HIKE OF THE MONTH

hike of the month Powell Plateau or the Colorado River: Your Choice on the Grand Canyon's North Bass Trail

Beyond Swamp Point on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, two distinctly different hikes begin. One, the Powell Plateau Trail, is very challenging for day hikers; the other, the North Bass Trail, definitely ranks as a difficult overnighter even for experienced hikers.

At the start, I wasn't certain which route I would follow. From the trailhead at Swamp Point to where the Powell Plateau and North Bass trails fork at Muav Point is a drop of 800 feet from virgin evergreen forest. Go right at the fork for the Powell Plateau Trail. Choose left, and the trail plunges down the North Bass to the Colorado River on a hard-to-follow round-trip of 28 miles, considered one of the most arduous hikes in the Canyon. This hike usually takes four days to complete both ways.

I intended to day hike on the North Bass a short way to a natural bridge three miles into Muav Canyon, beyond the saddle, but after a very steep mile I gave up, doubled back, and chose the right fork. This is the Powell Plateau Trail you see from the trailhead zigzagging up the far side of the canyon to the top of Powell Plateau, where President Teddy Roosevelt camped in 1903, to hunt deer and cougar. The plateau was named for Maj. John Wesley Powell, the earlyday Colorado River explorer.

The three miles to the plateau presented little challenge to an experienced hiker like myself, even in the thin alpine air. On top, I tied my backpacker's hammock in the shade of ponderosa pines and lunched with the grandeur of Muav Canyon spread out before me.

People have camped on Powell Plateau for a very long time. American Indians were the first.

A people anthropologists call Anasazi were the earliest recorded residents on the plateau. Scientists have discovered hundreds of prehistoric sites hereabouts, dating to A.D. 1150.

Trappers and prospectors came next, then tourists. In 1925 the National Park Service built the 1.5-mile trail, which switchbacks 900 feet up to the pine-laden wilderness.

Protruding into the Grand Canyon, the plateau resembles a mitten, being at its widest point about two miles and about 10 miles long. The river, 5,000 feet below, runs south then north before flowing westward again.

Hiking the gently tipped plateau is relatively easy, although a topographic map and a sharp eye for blaze marks will keep you on the trail. A compass will guide you straight to scenic overlooks on the west rampart. Ives and Beale points, both about 7,300 feet, mark the plateau's extreme end. You must carry all the water you will need. None is found on the plateau. At Teddy's Cabin, a two-room wooden shack built in 1925 on Muav Saddle, a hiker's register provides trail tips and news of water for the North Bass.

Entrepreneur William Bass developed the North Bass between 1899 and 1901, connected it to the South Bass Trail by a cable ferry over the river near Bass Rapids, and charged tourists for trips to Powell Plateau and the North Rim. Today the North Bass and South Bass trails no longer join, but iron parts of the cable ferry support yokes can be seen just below Bass Rapids. Whichever fork you choose to follow, be prepared for stunning views.

WHEN YOU GO

To reach the trailhead at Swamp Point, take U.S. 89A to Jacob Lake, go south on State 67 to Forest Service Road 22, a mile past Kaibab Lodge. Turn west and drive two miles to a five-way intersection. Turn left (almost a U-Turn) and go south on FR 270 for a little over two miles to FR 223. Take FR 223 for six-plus miles until it intersects with FR 268. Take a hard left onto FR 268, and at a three-way fork of 268, 268A, and 268B, take 268B to the right. The six to seven miles on FR 268B to Swamp Point and the North Bass trailhead is a four-wheel-drive road.

April through October are the best months to hike here. Winter snows close the area. You'll need a North Kaibab Ranger District map; a King Arthur Castle Quadrangle map is essential. For either route, carry a gallon of water per person per day.

A Park Service permit is required for overnight stays. For permit information and current trail conditions and restrictions on the North Bass Trail and Powell Plateau Trail, write the Backcountry Reservations Office, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023.