Overview

This 4.25-mile, 4.5-hour route runs down Soap Canyon to the Colorado River in the Marble Canyon section of the Grand Canyon. This route requires some route finding, but in general, from the trailhead, the route runs down a wash that gradually gets deeper and deeper, then drops into a deep, narrow canyon. The canyon is narrow and fairly difficult for about 1/4 of the route, but much of the rest is fairly easy terrain. Views in Soap Canyon, and views up and down the river, are spectacular, and it is always fun to watch river runners shoot the rapids.

There are several 3rd-class pour-overs, and there is considerable boulder hopping across steep boulder fields. Most of the difficult parts are passed on narrow use-trails or on cairn routes through boulder fields on the south side of the canyon.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this route is pretty difficult with lots of high places to stumble off into the abyss and plenty of 3rd-class scrambling. Clambering through the rockslides requires constant attention to footing. One awkward down-climb might have a fixed rope, but don't count on it. Take 20-25 feet of rope for lowering and hauling packs.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. This trail is long, and the area is isolated, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials. Be sure that you are physically fit and that you choose routes of the appropriate difficulty for your skills and endurance.

In January 2021, Jeremy commented: The final drop through the Coconino cliffs was much trickier than before. A decade ago there was a short drop in the boulders with a handline set up that wasn't strictly necessary. Now there's a drop that is much more vertical, almost overhung, and I was glad to have brought some webbing to set up for a handline. In particular, coming back up this would be quite difficult for a single hiker without a fixed rope.

Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located on the north side of the Grand Canyon, but at the far east end of the Grand Canyon (northeast Arizona), about 5 hours northeast of Las Vegas.

From Las Vegas, drive out towards the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. From Jacobs Lake, continue east down off the mountain on Highway 89A. In the desert flats below the Vermillion Cliffs, stop at the Cliff Dwellers Lodge (Table 1, Wpt. Road_0), the only civilization for miles around.

At the Cliff Dwellers (Wpt. Road_0), turn around and drive back west for about 1.1 miles to a dirt road to the south (Wpt. Road_1), which has a Soap Canyon Trailhead sign. Drive southeast towards the corrals. Past an old building, but before the corrals stay left until you find the road, then drive northeast to the trailhead (Wpt. Road_2).

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 2, Wpt. 01), the route starts into a shallow, sandy wash in a flat shrubby grassland atop the Kaibab Limestone. This wash is a tributary to the south fork of Soap Canyon. As the wash cuts into the limestone, the wash deepens as the hills and walls along the wash begin to rise. The canyon narrows, and rocky pour-overs begin to slow progress. One pour-over (Wpt. 2) requires lowering heavy packs and a short, 3-rd class downclimb through a slot in the floor of the wash.

A few yards farther down the canyon, the wash intersects the south fork of Soap Canyon (Wpt. 3). Take a look at the confluence from below so you will recognize it on the way out.

Below the confluence, the canyon deepens and narrows with high walls, and the hiking is easy for a ways. When the canyon begins to widen, a high pour-over (Wpt. 4) is bypassed by walking on the hillside on the south side of the canyon.

This is the beginning of a pattern: almost every difficulty is passed on the south side of the canyon -- watch for narrow use-trails and cairn routes. The natural tendency is to try to stay in the bottom of the canyon, but resist the urge and follow cairn routes through the boulder fields. Believe me, travel is easier along the cairn routes in the boulders.

For the next half-mile or so, the route becomes very difficult and difficult to follow as the wash cuts through the Coconino Sandstone and huge boulders choke the canyon. There are boulder fields to traverse and pour-overs to negotiate. Crossing one boulder field (Wpt. 6) stay as high as possible under the red mudstone cliffs; off-route cairns lead down, but that is not the way to go. Farther down, watch for a narrow trail that runs high on the south wall and bypasses difficult sections (Wpt. 10), although the steep descent at the end of the use-trail is a bit airy.

Past the trail and below the steep descent, cross to the north side of the canyon, circle around the north side of an enormous boulder, and downclimb an awkward set of boulders (Wpt. 11) where a fixed rope may be helpful. The downclimb is a total of about 20 feet, but the difficult spot is just one big hop. This downclimb bring you below the Coconino Sandstone.

Continue to stay to the south side of the canyon where possible as the wash cuts into the Hermit Shale. Here the canyon widens, and the walls lay back. The hiking is easier from here on down to the river.

In about a third of a mile, the ground becomes damp as the route passes a seep spring (Wpt. 12), and in another third of a mile, the route arrives at the confluence with Soap Canyon, proper (Wpt. 13).

The route continues to follow the bottom of the wash and enters Grand Canyon National Park (Wpt. 14) just before Soap Canyon opens into the Grand Canyon.

Past the walls of Soap Canyon, use-trails run down both sides of the wash. The northern trail winds out to a nice sandy beach and camping area popular with river runners. There is room here for many tents in and among tall Saltcedar and Willow trees.

The southern trail winds out and across a sand dune area to campsites on a bench above the river. These sites also have some shade from Saltcedar and Willow.