Backpacking the Gem Canyons of Grand Canyon National Park (pictures)

I’m fresh off what began as a 7-day, 6-night backpacking trip through the Gem Canyons of the western Tonto Trail within Grand Canyon National Park. Due to several factors (namely: food quantity and malfunctions with some water treatment options), we pivoted to a 5-day, 4-night trek that still covered the same ~55 mile route from the South Bass Trailhead east towards the Boucher Trail and an exit at Hermit’s Rest.

I was joined on this trip with my good friend and hiking buddy George, who planned the route and pretty easily convinced me to join. I’ll follow up with a more thorough recap and guide for the route in due time, but here’s an early look at some of the best photos I snapped during the trek.

*Snowy start on Day 1 at South Bass Trailhead*

*Ancient ruins in the canyon walls, South Bass Canyon*

*A view of Holy Grail Temple (6,711 feet) on the North Rim from our cowboy camp in South Bass Canyon*

*Holy Grail Temple (center-left) on our hike out South Bass Canyon, Day 2*

*George on the Tonto Trail, looking east*

*Holy Grail Temple in the distance (center) high above the Colorado River on the Tonto Trail*

*Night 2 camp in Ruby Canyon, with tents out due to expected rain*

*Exiting Ruby Canyon on Day 3, with expected rain now actual rain*

*Rain as we cross the Le Conte Plateau en route to Turquoise Canyon, Day 3*

*Day 3 camp on the east side of Turquoise Canyon along the Tonto Shelf*

*Looking north at Scorpion Ridge on the North Rim from Sapphire Canyon, Day 4*

*Vintage Tonto Trail section near Slate Canyon*

*Cowboy camp among the cacti near Marsh Butte on Slate Canyon’s east side, Night 4*

*An unimpressively dull photo of an actually brilliant night sky featuring Orion and Jupiter (top right) above the Slate Canyon walls*

*Boucher Canyon & Hermit’s Rest (our exit at the top) to the east over George’s shoulders*

*Along the 4,000+ foot climb out Boucher Canyon, Day 5*

*Looking back down Boucher Canyon and the canyon floor, where Day 5 began*

*We optionally reached the canyon bottom, and mandatorily reached the top again on the late afternoon of Day 5 at Hermit’s Rest*

The Tonto Trail’s western section is brutal and brilliant, with access to it limited and, frankly, incredibly taxing just to reach. It doesn’t get nearly the traffic of its eastern section, which doesn’t exactly get a lot of traffic in its own right.

The trail is rocky and hard to follow. It’s overgrown and spiky. There are places to roll your ankle with just about every step, and you are incredibly likely to get stabbed with a yucca spine or take a tumble if you spend too much time looking around while walking. The going is slow, water access is negligble, but the views and solitude on it are second to none.

This trip measured me, and I am better for it. ‘Til the next time, Grand Canyon!

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