“Monument Creek is my favorite destination below the South Rim,” a well-known, longtime Grand Canyon native geologist said as we hiked South Kaibab. This was certainly enough to pique my interest. After recently moving to the South Rim, we were eager for the weather to cool down so we could continue our exploration of the Inner Canyon in much more detail. My wife Wendy and I have been hiking the Grand Canyon for almost 25 years with literally hundreds of descents from the Rims. Now that we live within a few minutes’ walk of the South Rim, we decided that one or two backpacking trips a month was completely reasonable. Our first destination was Monument Creek Campground in Monument Creek at the recommendation of our friend.
If you’ve ever hiked the Grand Canyon “Corridor Trails” (Bright Angel, South/North Kaibab), the hike up Monument Creek is definitely a big step up. The corridor trails are well maintained, compared to the Hermit trail they are pretty much groomed. First, for any overnight camping trip below the Rims, you must obtain a backcountry permit by calling the GCNP Backcountry Office at 928-638-7875. There are nominal fees associated with the permit. Then pack up your gear and pop a new memory card in your camera for a fantastic dive into a more remote section of the Grand Canyon.
The journey to Monument Creek begins on the Hermit Trail with a rapid 1000′ descent into Waldron Canyon. From Waldron Canyon, the trail heads north past Dripping Springs Trail, up a neat little boulder. The trail to this point is well-maintained and receives quite a few day hikers on their way to Santa Maria Springs, less than a third of a mile away. I mention the for off because the path from here on becomes considerably more difficult. There are numerous rock slides covering the trail with various areas of vertical exposure. This is all completely doable with a backpack, you’re just not going to have a good time.
Santa Maria Springs is an oasis adjacent to the Redwall formation about 2.2 miles from the trailhead. This makes this area a favorite destination for day trippers. There is a wonderful little spring that leads to a watering hole where you can fill up your water bottles. (Always remember to filter the water anywhere in the Grand Canyon.) Next to the spring is a super cool rock hut with a bench and a really cool double rocking chair with the words “Rest Bit” etched into the back. The view to the west from inside the rock hut is covered in hanging vines; believe me, Martha Stewart could not have designed a more comfortable rest home.
Traveling the trail that hugs the Redwall formation with numerous rockfalls over the next hour will bring you to Lookout Point, a great place to take a break and enjoy the view. Directly west of Lookout Point through Hermit Creek Canyon is the Boucher Trail. It is very difficult to see and is very resistant. This trail is named after the original hermit Louis D. Boucher. Another hour or so still hugging the Redwall formation with numerous rock slides and vertical exposure will bring you to Breezy Point. Breezy Point is 5.5 miles from the trailhead and is a great lunch spot. Stunning views to the north preview below the Tonto Trail running southwest to Hermit’s Camp and northeast to a small saddle leading to your Monument Creek destination.
Meandering past Breezy Point and still hugging the Redwall with numerous rock slides and more vertical exposure will get you to the Cathedral Stairs in about half an hour. The cathedral stairs are the crux, or the hardest part of the walk. Trail builders have literally carved a narrow trail out of this formation. It is steep and rocky, but short, less than 1/4 mile. Once at the bottom of the Cathedral Stairs, one feels somewhat liberated from the canyon walls. There is a long trail adjacent to Cope Butte and after numerous switchbacks it will join up with Tonto Trail about 7 miles from the original trailhead. One can’t help but look south to Breezy Point and the Cathedral Stairs and marvel at the ingenuity of the trail builders.
The Tonto Trail to the east offers a welcome respite from rockfalls and vertical exposure after several miles of hard hiking along Redwall. In fact, one can walk this part of the trail and allow their muscles to relax. There are glimpses of the Colorado River below, as the Tower of Set dominates the northern horizon. In about an hour, you will find yourself nearing the drainage of Monument Creek. The descent into the drainage is rough and finding the trail can be tricky. There were hikers ahead of us who went right down into the creek, only to come back up. The trail actually hugs the edge and goes down a bit, look for rock cairns.
The Monument Creek Campground area is an oasis. You have now traveled about 9.5 miles into a well protected drainage with lots of mesquite trees for shade with easy access to water flowing over multiples to turn off. There are maybe a dozen different campsites, although the overnight use permits currently only allow 4 campsites. So it’s easy to find a “private” campsite to your liking. We chose a well-shaded campsite among the mesquite trees to string out a rope to hang our packs, camping gear, and most importantly the “rat sack.” A rat bag is a must for backpacking in the Grand Canyon, it is a wire mesh bag with a Velcro closure that will keep the critters, especially ringtails, away from your food. However, hanging it is usually not enough during the day, the crows will simply land on the sack and peck at their food. So it is better to cover the rat sack with another bag. Your backpack will work, but crows are also incredibly dexterous with their beaks and will soon have all the zippers open as they rummage through the contents. I’ve heard stories of crows flying away from backpacks with money in their beaks! On this trip we ran into a couple of our friends, quite by chance, and they lost the cover of a library book to a particularly well-read crow; no, it was not written by Edgar Allen Poe.
Once settled at Monument Creek Campground, you may want to explore the Monument itself. This pinnacle rises more than 200 feet above the camp, standing like a sentinel guardian on Monument Creek. I have read reports that he was raised in 4 lengths with a rating of 5.10A, well above my pay grade.
The Monument itself blends into the surrounding rock, but can be seen from Monument Creek Vista on Hermit Road about 3500′ higher. By far the best day hike from Monument CG is the 1.6-mile drive up Monument Creek to Granite Rapids. The incomplete trail that descends to Monument Creek begins on the western side of the Monument. There are several steep switchbacks with loose rocks, but within a few minutes you find yourself standing in the sand/rock drainage of the creek itself. There are easy to follow cairns for the first two hundred meters and then follow the natural drainage. It’s unbelievably beautiful. Monument Creek flows mostly underground, but closer to the Colorado River it is above ground and can be skipped when it hasn’t been raining. Be aware of the weather before descending into Monument Creek, it will flood suddenly.
From Monument CG, one can hike Tonto Trail back west and spend time at Hermit’s CG and ascend Hermit Trail or head east to Salt Creek CG, Horn Creek CG, Indian Gardens CG, and up Bright Angel Trail. We considered the Monument to be a destination in itself and we loved exploring the whole area and then hiking up the Hermit’s Trail again. A few hours later we are sitting at the “Rest Bit” in Santa Maria Springs and already planning our next Grand Canyon adventure.
Eric is a real estate broker in Tucson AZ and manages properties in South AZ.
Visit my website: http://www.TheTucsonHomeHunters.com