Tanner

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Features Birding · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

The historic Tanner Trail is the primary access by foot into the eastern Grand Canyon. The trail is unmaintained and ranks as one of the most difficult and demanding south side trails, but for an experienced canyon runner the aesthetic bounty of the area will be adequate compensation. What remains of a once popular pioneer-era trail goes down the gully immediately east of Lipan Point.

The upper section of the Tanner Trail is narrow, badly eroded, and can be difficult to follow, especially after a winter storm. The trail stays on the slopes east of the bottom of the gully through the Toroweap and switches to the west side at the top of the Coconino. Rock slides in the Coconino have covered the original trail in places, forcing runners to improvise short sections. The trail descends steeply across the slope west of the bed of gully nearly all the way to the Seventyfive Mile Creek - Tanner Canyon saddle. A prime canyon view at the saddle is the reward for a couple of miles of notably insecure running.

The next three miles present the only reasonably civilized running to be found along the entire route. Traversing near the bottom of the Supai, the trail contours around the base of Escalante and Cardenas Buttes, goes up to cross a small ridge and descends to the top of the Redwall. Walk the rim of the limestone north; watching for the place the trail starts down the Redwall cliff well short of the end of the developing promontory. The view from the Redwall rim across to the Palisades of the Desert is exceptional.

The Redwall descent is nastysteep and loose. A thin coating of gravel makes some slipping and sliding inevitable and a serious fall is a real possibility, so take your time. The trail contours along the base of the Muav to a neat little saddle at the top of the Tapeats. Ancient faulting has created significant offset within the Tapeats Formation, so a runner has to effectively walk through the Tapeats twice. The Supergroup (Dox Sandstone) appears about 2 miles above the river. Pay attention in the Dox. The trail chokes down to about a foot wide and traverses across an angle of repose slope of eroding red sandstone that falls away for hundreds of feet. The unrelenting grade of the trail, as it drops toward the shoreline puts the final touches on already weary canyon runners.