Grand Canyon Nankoweap

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In the remote northeast region of the Grand Canyon that the Southern Paiute called nankoweap— “canyon of echoes”– there was a deer path turned “Indian trail” by the Ancestral Puebloan. For field study, over a hundred and thirty years ago in the fall of 1882, the crumbling North Rim to Colorado River route was further chiseled out by John Wesley Powell and Charles Doolittle Walcott to become the Nankoweap Trail–a geologist’s and paleontologist’s dream route. After the study was complete, the trail was left to the Grand Canyon’s erosion processes and to the horse thieves who used the Inner Canyon passage to traffic rustled stock. The author shows you how to plan for the Nankoweap Trail while also taking you on an adventure following his solo hike of the route.

Grand Canyon Nankoweap: Hiking the Notorious Horsethief Trail provides:

• Nankoweap Trail instructions and maps
• U.S. Forest Service and Grand Canyon National Park road-to-trailhead access, travel, and rim equipment
• Grand Canyon Inner Canyon equipment check list of all-season gear and provisions
• Grand Canyon first-aid supply checklist
• Minimum impact travel “leave no trace” practice

Flood Hefley has been hiking Grand Canyon National Park and exploring its history since 1972. Captivated by the canyon since that time, he launched a decades-long series of solo backcountry hikes beginning in 1980, which instilled his desire to better understand the history of the chasm he walks. His research and travels continue. Along the way, Hefley coaches many in the art of canyoneering.