Toroweap Point, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona:
The last few miles will rattle your teeth, but the solitude at the rim is a welcome reward.
Visited Saturday, October 22, 2011; reviewed November 6, 2011 See this review on Trip Advisor.
A group of Trip Advisor contributors, spouses, family and friends invaded Kanab, Utah, for a few days of outdoor fun. One of the day trips that we organized was a drive to Toroweap, a remote overlook along the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We had 18 folks who decided to take the drive, so we put together a convoy of five suitable vehicles. Being TA regulars, this group had done its homework and knew the type of vehicles needed to make the trek and also knew that problems were likely, so we were well prepared with tire pumps and tools.
There are at least three routes to Toroweap (or Tuweep). Since we were coming from Kanab, we took the most often used route, called the Sunshine route on the NPS website: (BLM road #109), the primary access route, leaves Highway 389 about seven miles/12km west of Fredonia. (6 miles east of Pipe Springs NM) It is 61 miles /100 km long and is the most reliable route, but is subject to washboarding and dust.
The ride to Toroweap is fairly easy for the first 50 miles or so. However, once you pass the Ranger station, the character of the road changes dramatically. Overall, the first 50 miles of dirt road is flat and straight with just one or two small hills and a curve or two. Not far after the Ranger station, the condition of the road degrades significantly and generally climbs through a series of switchbacks and curves, all of which are full of large rocks and ruts. The road demands a high-clearance vehicle. It is a bit of a kidney buster. But it is a fun drive. Again, our convoy was well suited for the drive as we had three mid size SUVs, a full size SUV and a full size pickup truck, all with good clearance and I think all had 4WD or AWD. We made this drive in late October and the weather had been dry for some time, so there was a LOT of dust, so much so that we had to keep some distance between the vehicles to be able to see. For this reason, we made a couple of stops along the way in and out of Toroweap, just to make sure that we were all still accounted for. This proved to be a good strategy as on the return trip one of the vehicles pulled up lame; flat tire. Not an uncommon occurrence as the Park Service information on Toroweap states that 25% of the vehicles that make the drive will experience a flat tire…or worse. I think the drive from the highway to the rim was about 2.5 hours, but again we were not trying to break any records and we stopped for a break at the Ranger station as well as a couple of photo ops.
After our bumpy ride, finally arriving at the rim was a joy and a relief! I reckon we reached the rim about 11:30. We all piled out of our dust covered caravan and staggered over to the rim for a view of the Colorado River some 3000 feet below us. I was probably the most cautious of the group when it came to heading to the rim….steep drops and edges are just not my thing! But the view, even from several feet from the rim was truly magnificent! I did manage to get fairly close to the edge, as I found a couple vantage points that had sort of a natural barrier or a very wide ledge.
It was now lunch time, and we found a nice table under a tree near the rim, so we set up there and added a couple folding tables and several chairs that we had dragged along with us. I pulled one of the folding tables out of the bed of the pickup truck and it was FULL of red dirt from the drive up the to the rim. We also had a couple visitors at lunch as well, a chipmunk or two.
After a snack, I headed off to explore. I walked only a short distance from the picnic site and was quickly out of earshot of everyone else. Talk about peace and solitude. I had a very nice time just sitting on a rock overlooking the canyon and the river. There was not a sound other than that made by the wind. It was a great few minutes and kind that I look for when in the parks.
A group of Trip Advisor contributors, spouses, family and friends invaded Kanab, Utah, for a few days of outdoor fun. One of the day trips that we organized was a drive to Toroweap, a remote overlook along the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We had 18 folks who decided to take the drive, so we put together a convoy of five suitable vehicles. Being TA regulars, this group had done its homework and knew the type of vehicles needed to make the trek and also knew that problems were likely, so we were well prepared with tire pumps and tools.
