Grand Canyon Backcountry Adventure Route (GCBAR) Day 1

GCBAR Day 1, Sep 13, 2019:

DAY 1 VIDEO LINK

Our plan for Sep 2019 was to ride the COBDR but the snowfall during the past winter had Russ worried. In about July, Russ writes Rick and I to tell us about this route around the Grand Canyon he came across. It was mapped out by dave6253 on the Advrider forum. He tells us we can ride it instead of the COBDR and won't have to camp in snow caves. We are in.

We quickly begin new preparations, planning out gas stops, and seeking backcountry permits from the National Park. During this preparation period Rick informs us that he has had a few family emergencies occur and can't make it. The three amigos are now the dos amigos for the trip.
When the time arrives, we load Russ's trailer and drive to Kingman, AZ to unload and begin.

We leave the trailer and truck at this storage unit in Kingman.

Helmet Problem:

The face shield bolt came off of Russ's helmet during the long freeway ride on I40. Tape held it until we found a bolt and washer combination at the True Value store in Williams AZ.

After fixing the helmet, we can ride on.

We arrived at Tusayan and gassed up, then helped some young German ladies figure out how to pump gas into their rental car. We next filled our bellies and our water containers at the National Geographic Society Visitor's Center, then headed out on the dirt road for Havasupai Point.

Havasupai Entry Fee Area:

We met Hansen who was collecting the $25 per vehicle fee to cross the tribal lands. When you look at a map, it is clear that the road goes out of its way to cross the tribal lands. Clearly there was a political agreement involved here.

Hansen was very cheery and wished us well. He said he was leading a crew on a work project out here.

Road to Havasupai Point:

After the entry fee area, the road degraded. I learned later that the park has a policy to not improve or repair roads in the backcountry of the park.

Nearing the Rim

The road becomes more rocky as you approach the rim.

South Bass Trailhead:

The first stop along the way was the South Bass Trailhead. The Bass trail goes into the canyon from rim to rim, so there is also a North Bass Trailhead; however, the North Bass Trailhead was closed because of a fire on the North Rim.

We arrived at the trailhead at the beginning of the magic hour before sunset.

Here is the view into the canyon from South Bass Trailhead

The next stop on the way was Ruby Point. You can see Havasupai Point jutting out from the Ruby Point vista.

Havasupai point can be seen to the left.

Arriving at Havasupai Point

The narrow ridge visible from Havasupai Pt is known as the Grand Scenic Divide

There was no camping allowed at Havasupai Point so we had to backtrack to find a camping spot at Signal Hill

There was a full moon.

End of Day 1