HIKE OF THE MONTH

hike of the month The No-sweat Cape Final Trail Ends Near an Inspiring Grand Canyon Overlook

The Cape Final Trail winds for 2 gentle miles through ponderosa pines to a Grand Canyon overlook on the North Rim, but doesn't actually go all the way to Cape Final.

To experience one of the great vistas within Grand Canyon National Park, you must hike off-trail another %-mile south-southeast beyond the overlook and through the woods.

This spot, seldom-visited, very easy to find and well worth the effort, lies about 150 yards from the tourist overlook. Where twin pines with blazes notched in their east sides straddle the trail, aim a compass at 100 degrees magnetic. That bearing will take you straight to the cape.

National Park Service botanist Nancy Brian of Flagstaff said hiking to the cape is allowed. However, she asked that hikers confine themselves to Cape Final itself and not wander into the fragile adjacent woods.

Previously, people could drive to the cape, but the ParkService plowed the road closed several years ago, partly because a section passed too closely to an ecologically sensitive area. The trail was "redefined" over more level ground to that first overview most tourists see today.

For the venturesome, Cape Final provides an easy backcountry day-hike without the need for special equipment. Carlton Stauss, 22, relocating from Indiana to a new job inDetroit, and Amy Granke, 22, a college student from Royal Oak, Michigan, "on our first trip West," decided to go "because the trail is short," Stauss said.

He and Granke sat where the blunt gray limestone outcrop of 7,919-foot Cape Final juts like a bare-knuckle fist 2,500 feet over a canyon. Beyond is 7,081-foot Jupiter Temple, a butte capped with ancient desert dunes. Eightmiles distant, the sheer cliffs of The Palisades of the Desert tower above the Colorado River for several miles. Finally, lower down, badlands carved by the wind and rain plunge toward the shadowy depths of the Colorado River gorge.

Strauss sought to describe it. "It's a lot different than Indiana," he managed.

Still, the easier overlook back at trail's end can be satisfying, too. Pete Larkworthy, 57, and his wife Linda, 51, of Seattle, on their way home in early June after wintering in Mexico, chose the Cape Final Trail as their first hike on the North Rim. They walked only to trail's end and marveled at a view that takes in 6,896-foot Juno Temple, a butte resembling a layer cake.

"It's a no-sweat trail this time of year," she said. "It's easy and flat, leisurely and relaxing, and so we didn't have to work hard to have a spectacular view."

If you hanker for more than a tourist overlook, however, follow your compass through the woods to the rusty metal sign nailed to a ponderosa pine that marks the real Cape Final, where the view from the edge rates as truly awesome.

Getting There: The Cape Final trailhead lies 7 miles past Vista Encantada on the park road to Cape Royal.

Travel Advisory: Park entry fee is $20 a car. The main trail, where only hiking is allowed, is wide and well-packed, with mild uphills. Carry water. There are no toilets. Additional Information: National Park Service backcountry office: open Monday through Friday, 1-5 P.M., (520) 638-7875. For general information on visiting Grand Canyon National Park, (520) 638-7888.