LETS TAKE A WALK

  A GUIDE TO WALKING THE GRAND CANYON'S WEST END

Set the scene.

 At Mather Point, (1) the top rim level is the Coconino Plateau (and across the way, the even higher, somewhat charred, still magnificent Kaibab Plateau). Looking down into the depths some 3000', the mid-level shelf of the Tonto Platform, and below, the river in Granite Gorge, elev. 2500'.

Going downriver, (2) toward Kanab Creek, that top viewspot is the Great Thumb Mesa, the mid-level the now-orange Esplanade, above the river now at 1900'.

Then more westerly, a jump up to the long south-pointing Shivwits fingers, of which the last, (3)  -- the Westernmost High Point of the Grand Canyon -- is, I call it (after a Paiute who worked with J.W.Powell) Chuarumpeak Point. 

We stop above its southern tip, elev. 6250'. In this aerial view, at elev. 4200', the Hermit Shale emphasizes its narrowing.

Spreading from the Point toward where the sun sets: the mid-level Sanup (the Paiute: Sue-nupp) Plateau. Not visible yet, past the Sanup's far rim: the drop to the river at 1200' flowing past River Mile 277 at the final Grand Canyon rocks (Muav and Bright Angel) of the west exit butte: She Who Waves Farewell.

There are dirt roads in Grand Canyon - Parashant National Monument (northwest corner of the map) for the visitor to follow to a campsite at the north end of Chuarumpeak. The hike along the Point is unroaded, untrailed, untracked. Wild and brushy.

From the west wall of the point, the Sanup spreads out; the Colorado gorge to the left. 

On the right, a bit of Pearce Canyon; it is in the National Park, but the nearly undetectable divide puts it and most of the Sanup out of the Grand Canyon's topography.

On the other side, a look back upriver; into Dry Canyon.

On the west side, there are routes down.

Once on the Sanup, one can wander southwest over to the rim of the inner canyon. In the distance beyond is the crest of the Grand Wash Cliffs running south of the river.  It provides the western climax for the Canyon; climbing it provides views out to the Basin and Range Province. 

To cross the Sanup actually staying in the Canyon's topography, the traveler has to walk almost at river canyon's rim. The blue line here

indicates the drainage line from Chuarumpeak Point to the west edge of the Sanup overlooking River Mile 277, the defined end of the Canyon.

Strolling along that line, from the Point over to the inner gorge rim, provides time to think of suitable names for the side canyons and washes along the way; 5 - 9 of them yet unnamed.

Another item of interest (though topographically it is in the Pearce drainage) is  the Grand Pipe. (Im using a bit of the magnificent geologic map of the west half of the Grand Canyon by George Billingsley and Peter Huntoon):

The lop-sided circle in the center marks the top of the Grand Pipe, described below. Such features have caused the Grand Canyon area to be plagued by would-be miners. 

In sum, the exploration so far is a scramble down from somewhere along the Point, then a walk across the mid-level plateau 10-15 miles depending, to reach the 277 Overlook on the Sanup edge.

Here is one idea of Tom Martin's on how to cover the 3000-foot drop from that edge to mile 277 on the shore just up from our exit-marking butte She Waves Farewell:

I marked out ridges, but never got to check them out:

As this topo shows, She Waves Farewell (with the word "Granite" right across it) is nicely placed as the river turns west and flows out into Lake Mead. At this point, there are about three miles left to the parking lot at the boat ramp--on the south side of the river. Then there is the question of crossing the river. 

An early (1892 topo) crossing solution -- with a couple of mis-spellings? or are we wrong? Sadly the service seems drowned out. Perhaps a kindly river trip crew passing by might help. 

Is it swimmable?

PART 2 takes up the Canyon lands on the south side of the river, a very different topography.

Of course, the course described here can be done from west to east, with the benefit that the Pearce boat ramp area is reachable by paved road not far from an interstate. 

Oh, and its worth noting that, even as the Canyon makes an exit, the change in elevation from the Colorado to the top of the Westernmost High Point, Chuarumpeak, is still a mile.

No whimper here.