November 17th, 2009
Not long ago I was talking with a backcountry ranger at the Grand Canyon when he asked me a question about how do I determine what water sources are flowing in the canyon before a backpacking trip. For me the answer was easy because of the amount of time I've spent backpacking below the rim but if you are a novice to hiking or backpacking the Grand Canyon, the answer is not obvious if you only rely on maps.
When I lived in the Northeast, I could trust my maps for water sources. If there was a stream shown on the map, I could rely on the stream flowing. Things aren't so easy out here in the southwest. The major maps of the Grand Canyon are the maps from National Geographic and Sky Terrain and even though they depict water sources on the maps, they don't fully tell about the reliability of the water source but in all fairness I'm not sure if they can. A good example is Cedar Spring which is along the stretch of Tonto trail between the Hermit and Bright Angel Trails. This spring is a seasonal spring which stops running by the fall. If you looked at either map, there is no way of knowing that the spring is seasonal. There are also many streams that are seasonal which are noted on the Sky Terrain map but you still can't tell from the map when they dry up since that varies from year to year.
I even did a basic Google search on Grand Canyon water sources and although there are some extensive lists on the first page of results, none of the lists are entirely accurate. So that brings me to the answer I gave the backcountry ranger; I just check with the Backcountry Office on the latest word on the area I am going to hike. They have the latest info on which water sources are flowing and which are dry. That is also my advice out there to anyone reading this blog. Before you head into the canyon, ( before you even purchase your permit for that matter) check with the Backcountry Office for the straight scoop on what water sources are flowing. The backcountry rangers update Grand Canyon National Park website with trail conditions and water conditions so this is a good place to start your research. If you can't find water information about your specific hike on the website, the Backcountry Office can be reached Monday through Friday from 1 pm to 5pm Mountain Time at 928-638-7875 and they are glad to help you with your questions.
