South Bass Trail
William W. Bass the most noteworthy of the pioneers that came to the rim of Grand Canyon in the 1880s to carve a life and a lifestyle from the wilderness. The contribution of this man to Canyon history is difficult to measure. A list of his accomplishments during more than 40 years of living on the rim would fill a book. Among the most notable is the construction of more than 50 miles of inner Canyon trail, most of which can still be walked today. The South Bass Trail was the foundation of this far flung system of pathways and today it offers modern backpackers a doorway to a fascinating part of Grand Canyon, steeped in the history Bill Bass lived.
Vital Statistics
Mileages
South Bass Trailhead to Tonto Junction: 5 miles (8 km)
South Bass Trailhead to Colorado River: 7.8 miles (12.5 km)
Maps
Havasupai Point 7.5 USGS Quad
Elevations
South Bass Trailhead: 6646’ (2026 m)
Colorado River: 2250’ (636 m)
Trailhead Access
The South Bass Trailhead is located in a remote area about 30 miles northwest of Grand Canyon Village. Primary access is Kaibab National Forest road #328. The unpaved byway is not shown accurately on most topo maps, so a road map of the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest will be useful. Forest Service road #328 is rough and rocky and sections can become impassible during wet weather. A high clearance vehicle is recommended, and four wheel drive might be required if the road is muddy. Driving to the Bass Trailhead can offer almost as much adventure as the hike.
Normal access to Forest Service road #328 is via Rowe Well Road from Grand Canyon Village. The park kennel is the best landmark. Rowe Well Road goes from west end of the Village to the kennel and continues south to the park boundary. This road can be difficult to locate, so inquiring locally might save time. F.S. #328 can also be accessed from Highway 64 south of the park. Turn west at the last possible intersection (at the signs for Apache Riding Stables) before entering the park or obtain directions at the Tusayan District Ranger Station.
Drive Rowe Well Road about three miles to the park boundary. A sign announces entry to Kaibab National Forest. Stay left (southeast) at the first fork, cross the railroad tracks and continue another mile to the intersection with F.S. #328. Turn right (west) on #328 toward Pasture Wash and the Bass Trail. Drive about 16 miles to a gate that marks entry to the Havasupai Indian Reservation and the end of F.S. #328. The Havasupai Tribe charges a fee (usually $25) to cross their land and occasionally post a tribal member at the gate to collect. This station is not staffed full time, and if nobody seems to be in evidence simply pass through the gate and continue about 1.7 miles to a four way intersection. The road degenerates markedly at this junction. Turn right (northeast) toward Pasture Wash, follow the road about 1.9 miles to the Forest Service boundary fence. Continue another half mile to the park boundary fence and cattle guard. Please help keep cows out of the park by closing this gate after passing through. Keep driving north to the ruins of the old Pasture Wash ranger station. This outpost has not been staffed for many years and not assistance is available. Maintain the northerly heading for 3.6 rutted, rocky miles to rim. Be forewarned: The road north of the four way intersection can be rendered impassible by deep mud during periods of heavy rain or snow melt.
Trail Description
A well defined descending traverse gets hikers through the Kaibab and Toroweap formations. The trail passes an old fence and follows the rim of the Coconino a short distance north before starting down rocky switchbacks to Esplanade platform at the top of the Supai Formation. The Royal Arch route leaves the Bass Trail and starts west where the trail comes to the Esplanade, the junction marked with a large cairn. Stay right at this intersection and follow the Bass Trail north across the terrace east of Mount Huethawali. The route traverses near the Supai rim for about a mile to a steep break that allows passage to the slopes below. Dropping below the Esplanade, the trial rounds a promontory and descends the Supai ledges south toward the bed of Bass Canyon. Once established in the drainage the route follows the bottom of Bass Canyon through the Redwall. The path leaves the drainage and descends most of the Tonto Group rocks via the slopes east of and above the bed of Bass Canyon, eventually returning to the bottom of the canyon just above the Tonto Trail junction. The Tonto Trail is marked by large cairns. Below the Tonto the trail continues down Bass Canyon, crossing and re-crossing the drainage as it winds around various obstructions. This section can be confusing, but the trail stays as close to the bed of the canyon as the terrain allows, so any disorientation shouldn’t last long. An impassable fall blocks access to the River at the mouth of Bass Canyon. Watch for the place the trail leaves the bed of the drainage, going west a short distance to a large cairn marking a shortcut that allows passage down a rock dotted ravine the Ross Wheeler and River below. The ravine route can be cumbersome and this shortcut may be bypassed by continuing another couple minutes west until a gentler path descends to the River opposite the historic fire place.
Water Sources
The Colorado River is the only reliable water source. The River is often sediment laden and can be difficult to purify. Water can occasionally be found during or immediately after wet weather in potholes in the bed of Bass Canyon below the Tonto Trail or in sandstone pockets on the Esplanade.
Campsites
The Bass Canyon use area allows “at large” camping. Serviceable sites can be found on the Esplanade, the Tonto Platform and the beach at the Colorado River.
Special Interest
Hikers arriving at the beach at the bottom of the South Bass Trail can’t help but notice an old boat chained to the rocks above the high water line. Abandoned by Russell and Tadge in 1915, the Ross Wheeler was built by Bert Loper, the grand old man of Colorado River runners, and named for a murdered friend. Loper eventually died a romantic death in 1949 during a Grand Canyon river trip, suffering a heart attack at age 79 while at the oars of a Colorado River cartaract boat. His remains were not recovered until 1975, 26 years after his death.
There are several other trails located in and near Bass Canyon. Shortcuts to the Tonto Trail continuing west toward Garnet ascend the slopes from points low in the drainage. The trail that heads west out of the bottom of Bass Canyon continues downstream beyond the routes to the River and after a couple miles comes directly across from the mouth of Shinimu Creek. A short scramble allows access to the river. In route downstream watch for the site of a cable crossing that linked the North and South Bass trails. This historic crossing created the first rim to rim trail system. The cable is gone, but those and other sites north of the River attest to the remarkable physical energy Bill Bass brought to his various projects in this lovely part of the Grand Canyon.
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