The Grand Canyon - Guidebook to Walking in America's Southwest

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• Description
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• Sample Route
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South Bass Trail

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Start     South Bass trailhead at Bass Camp             (6650ft/2027m)
End     Bass Rapids (2250ft/686m)
Distance, one way     8 miles (12.8km)
Times, one way    4–5hrs down, 5–7hrs up
Maps     Havasupai Point (United States 7.5’);  Grand Canyon National Park (TI); Kaibab National Forest: Tusayan, Williams, and                       Chanlender Ranger Districts (United States Forest Service)
Season     Spring and autumn
Water     Colorado River
Rating     Strenuous

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William Bass, best known for his tireless trail building in the 1880s, prospected the area around the South Bass Trail. Bass improved an original Indian trail and extended it to the river, in order to take tourists across the river to the north side.

The South Bass Trail starts at Bass Camp, 29 miles west of Grand Canyon Village on Rowe Well Road and 4 miles north of Pasture Wash Ranger Station on Forest Service Road FR328. The drive takes about 2–3hrs from Grand Canyon Village. You will find the Kaibab National Forest map indispensable. This unmaintained, rutted road can flood at any time of year – high clearance 4x4 vehicles are mandatory.

From West Rim Drive proceed 0.1 miles south of Bright Angel Lodge and turn left on to Rowe Well Road. If West Rim Drive is closed, drive from Bright Angel Lodge to Maswik Lodge and then to the Kennels. Take several right 90° turns to reach Rowe Well Road heading south. Or, from Tusayan, just south of Moqui Lodge, turn west on to FR328 and go west to Rowe Well Road.

Back on Rowe Well Road, the surface soon ends as you enter Kaibab National Forest. Follow this road across several railroad tracks. In 1 mile meet FR328 and turn right to Pasture Wash. Drive almost 16 miles from the FR328 intersection, enter the Indian Reservation and proceed for 1.8 miles. Turn right onto a poor dirt road to Pasture Wash. Exit the Indian Reservation and re-enter Kaibab National Forest and, as the road deteriorates even more, pass by the unstaffed Pasture Wash ranger station. The road continues 3.5 miles further to the South Bass trailhead. You can camp at the roadhead if you have obtained a backcountry permit for this use area.

Directions

From Bass Camp, head east through the Kaibab and Toroweap formation to reach an eastern drainage. Descend steeply through the Coconino Sandstone to the terraced Esplanade. The Apache Trail joins from the west, 1.5 miles from the start. Following the cairns, continue 1 mile north across the flat Esplanade to the east of Mt Huethawli. Turn south and descend steeply off the Esplanade through the Supai to the head of Bass Canyon. Next, double back through the Redwall.

Criss-crossing a wash, remain east of the Bass Canyon drainage and follow the bushy trail to the Tonto Trail junction. Drop down to a creek bed just before the Tonto Trail turn-offs. First the Tonto Trail branches west, and shortly another turn-off veers east. Another mile down the creek you cross another connecting trail that turns west to join the Tonto Trail. Continue down the creek bed to lower Bass Canyon. Pools of water can be found here in the spring. Nearer the river your route turns west from the drainage and reaches a cairn that marks your descent to a beach above Bass Rapids. The map shows a route that heads further west for 0.5 mile to a beach at the head of Shinumo Rapids. Both beaches are popular with river-runners.