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In the latest issue of Backpacker Magazine “The Best of Backpacker,” the editors made excellent choices when it came to choosing the top hikes featured in the ‘Best Trips Ever’ article in the current issue. Their choice for the number one trail is The John Muir trail which may not shock many people since Backpacker named it the “Most Beautiful Trail in America” back in 2007 and anyone who has hiked even part of the trail will find it hard to argue.
The trail in second place took me by surprise at first, not because this trail is undeserving but, because I always thought it so under rated that it wouldn’t be considered in anyone’s, aside from avid Grand Canyon hikers, top ten. The trail is the Escalante Route in the Grand Canyon and it is definitely my favorite route from the South Rim and one of the best backpacking trips in the entire canyon.
On this trek, you follow the Colorado River for almost 10 miles, winding in and out of side canyons to three campsites along the river. The views are amazing and people are a rare find, but it does take extra effort to get these rewards. The Tanner Trail is the preferred trail down to the Escalante Route and the first 2 miles are so steep that they can make your thighs quiver with fatigue. On the lower portions of the trail, there are sections that are as narrow as one foot wide.
Parts of the Escalante Route are equally as tricky with the most difficult being the series of ledges that one must scramble up from the river at Papago Creek and the steep rock strewn slope you must descend on the other side. Technically, the Escalante Route ends at Hance Rapids and many hikers take the New Hance trail as the exit trail back to the South Rim. I’m glad that the Backpacker route includes the hike to the top of Horseshoe Mesa which is the home of the old Last Chance Copper Mine and Cave of the Domes.
For most people, the Rim to Rim hike is a must do Grand Canyon trek but this incredible 5 or 6 day backpacking trip should be placed on a bucket list of hiking trips as well. As I’ve stated in past articles, use the information in Backpacker magazine as a starting point and then continue your research through hiking guides such as Falcon Guides, and most importantly the Backcountry Office at the Grand Canyon National Park.
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