Stone Creek Trail

Stone Creek Trail is a short, river-access out-and-back from the Colorado River landing into a narrow side canyon, ending at the first waterfall and returning the same way. The mapped footway is about 0.24 mile each way, or roughly 0.49 mile round trip. That is a map-based estimate rather than a signed park distance. Allow about 30 minutes for the wet-foot walk and a pause at the falls. The short creek walk is the point; scrambling farther up the canyon is a different, more technical outing.

From the sandy river edge, the route follows Stone Creek over uneven rock and through shallow pools. Expect to get your feet wet, and take your time on slick stones. The canyon closes in around the creek as you walk upstream. A terrain profile suggests roughly 130 feet of rise to its highest sampled point, though no official elevation figure is posted.

The first waterfall sits in a shaded refuge of ferns, moss and spray, a sharp change from the dry, open beach at the river. For a photo, include some of the creek in the foreground with the tall red walls; the water and a person-sized scale make the narrow canyon easier to read. The mapped footway reaches into this canyon, but its endpoint is not surveyed to the waterfall, so use the line as a route guide rather than a promise of an exact falls marker.

There is no road approach or car park. You reach the landing as part of a Colorado River trip. Private, non-commercial river trips require an NPS permit; commercial trips operate through authorized outfitters. Confirm the stop with your river-trip plan. Pets are prohibited below the rim, and no trail-specific toilets, potable water or food service at the landing were verified.