Tanner Trail

Tanner Trail is a historic 9-mile, one-way descent from the signed trailhead near Lipan Point to the Colorado River at Tanner Beach and Tanner Rapid. It drops 4,650 feet through the broad, colorful eastern Grand Canyon. This is a serious backcountry route, not a short rim walk. The park recommends the Seventyfive Mile Creek–Tanner Canyon saddle as the best day-hike turnaround: about 1.6 miles down, then 1.6 miles back, with a 1,700-foot descent and climb. The saddle gives you a wide inner-canyon view without committing to the lower route. Allow about seven hours for the full descent and arrange your return or onward route separately.

From the signed access east of the road, the gravel path drops almost immediately. Switchbacks cut through Kaibab Limestone among piñon and juniper, where the only meaningful shade is near the rim. The trail stays beside a growing gully, then crosses to its other side near the Coconino Sandstone. This is the narrow, badly eroded part: rockslides cover sections of the old tread, and short passages can be unstable or hard to follow, especially after storms. Trekking poles help on this steep, loose ground. At the saddle, the grade eases and the canyon opens below you. It is a sensible place to turn around if you came for a demanding half-day hike rather than a river trip.

Beyond the saddle, the route contours more easily through the Supai Formation, below Escalante and Cardenas Buttes. The Desert View Watchtower stands across the canyon on the far rim. Around three miles from the start, the trail crests a ridge and follows the top of the Redwall Limestone. Stay on the main line where a right turn leads into switchbacks; a short walk ahead reaches the Palisades of the Desert overlook. From there, a seven-mile round trip to the rim is a longer day-hike option.

The river route continues down steep, exposed Redwall switchbacks over loose rock. It curves around a saddle through the greenish-purple Muav Limestone, contouring around drainages and sometimes climbing again before the final descent. The last switchbacks cross the deep-red Dox Formation and reach a sandy wash. Follow the wash downstream to Tanner Rapid. The river is the trail’s endpoint; the 9-mile distance does not include a return.

At the Palisades overlook, look upstream toward the sherbet-colored cliffs and down toward the rolling red hills known as Furnace Flats. From this open eastern section, the canyon floor is much wider than it is in the inner gorge. The tilted Grand Canyon Supergroup rocks here range from 729 million to 1.255 billion years old. Their softer layers erode readily, leaving a broad floor beneath steep walls. The overlook is the best place on this route to frame both the colored cliffs and the open country below; the Desert View Watchtower is visible on the far rim.

People have used this natural rim-to-river passage for thousands of years. The trail in its present form dates to 1890, when Franklin French and Seth Tanner improved it to reach mining claims. It also served as the southern part of the old Horsethief Route.

There is no reliable water between the rim and the Colorado River, and little shade after the short upper stretch. River water can be silty and difficult to purify; treat or boil it. Avoid the route in warm weather above 95°F. Summer monsoon storms bring lightning, and winter or early-spring ice can cover the upper trail. Talk with a ranger before attempting the lower route, and do not bring pets. Camping below the rim requires a backcountry permit; the large dune at Tanner Canyon’s mouth is closed to visitation and camping to protect habitat, with the Tanner Canyon use area as the camping exception. Carry your own food; no concession is described at the trailhead or along the route. A composting toilet is near the river campsites east of Tanner Canyon.