Help for a friend who wants to backpack Dark Canyon

[jman]

Hey guys, I'm asking this in behalf of a fellow outdoorsman:

[QUOTE]I, with a group of friends, have a permit next week to backpack in the Grand Canyon-Thunder River, Tapeat

[Iceaxe]

Contact Scott P about Dark Canyon. I've talked with him about it before and he has some good suggestions.


Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[Byron]

Screw it...do the Grand Canyon trip. I WOULD!!! They paid for, and have a permit in their possession. If they encounter a ranger, simply show the permit and plead the case...the possibility exists the they be allowed to go. If they don't encounter a ranger, it's all good. It's worth a shot because I seriously doubt the they will run into one...just don't get hurt down there and require evacuation.

Otherwise, have them go to the Jumpup trailhead (only a few miles away) and hike to, and down, Kanab Creek. Easy, beautiful, fun and it'll eat up those three days...and they still get the Grand experience.

Dark Canyon...perhaps going down the Sundance trail, making a base camp at the creek and spending the days hiking up, and down canyon. Great way to do it for the lack of experience...and they won't have to carry the weight everyday.

[Scott P]

What about Peavine/Woodenshoe/Dark Canyon?

If they do go to Dark Canyon instead of the Grand Canyon, and if time is limited, note that the above loop skips all the best parts of Dark Canyon. Other than the ruins, the Woodenshoe/Peavine Loop is the least interesting part of Dark Canyon, though it's still quite nice (It just isn't as outstanding as some of the other sections).

The best parts of Dark Canyon are the section between Youngs and Lost Canyon and then the section near the Colorado River.