Buffaloberry

GrandStaircase-1248

GrandStaircase-1249

The cliffs were made of Kaibab Limestone (which largely forms the rim of the Grand Canyon). The limestone dates from the early to middle Permian Period, some 290 million years ago.

GrandStaircase-1250

GrandStaircase-1251

GrandStaircase-1252

GrandStaircase-1253

GrandStaircase-1254

Rubber Rabbitbrush

GrandStaircase-1255

Farther along, the trail became quite dramatic, deeply carved beneath the overhanging cliffs.

GrandStaircase-1256

GrandStaircase-1257

Image: Sean M. Santos

GrandStaircase-1258

Image: Sean M. Santos

Beneath the overhang, cracks in the limestone channeled moisture to a few hanging gardens.

GrandStaircase-1259

 

GrandStaircase-1261

Across the canyon, trees improbably clung to the steep slope.

GrandStaircase-1262

GrandStaircase-1263

GrandStaircase-1264

GrandStaircase-1265

Wotan’s Throne

The trail turned south, opening up views from the tip of the Walhalla Plateau into the greater Grand Canyon beyond.

GrandStaircase-1266

Wotan’s Throne

GrandStaircase-1267

We were beneath the parking area for Cape Royal, which was up on the plateau across from us.

GrandStaircase-1268

Common Raven

A Murder Raven tried to guard the spring from us before flying off angrily squawking.

GrandStaircase-1269

GrandStaircase-1270

The seeping spring caused mosses and lichens to grow all along the cracks in the limestone.

Video: Sean M. Santos

GrandStaircase-1271

GrandStaircase-1272

GrandStaircase-1273

We had by this point passed the second hiking party as they made their way back to the trailhead, so we had the spring to ourselves. It was a lovely, shady place to sit and gaze out into the canyon.

GrandStaircase-1274

GrandStaircase-1275

GrandStaircase-1276

GrandStaircase-1277

GrandStaircase-1278

GrandStaircase-1279

GrandStaircase-1280

GrandStaircase-1281

We decided to keep going. After the spring, the trail is not technically maintained, and it narrows as it leads hikers south along the western face of the cliffs. We had to do a little scrambling, and even some very light bushwacking, to get through.

GrandStaircase-1282

GrandStaircase-1283

GrandStaircase-1284

GrandStaircase-1285

Banana Yucca

GrandStaircase-1286

GrandStaircase-1287

The overhang was much lower here, and we had to crouch to continue on.

GrandStaircase-1288

GrandStaircase-1289

The views out beyond Cape Royal into the Canyon made the effort well worth it. The view and the warmth of the sun and the adventuring together was magical. We were both quite moved on this short, but hugely rewarding hike beneath the rim.

GrandStaircase-1290

We stood on the trail and made out for a while.

GrandStaircase-1291

GrandStaircase-1292

Some semblance of trail continues half a mile beyond the spring before vanishing into the cliff face near the end of the side canyon. It was so overgrown, however, that we stopped at about a quarter mile and turned back the way we’d come.

GrandStaircase-1293

Gambel Oak

GrandStaircase-1294

GrandStaircase-1295

Banana Yucca. Image: Sean M. Santos

GrandStaircase-1296

Arizona Carpenter Bee on Arizona Thistle

GrandStaircase-1297

GrandStaircase-1298

GrandStaircase-1299

GrandStaircase-1300

GrandStaircase-1301

GrandStaircase-1302

GrandStaircase-1303

GrandStaircase-1304

GrandStaircase-1305

Angels Window

Our Cliff Spring Trail hike took about an hour. Having stretched our legs, now we were ready for some lunch.

 

Leave a Reply