Assembly Point: Grand Canyon Village (airline, rail and bus service to Flagstaff; Timberline van shuttle between Flagstaff and the South Rim prior to and following tour)

Tour Cost: $1,295 (includes all lodging, all meals, van shuttles, leaders, trail maps & narratives)

Early on during our embryonic years when Timberline was primarily a bicycle touring organization, we proclaimed that "you've never seen the West until you've done so by bicycle." But if we learned anything form our first hike into the Grand Canyon as part of a biker/hiker 14 years ago, the only way to experience the Grand Canyon is by foot. For sure, one can float the Canyon on the Colorado, or lumber to the river's edge on the back of a mule, but the reality is — if you really want to see and feel the Canyon — Hike IT!

Our Grand Canyon/Havasupai Hike assembles at the Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim (we'll provide shuttle service from Flagstaff to the Canyon) mid-afternoon of Day 1. Following an evening at the Maswik Lodge on the rim, we'll shuttle to the South Kaibab trailhead early the next morning and begin our 8-mile, 4,800-foot descent to the floor of the Canyon.

The variety within the Canyon is overwhelming. The land forms, the colors, the spectacular vistas, that first sighting of the Colorado—every switchback along the trail is its own visual and sensual adventure. We'll descend from the pine forests at the Rim through the desert scrub of the Tonto Plateau to the Colorado at the base of the Canyon.

We'll spend the evening at the Phantom Ranch and greet the rising sun as we begin our ascent up the Bright Angel Trail, a longer but more gentle experience than our descent into the Canyon (10 miles).

Another night on the South Rim at Maswik and an awesome dinner at El Tovar precedes a van shuttle from the village to the Havasu Canyon trailhead at the Hualapai Hilltop. An 8-mile trek into Havasu Canyon leads to Supai Village on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, and we'll spend our first of two nights at the Havasupai Lodge. The magnificent waterfalls of Havasu provide the adventure for Day 5. We'll hike from the lodge along Havasu Creek, first to Supai and Navajo Falls, and then on to Havasu Falls with its drop of nearly 100'. Another mile downstream, we'll visit legendary Mooney Falls, where the waters of Havasu plunge 196' in a dramatic descent to the Colorado.

A final evening at the Havasupai Lodge precedes our hike from the canyon and return to Flagstaff.

Grand Canyon: Rim-to-River-to-Rim

Date: (6 days, 5 nights; Sun-Fri) May 16-21; Sept. 19-24

Assembly Point: Flagstaff (airline, rail and bus service to Flagstaff; Timberline van shuttle from Flagstaff to North Rim prior to tour and return to Flagstaff following tour)

Tour Cost: $1,295 (includes all lodging, all meals, van shuttles from Flagstaff to North Rim prior to tour and return to Flagstaff, leaders, trail maps & narratives)

If you've ever wondered whether we at Timberline ever lose any of our enthusiasm for adventure over the years, rest assured we never do. We're forever looking for the new and extraordinary experience and we never run short of ideas. But every now and then, a program comes together that really spikes our pulse.

The Grand Canyon has been a part of the Timberline experience for the past 14 years. We've cycled to the Rims, hiked deep within the Canyon from both Rims and gone beyond to the River and Phantom Ranch several times each season. But like the runner who hungers for a first marathon, we've long dreamed of hiking from North Rim to the Colorado and up to the South Rim. Last season, that fantasy became a reality.

Rim-to-River-to-Rim will assemble in Flagstaff mid-morning of Day 1 and we'll shuttle to the North Rim, arriving early enough for a leisurely walk along the Rim. We'll overnight at the Grand Front Lodge and then begin our long descent into the canyon the following morning, following Bright Angel Creek as it tumbles toward the Colorado. By the time we reach the Phantom Ranch, our destination for the evening, we will have descended almost 6300 feet over 14 miles through five distinct life zones to the canyon floor.

Breakfast precedes daybreak—a Phantom Ranch tradition—and we'll be crossing over the Colorado as the sun begins to rise above the canyon walls. We'll follow the Bright Angel Trail as it climbs from the river beyond the Inner Canyon to Indian Gardens, and onward and upward to the South Rim (10 miles). We'll spend the evening at the Maswik Lodge on the Rim and celebrate over dinner at magnificent El Tovar.

We've altered the second portion of Rim-to-River for the coming season. In '99 we're going to Havasu as we do with Grand Canyon/Havasupai, rather than Sedona. Sedona is great, but it's ordinary; Havasu Canyon is truly extraordinary. Early morning of Day 4 (but, we promise, not as early as our departure from Phantom the previous morning), we'll van shuttle from the Grand Canyon Village to the Hualapai Hilltop, the Havasu trailhead. An 8-mile trek into Havasu leads to Supai Village, tribal center of the Havasupai Nation, and we'll spend our first of two nights at the Havasupai Lodge.

The magnificent waterfalls of Havasu provide the adventure for Day 5. We'll hike from the lodge along Havasu Creek, first to Supai and Navajo Falls and then to Havasu and Mooney, with their spectacular drops of 100' and 196' respectively, as the creek plunges toward the Colorado (6 miles). Following a final evening at the Havasupai Lodge, we'll hike from the canyon and return to Flagstaff.