Saddle Mountain Wilderness, North Kaibab National Forest, AZ

Dates

May 4th - May 10th 2008

Service Project

Trail maintenance on North Canyon, East Rim trails

Free Days

hike into the Grand Canyon, climb Saddle Mountain

Accommodations

Tent camping at drive-in spike camp

Trip Rating

Challenging : hiking several miles to worksite each day, bending, digging, lifting, altitude, carrying tools

Leaders

Ruth Rosenstein
Richard Johnson

Equipment

The Kaibab National Forest is part of the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in the United States. Bordering both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, the 1.6 million acres of the Kaibab has the distinction of being divided by one of Nature's greatest attractions. The Kaibab Plateau is an island of forested land surrounded by a sea of sage and grasslands. Kaibab is a Paiute Indian word that translates to mountain lying down. Most of the plateau was set aside in 1893 as part of the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve. In 1908, the Forest Reserve north of the Grand Canyon was renamed the Kaibab National Forest. The North Kaibab is atop a monocline and rises to 8000 feet with excellent views of the Grand Canyon.

This year we will work in the Saddle Mountain Wilderness on the North Canyon Trail. We'll camp in a remote spike camp, and the forest service will provide a water buffalo and all the necessary tools. On our free days, we can climb Saddle Mountain with its spectacular views into House Rock Valley and Marble Canyon, or hike the Nankoweap corridor in the Park.

We'll be camped at approximately 8500 feet and will hike several miles into the canyon each day to the work sites. We might see bison, California condors, hawks and bobcats.