Mystery of the Rainbow, Navajo Nation, Arizona

The Trip

“On her haunches and behind her, toward the north, is where the girdling slopes jag off into one enormous oblong; an Olympian commingling of terrifying sheer drops and distorted upheavals and all manner of cavernous holes and corridors—perhaps the roughest, wildest, most disordered conglomeration of territory which nowhere and never is what you would exactly call docile.” — Irvin S. Cobb, Arizona Highways magazine, 1940

Early in the 20^th century, Southwestern desert guide John Wetherill led various adventurers—including author Zane Grey, clothing manufacturer Charles Bernheimer, and former president Teddy Roosevelt—through Cobb’s “disordered conglomeration” on the way to Rainbow Bridge. Zane Grey later described the route as having the most dangerous slopes he had ever seen. Roosevelt described tilted masses of rock ending in cliffs difficult for both horses and men. And Bernheimer, describing the route as “fiendish,” wrote to his wife that there was nothing like it anywhere else.

We, too, will walk in the shadow of Navajo Mountain, but we won’t follow John Wetherill’s route. That route, known as the Rainbow Trail, is today traveled by several hundred hikers every year. In comparison, our route, almost entirely cross-country, is followed only by us. Our trip will begin at Wahweap marina near the southwest end of Lake Powell. After arriving at Rainbow Bridge, we will briefly follow the Rainbow Trail, perhaps for a half day, but then leave that trail for a cross-country route north of Rainbow Peak. From this point on, our hike runs through a maze of slots and cracks identified on early maps as Mystery Canyon. It is an extraordinary landscape that has known very few visitors.

Mystery Canyon is well protected from casual hikers. Its Colorado River terminus is a long blank wall and at the upper end, the canyon’s three branches embrace a nearly 2,000-foot-high sandstone battlement. All three branches are narrow, vertical slots with no easy, or easily found, routes in or out.

The trip will take us into all three branches. All are relatively short and were it not for the pour-offs, plunge pools, ledges, cliffs, and, in some places, nearly impenetrable vegetation, a motivated hiker could walk the length of each in a day. But the obstacles make this impossible without technical canyoneering skills and very nearly impossible even with them. We will backpack across the three branches of the canyon and dayhike in each where we can safely do so. We will see Anasazi ruins, moqui steps, pictographs and petroglyphs, a cave, miles of sandstone slickrock, and more vertical landscape per square mile than perhaps anywhere in the Southwest.

The seventh day will return in the afternoon to the Rainbow Trail and the eighth day has a short hike to Echo Camp which was, 100 years ago, the destination for pack trips but is now just a few rusting bed frames and disintegrating wood shacks. Soon after, we will return to Rainbow Bridge, the destination for John Wetherill’s trips and one of the highest and longest natural stone bridges on the planet. The trip ends as it began with the National Park Service concession boat across Lake Powell to return to Wahweap marina.

Note: If Lake Powell remains at historically low levels, the boat ride to and from Rainbow Bridge may not be possible. Instead, we would drive to a local Navajo family's house, from Page, and then be shuttled to the Rainbow Trailhead. At the end of our backpack, we would celebrate in the family hogan feasting on Navajo tacos instead of eating lunch on the boat ride back to Wahweap Marina. We would then return to Page in group members' cars.

The trip officially begins and ends at Wahweap marina near Page, AZ. Round-trip transport to Rainbow Bridge is included in the trip. 

Days 1-2: We will take the concession boat from Wahweap to Rainbow Bridge, then hike up Bridge Canyon. The next day, we will continue ascending Bridge Canyon to its origin, then leave the Rainbow Trail. After visiting a large, cave-like alcove with pictographs, we will camp in a grove of oak trees.

Days 3-4: We begin day three with a short climb in scree, then follow a complex slickrock route to a grove of mushroom rocks. Depending on the interests of the group, we may take a side trip to a high sandstone butte with an expansive view to the Escalante river and the Henry mountains. Perhaps we will have a second side trip to a viewpoint high above the west branch of Mystery Canyon.

Days 5-6: We will backpack to a dry camp between the west and middle forks of Mystery and dayhike to a large pool and pour-off in the middle fork. The next day, we will backpack into the middle fork and dayhike down the canyon to the top of the same pour-off. The day ends with a short crossing to another canyon named for the Paiute Indian who guided John Wetherill to Rainbow Bridge in 1909. 

