Little Colorado Confluence: Backpacking Grand Canyon National Park – Day 3, Part 2

Disclaimer: backpacking to the Little Colorado Gorge and Confluence is an advanced route that should only be attempted by experienced canyon hikers between October and April. Those who have not hiked in the canyon before should look at hiking on the Corridor trails. Doing these as an overnight is a good intro option instead of the strenuous Beamer Trail. Please also refer to the Hike Smart material from the park to ensure that you are adequately prepared for the conditions you will encounter on your selected hiking trail at Grand Canyon National Park.)

Read on for inspiration for what awaits you at this Arizona gem with preparation nonetheless!

Lower Little Colorado Gorge: Beamer Cabin-Little Colorado River Mile 1

After a long morning trek across the Tapeats Sandstone and through the canyon from Palisades Creek, I arrived at the Beamer Cabin, the end of the official Beamer Trail. From the Beamer Cabin, a rough trail leads up the Little Colorado Gorge. It can be followed to the park boundary; from this point, a permit is required from the Navajo Nation to cross their land. (Access from this side is also possible via a different trail crossing Navajo land. Permits issued by Navajo Parks & Recreation are required for access on this alternate route.)

Beamer Cabin below Cape Solitude
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Beamer Cabin, detail
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Lower Little Colorado River Gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Reflections in the Little Colorado
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Lower Little Colorado River Gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
View down the Lower Little Colorado River
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona

Despite it being only afternoon, the time of year causes great contrast of light and shadow in the primarily east-west Little Colorado gorge. The eroded spires of rock glow gold in the sunlight and reflect in the calmer stretches of the river. After a short riverside alluvial stretch (on deposited sand along the riverbank) the trail ascends onto a rock ledge immediately over the river with a series of riffles.

My impression of this as one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen, even in the canyon, where its competition includes such locations as Cape Royal, Hance Canyon, Yuma Point, and Thunder River, is quickly being solidified as the image partners with the sound of the river flowing through the riffles.

Little Colorado River upstream views
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Downstream Reflections in the lower Little Colorado River gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Panorama of the lower Little Colorado River gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Riffles in the lower Little Colorado River
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Landscape (left) and Portrait (right) views of riffles in the lower Little Colorado River (click to enlarge)
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Downstream View of Riffles and Reflections in the lower Little Colorado River
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Panoramic Riffles and Spires in the lower Little Colorado Gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Riffles and Spires in the lower Little Colorado Gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Downstream view of Riffles and Spires in the lower Little Colorado Gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona

Little Colorado Gorge: Miles 1-2 (Out)

The trail returns to the sandy riverbank and continues to wind through the lower gorge. For those who may have doubted my comments regarding the overnight temperatures, I begin to find patches of frost on the ground, and then an ice-covered log. I never imagined that I would see such things at the bottom of Grand Canyon, that’s for sure!

Sunlight lights the gorge walls above the Little Colorado River
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Landscape
Portrait
Landscape & Portrait views of the lower Little Colorado River gorge, looking back downstream toward Chuar Butte and the Confluence. Cape Solitude at left
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Frosty!
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona

As I approach the park boundary, the canyon at last rewards my patience, and the southern wall moves far enough away to release the river from its shadow and reveal its full color in the sun. What a spectacular milky teal color. It’s hard to imagine that such a color is possible, but Blue Spring, the only permanent source of water in the Little Colorado River, makes it so with its high concentration of calcium carbonate in the water. Blue Spring sits on the Navajo Nation, so I can’t quite make it there today. Watching my GPS, I continue to the park boundary, soaking in the magnificent view of the river glowing in the sun along the way.

Cape Solitude rises above the Little Colorado River through its arrowweed-lined bank
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Sunlight lights the walls above the Little Colorado River, with the river glowing below
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Sunlight illuminates the Little Colorado River
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Sunlit Lower Little Colorado Gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Travertine deposits along the sunlit lower Little Colorado River
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Little Colorado River in a sunlit stretch of its lower gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Sunlit stretch of the lower Little Colorado River gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Milky teal-blue lower Little Colorado River in a sunlit stretch of the lower gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Teal-blue, milky lower Little Colorado River in a sunlit stretch of the lower gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Lower Little Colorado River in a sunlit stretch of the lower gorge, with some flood debris and mineral deposits evident in the foreground
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Sunlit stretch of the milky, teal-blue lower Little Colorado River
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Downstream view of the teal-blue lower Little Colorado River in a sunlit stretch of the lower gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Icing light in the lower Little Colorado River gorge
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Little Colorado Gorge Reflections in Little Colorado River near Grand Canyon-Navajo Nation Boundary
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Lower Little Colorado River near Grand Canyon-Navajo Nation Boundary
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
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