There are at least three routes to Toroweap (or Tuweep). Since we were coming from Kanab, we took the most often used route, called the Sunshine route on the NPS website: (BLM road #109), the primary access route, leaves Highway 389 about seven miles/12km west of Fredonia. (6 miles east of Pipe Springs NM) It is 61 miles /100 km long and is the most reliable route, but is subject to washboarding and dust.
The ride to Toroweap is fairly easy for the first 50 miles or so. However, once you pass the Ranger station, the character of the road changes dramatically. Overall, the first 50 miles of dirt road is flat and straight with just one or two small hills and a curve or two. Not far after the Ranger station, the condition of the road degrades significantly and generally climbs through a series of switchbacks and curves, all of which are full of large rocks and ruts. The road demands a high-clearance vehicle. It is a bit of a kidney buster. But it is a fun drive. Again, our convoy was well suited for the drive as we had three mid size SUVs, a full size SUV and a full size pickup truck, all with good clearance and I think all had 4WD or AWD. We made this drive in late October and the weather had been dry for some time, so there was a LOT of dust, so much so that we had to keep some distance between the vehicles to be able to see. For this reason, we made a couple of stops along the way in and out of Toroweap, just to make sure that we were all still accounted for. This proved to be a good strategy as on the return trip one of the vehicles pulled up lame; flat tire. Not an uncommon occurrence as the Park Service information on Toroweap states that 25% of the vehicles that make the drive will experience a flat tire…or worse. I think the drive from the highway to the rim was about 2.5 hours, but again we were not trying to break any records and we stopped for a break at the Ranger station as well as a couple of photo ops.
After our bumpy ride, finally arriving at the rim was a joy and a relief! I reckon we reached the rim about 11:30. We all piled out of our dust covered caravan and staggered over to the rim for a view of the Colorado River some 3000 feet below us. I was probably the most cautious of the group when it came to heading to the rim….steep drops and edges are just not my thing! But the view, even from several feet from the rim was truly magnificent! I did manage to get fairly close to the edge, as I found a couple vantage points that had sort of a natural barrier or a very wide ledge.
It was now lunch time, and we found a nice table under a tree near the rim, so we set up there and added a couple folding tables and several chairs that we had dragged along with us. I pulled one of the folding tables out of the bed of the pickup truck and it was FULL of red dirt from the drive up the to the rim. We also had a couple visitors at lunch as well, a chipmunk or two.
After a snack, I headed off to explore. I walked only a short distance from the picnic site and was quickly out of earshot of everyone else. Talk about peace and solitude. I had a very nice time just sitting on a rock overlooking the canyon and the river. There was not a sound other than that made by the wind. It was a great few minutes and kind that I look for when in the parks.
After a little more exploration we loaded up the convoy and started back to Kanab about 2:30, so about 3 hours total at the rim, which was enough to enjoy the views, explore a bit and have a nice picnic. We also had a very nice chat with the Ranger who is responsible for the area. Very friendly and enthusiastic young man who obviously thinks he has the best job on the planet…and he may. One interesting point that he mentioned was that Toroweap gets about 20,000 visitors annually. A small number compared to the 4 million tourists at the South Rim, but still an impressive total considering the primitive nature of the area and the bone-jarring ride in.
As mentioned, the only black mark on the day was the flat tire that hampered the full size SUV on the way home. Later on the ride out, we passed some twisted sign posts in the road; someone had obviously gone off the edge of the road and knocked these over. They made for a serious road hazard, so we made a U-turn and removed them from the road….our good deed for the day! This was on the flat part of the road, where you could travel at a decent speed, so the moral of the story is to always be alert on the road.
As mentioned, the only black mark on the day was the flat tire that hampered the full size SUV on the way home. Later on the ride out, we passed some twisted sign posts in the road; someone had obviously gone off the edge of the road and knocked these over. They made for a serious road hazard, so we made a U-turn and removed them from the road….our good deed for the day! This was on the flat part of the road, where you could travel at a decent speed, so the moral of the story is to always be alert on the road.