The National Park Service describes the landscape in and around Grand Canyon National Park as ‘semi-arid desert,’ an incredibly dry region that snuggles up next to the Great Basin, Mojave, and Sonoran Deserts. According to NASA, ‘desert’ climate typically gets 10 inches of rain per year, while the average rainfall totals on Grand Canyon’s South Rim are barely over 13 inches.

Despite the presence of the mighty Colorado River ripping through its floor, the Grand Canyon remains a pretty dry place. In fact, much of the ‘dependable’ water there comes from snowmelt early in the season, with ‘dependable’ water sources only being there at all for the first few months of spring before running dry.

I preface this post about the gear I’m planning to take on a seven-day backpacking trek through the western portion of the Canyon in mid-March in such a frame because right now it’s bone dry where we’ll be headed. Even more bone dry than the bone dry it normally is, believe it or not.

Even after a series of recent storms passed through the American southwest, the Lower Colorado – Lake Mead region’s current snow/water equivalent sits at just 44% of normal, per the National Weather and Climate Center. An area that is usually as dry as it gets has just 44% of the moisture it usually has in those incredibly dry years.

We need it to snow more now so that the snow can melt in March to provide us adequate water for our trek from the South Bass Trailhead down to the Tonto Trail and then east along the Tonto Trail to the Boucher Trail. It’s a trek that’ll take us nearly 60 miles, including side trips, and that will require a lot of water.

Carrying extra water is often times a way to venture to parts of the park few others ever see. Carrying an extra 20+ lbs of water everywhere you go just to survive can quickly turn an otherwise Type II fun expedition into more of a pain in the ass than it’s worth.

So, I’m doing my southwest snow dance every morning, hoping that we manage to get lucky with plenty of snow in advance of the trip and not a giant blizzard on our heads when we actually get there.

That’s a vital sidenote to this particular gear list: it’ll be mid-March in a region that could reach 90 degrees during the day or could very well snow. I’ve experienced both in canyon country during March treks, and it’s crucial to scour the forecast immediately before departure and be prepared for an incredible range of temperatures and climate.

I have also based the meals I plan on bringing to account for roughly 2200 calories per day. Some folks bring way, way more food than I do, but I have found that my stomach tends to shrink a bit while on multi-day trips due to the exertion and calorie burn. I also anticipate eating a big breakfast before starting on Day 1, and exiting after only breakfast on Day 7.

The following checklist of gear is based on the conditions improving to a point where it’s worth the trek altogether, and is not a checklist of what I’d need if I were trying to pull off the trip in these current, too-dry-for-me conditions.

NEMO Hornet 2p tent – Confluence of Escalante Creek & Colorado River, Grand Canyon (February, 2020)

Base Weight Gear

At camp along the Colorado River

Clothing/Worn Gear

Food/Fuel

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