Clear Creek Trail with Grand Canyon Employee and Mule Wrangler “Tex!”

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Clear Creek Trail with Grand Canyon Employee and Mule Wrangler “Tex!”

Рет қаралды 1,877

Күн бұрын

I got to do a hike I’ve been wanting to do for a long time- the Clear Creek trail! Built in 1934-35 by the Civilian Conservation Corp for mule rides, the 10 mile out-and-back trail starts 1/4 mile north of Phantom Ranch, heads east on the Tonto Plateau on the north side of the Colorado river, and ends at a campsite at Clear Creek. It stopped being used for mule rides when park visitation dropped during WWII, but remains open as a backcountry trail for hikers. I had the trail and campsite all to myself and saw two Grand Canyon Pink rattlesnakes. It was lovely.
October 19-21, 2023
Day 1:
South Kaibab trailhead to Phantom Ranch to Clear Creek campsite
17 miles, 9.5 hours (5:30am start, 9:20 Phantom Ranch [almost 4 hours down], 10:05 leave Phantom, 3:00 Clear Creek campsite)
Day 2:
Clear Creek campsite to Bright Angel campground
10 miles, 5 hours (8:20am start, 1:25 Phantom Ranch)
Day 3:
Bright Angel campground to South Kaibab trailhead
7.3 miles, 5 hours (4:05am start, 9:00 finish)

Пікірлер: 20

@butchferguson8430 8 ай бұрын

Outstanding video Tex! You do an awesome job of explaining the trail and pointing out the highlights!

@ricklohr5 7 ай бұрын

Totally love how you incorporate the social, national, historical, and geological aspects of the trail into your videos to supplement the customary natural beauty and scenic overlooks of the area. Observing your unique perspective as I followed every day of your AT thru-hike completely changed the trajectory of my own (successful!) 2023 AT thru-hike and really enriched the experience all the way from GA to ME. You, just like the description of your umbrella on the Clear Creek Trail hike, are a real game-changer. You Rock! ---Pale Rider

@lisaphikes 7 ай бұрын

Awww, thank you! And congratulations on your thru hike!!!

@PedroNord 8 ай бұрын

Oh dear !! I hadn’t visited one of your adventures since your gear review. You have a real talent for presenting your adventures. You’re a natural though I’m guessing your day job has developed your public speaking. Thank you. I’ve missed you.

@garymoore3446 7 ай бұрын

Beautiful

@robertzirkle8785 8 ай бұрын

Nice job Tex. Corner

@lisaphikes 8 ай бұрын

Hi Corner!! 👋👋👋 Hope you’re well!

@captdoug 5 ай бұрын

You're a great guide. Love watching your videos and getting jealous the entire time. Love the description of the great unconformity. Looks like I'm going to have to go camping there next.

@fredirle7173 8 ай бұрын

Thanks Tex! I really enjoyed seeing the scenery down in the canyon.

@moopurce8973 7 ай бұрын

Nice job on your video. Back in the day I helped build the trail crew bunkhouse, when the campground was relocated up the Canyon out of the cottonwoods. We had a helicopter but it was a two seater job with no fuselage. Used it to hoist the cabin parts in place. I hiked in but they flew us out on that chopper. Good days!

@1z1zmike 8 ай бұрын

Any snakes on that trail🙂🙏 Loved your video…like being there…almost 😀

@ElenaFisher007 8 ай бұрын

Love that you did this trail and documented it so well, thank you! I've been to Phantom 3 times, twice hiking, once on mule, (you were my friend and my guide on our way out!) I have wanted to explore Clear Creek and camp there. This video is very informational and helpful. I will definitely do it in the future!

@ElenaFisher007 8 ай бұрын

Also, would love to know what umbrella you use!

@lisaphikes 8 ай бұрын

Hi Elena! Thanks for the comment! The sunbrella I use is the Silver Shadow Mini Hiking Umbrella by Six Moon Designs.

@patrickdevlin9673 8 ай бұрын

Beautiful scenery ...hey are you and Jack living year round now at the canyon? Please keep posting these fantastic videos. All the best Pat

@richardfish3650 7 ай бұрын

Great video! You are a beast making it all the way to Clear Creek in one day. Those are some big, strenuous Canyon miles! The last Canyon 15+ miler I completed, my old body told me to never do that again! Well done! I love Clear Creek. 🤫 don’t tell the R2R2R2R etc crowd.

@eddyarundale1566 3 ай бұрын

👋🏼

@CraigBenton 8 ай бұрын

Doing this same trip, including a trip to the falls near Clear Creek Campground, 01/2024

@jimbeard8947 8 ай бұрын

Hey Tex, I checked in Harvey Butchart's 1970 edition of GC Treks the Clear Creek chapter and he states that the trail is .3 miles north of Phantom R, then it's 8.7 to the creek. I'm assuming that's still accurate, or has the NPS refined the mileage using GPS technology. Anyway, back in the 70's I and two friends came down the N Kaibab, and while they kept slogging along (one had blisters) I zoomed into Clear Creek and camped overnite. Then next day I came out and caught up to them along S. Kaibab. We went across Tonto to Indian Gardens (what it was called back then), stayed the night, then out next morning. We had to talk the ranger into letting us stay overnight because of blisters on the person's feet. But she healed up by next morning and made it out fine. I was living in Flagstaff back then. Spent many weeks camping and backpacking in there, hitchhiking up from Flag. So on that hike I had a breakfast up at S. Rim, then when the woman hiker caught up to me I had another breakfast with her. We asked the waitress if we could go around and collect uneaten toast but she just smiled and did that for us, also giving us a huge basket of jams and jellies. Plan A was that we would get a job on N Rim with a forest clearing company, as laborers, but things didn't look good so we dumped excess stuff in our ride and headed across canyon. Also, I wonder if those Pink snakies had on ranger hats, as I heard they actually work as undercover rangers for NPS.