Top Grand Canyon Trails: 1, New Hance Trail

The New Hance Trail is the least used and possibly the most difficult of the unmaintained South Rim routes; the trailhead is unmarked, there is no water along the way, and some parts are steep and unstable. But the scenery is spectacular, and varied, from overgrown surroundings near the top, across open slopes with wide-ranging views, then down colorful Red Canyon to Hance Rapids on the Colorado, where the river is enclosed by particularly steep and rugged cliffs.

Length 8 miles (12.9 km), elevation change 4,530 feet (1,381 meters)

Trail description