New Hance Trail

New Hance is a 6.5-mile one-way descent from Desert View Drive to the Colorado River at Hance Rapids, dropping 4,422 feet through Red Canyon. It is a point-to-point backcountry route, not a loop: the line ends at the river, so plan your continuation or return before leaving the rim. The park recommends it only for highly experienced canyon hikers. The tread is rough and route-finding is part of the hike; I’d reserve a full day for the descent. A same-trail return would be about 13 miles with nearly 8,900 feet of total climbing and descending. Day hikes do not require a permit, but overnight camping below the rim does.

The trail starts with short scrambles and down-climbs over ledges through Kaibab Limestone, Toroweap, and Coconino Sandstone. The Coconino section is especially obscure; it can be difficult to follow at night and nearly impossible after significant snowfall. Near a saddle around a mile in, Coronado Butte comes into view and the route drops into a braided drainage through the Supai layers. Those paths wander in and out of the wash, so pay attention to where the trail leaves and rejoins it. Red Canyon Overlook is about 2 miles from the highway and marks a major change in the descent.

From the overlook, the trail leaves the wash for a difficult, roughly mile-long traverse east through lower Supai. Shallow gullies and rockslides have broken up sections of tread. Around mile 3, a knob marks the top of the Redwall descent. Below it, the route angles down a rounded ridge beside the creek with few switchbacks; the slope can look gentler from above than it feels underfoot.

At about mile 4.9, the route reaches the creek bed. From here the dry bottom of Red Canyon is the trail, over gravel and boulders, with short pour-offs bypassed on the east side. Near Hance Rapids, the unmarked Tonto Trail junction heads west and the Escalante Route begins east, both near the base of a large dune and both easy to miss. The mapped route covers New Hance only, ending at Hance Rapids; a Tonto and Grandview continuation is a separate trip.

The Colorado River is the only reliable year-round water source. Spring water may collect in pools where the trail first meets the Red Canyon bed from late fall through April, but do not build a plan around it. River water needs treatment; when it is muddy, let silt settle first and carry a backup purification method. Campsites along the route are dry. At Hance Rapids, an upstream sandy beach is sometimes shared with boaters; quieter downstream camps sit west of Red Canyon at the dune. Overnight camping in the Red Canyon use area requires a backcountry permit.

The trail closely follows the 1894 alignment John Hance built down Red Canyon after washouts and rockslides made the older Old Hance route into Hance Creek impassable. Hance came to the canyon in 1883, first for mining, then became known as a guide and hotel manager. Red Canyon’s exposed Grand Canyon Supergroup layers help show the vast missing interval called the Great Unconformity between the Vishnu basement and Tapeats Sandstone. The vivid orange Hakatai Shale is especially noticeable; a basalt dike across the river at Hance Rapids ties the geology to the trail’s endpoint.

The trailhead is off Desert View Drive, and the parking options require a short walk to the marked start. This is a poor match for anyone expecting a maintained, clearly signed day loop or a quick walk to the river. Check current park conditions before committing: the route’s dry wash, steep ledges, and difficult junctions leave little room for a rushed descent.