Length
15 miles (24 km): Thunder River trailhead (Indian Hollow)
to the Colorado River
12 miles (19.3 km): Bill Hall trailhead (Monument Point)
to the Colorado River
Elevations
6,400 feet (1,950 m): Thunder River trailhead
7,200 feet (2,194 m): Bill Hall trailhead
2,000 feet (609 m): Colorado River
Trail Conditions
Wilderness Trail. Occasional washouts
require some route-finding ability. Extremely hot and dry in summer. Stash
water (1 gal /4.5 l) on your way in for use on the way out.
Trail Information
Rumors of placer gold drew miners into the area in 1876. They constructed
the upper portions of the trail, used by geologist Clarence Dutton several
years later. Crews built the present trail into Tapeats Creek in 1926.
Thunder River, one of the world’s shortest rivers, flows for only
0.5 mile (0.8 km) before entering Tapeats Creek.
Variation
Once in Surprise Valley, the Deer Creek Trail branches west (right)
into Deer Creek Valley. Entering a deep narrows, the trail traverses
a ledge on the west side. Leaving the narrows, it descends a talus slope
to the base of the waterfall and the Colorado River.
Information Source - Official Guide to Hiking Grand Canyon by Scott Thybony Buy the Book
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