Days 7-8: The trip returns to the Rainbow Trail, partially retracing our route to a campsite in lower Bridge Canyon. The last day, we explore Echo Camp—the destination in the 1920s and 30s for pack trips to Rainbow Bridge—then return to Wahweap marina on the Park Service concession boat. 

Getting There

This eight-day hike begins at Wahweap marina near Page, AZ. Page is about four hours' driving from Phoenix airport and from Las Vegas airport and is served by Contour Airlines, which provides commercial air service to both cities. Participants should arrive in Page by late afternoon on Friday (the day before the trip officially starts) in time to attend a pre-trip meeting at 7 pm. Do not make non-refundable travel reservations until notified to do so by the leader.

Accommodations and Food

All meals are included. We will prepare lightweight, vegetarian-friendly meals from dried and freeze-dried ingredients, using recipes tested on previous trips and with appropriate care for sanitation and disease prevention. Participants with special nutritional requirements should contact the leader. Participants will assist trip staff with cooking and clean-up. The first meal is lunch on day one and the last is lunch on day eight. Because personal preferences in hot drinks and trail snacks vary so widely, these are not included in the trip commissary.

Consumption or possession of alcoholic beverage is illegal on the Navajo Nation. We will demonstrate our respect for the Navajo by compliance with their laws.

Pre- and post-trip accommodations in Page are not included in the trip. Page has numerous motels; the leader will provide information and recommendations.

Trip Difficulty

This trip is not recommended for inexperienced or acrophobic backpackers. Although the total backpacking distance (about 30 miles) would perhaps merit only a moderate rating, the rugged nature of the terrain makes this a more difficult trip and participants must be in good physical condition. Stamina will be less important than a high level of confidence on steeply sloped sandstone slickrock. Although the trip has no prolonged ascents or descents and no technical climbing, we will use a handline in places to provide support and bolster confidence. Participants must be agile, nimble, experienced with walking on steep sandstone, comfortable with bouldering and scrambling in steep joint cracks with loose rock, and not distracted by heights. Participants must be able to carry all their personal equipment plus a share of the commissary. Total backpack weight with commissary and water should not exceed 40 pounds at the beginning of the trip. The rewards of the trip in scenery and solitude will be commensurate with the trip difficulty. 

Mystery Canyon is truly a labyrinthine maze. This topographical complexity and the fact that we are not following an established trail impose several constraints on participants. Most importantly, we must hike in a reasonably closely spaced group and participants who like to hike far ahead of the group or lag far behind should choose another trip. 

Evacuation from Mystery Canyon is difficult and expensive but possible. The Sierra Club is not responsible for evacuation costs, although the leader will have a satellite phone for emergencies. To minimize the likelihood of contagious disease, participants are encouraged to comply with all vaccination guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Equipment and Clothing

Complete backpacking equipment is required. The leader will provide guidance on equipment. Due to the trip’s challenging terrain and the need to carry all of our food, modern lightweight equipment is essential. Personal equipment should not weigh more than 20 pounds and less is better; participants will also be expected to carry up to 15 pounds of group food and commissary equipment. Appropriate adjustments will be made to commissary loads based on individual load carrying ability. Participants may carry up to 2 quarts of water depending on individual need.

Because much of our hiking is on smooth sandstone or sand, lightweight fabric and leather hiking boots are ideal. We will not encounter long steep slopes with sharp jagged rock common in many mountainous areas, so heavy mountaineering boots are excessive. Although we will not backpack in deep water, we will hike in shallow water so appropriate footwear for this is desirable.

Springtime weather on the Rainbow Plateau is usually sunny and pleasant, but it is also highly variable so participants should come prepared for extremes of hot and cold. In early-April, pleasantly cool nights and warm days are likely, but uncomfortably cold or hot weather is possible. Nighttime lows in the 30s are possible as is snow or rain. Daytime temperatures in the 60s and 70s are likely, but may range from 40 to 85. 

References

Conservation

Discussion of conservation issues will focus on public lands and on water in Arizona and southern Utah, including issues raised by Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. Also discussed will be the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign and the closure of Navajo Generating Station.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.