Grand Canyon: Boucher to Tonto West (“Gems”), Elves Chasm, Royal Creek

Fantastic!!

Best report of the side canyons that I've read. The only thing I would add to anyone planning a similar trip is that you can descend into Slate more directly and avoid some bypasses by continuing on the Tonto (headed East) past where it crosses Slate, then descending when you can see a Tapeats tower in Slate – you'll end up at the saddle at the base of that tower and you can descend scree to the bed of Slate and walk to the river with no bypasses necessary.

I have updated and expanded my trip notes / beta on the Tonto West and the “Gems” side canyons based on several trips.  I hope this may be helpful to experienced GC hikers who may want to explore off-trail in this area, since Butchart and other guides don’t say much about it.

Tonto West – “Gems”

These notes on the Tonto West trail (South Bass to Boucher) and the “Gems” side canyons were compiled during several trips from 2014-2017. All of these trips were undertaken in winter or spring.   With varying degrees of difficulty from easy walking to rough scrambling (but no technical climbing) I found routes from the Tonto down most of the side canyons to the Colorado River – via Serpentine, Quartz, Ruby, Turquoise, Agate and Slate.

December through April I have always found water to be plentiful in this area, including at or near the Tonto trail crossings of Serpentine, Ruby, Turquoise, Sapphire & Slate.   At drier times of year the following sources may prove useful:

(1) Serpentine is a short and easy walk to the Colorado with no obstacles.
(2) Ruby provides a route downcanyon to the Colorado, requiring one scrambling bypass (2nd class).
(3) In Turquoise, a substantial stream emerges ~0.25 miles below the trail crossing.  In spring it has been equal in size to Boucher Creek, and the vegetation suggests that it may be perennial.

Serpentine

Trickling flow and pools are usually found at the trail crossing. I have heard first-hand from a ranger that several members of his hiking group experienced immediate GI reactions from drinking this water. However, on several visits over the past few years I have drunk gallons of fresh-tasting water from here without any ill effect. Personally, in springtime, I have no hesitation to continue to use it as a usefully-situated water source. Perhaps the water condition deteriorates at drier times of year.

The only campsite at the Serpentine crossing is a small platform 30ft above the bed on the W side, right on the trail. Heading E, the narrow and airy headland of the Tonto plateau between Serpentine and Emerald is not far away, with several established campsites.

Of all the Gems, Serpentine is the easiest walk downcanyon (DC) to the river.   The only obstacle is an acacia thicket just below the Tapeats narrows. Below here Serpentine is a broad valley; there is a brief narrowing with some gentle schist pouroffs before reaching the river.   The beach is golden sand, but limited flat areas make it unsuitable for a larger group to camp, and I have not seen boat trips make camp here. A bluff at the W end of the beach provides a great vantage point to watch river runners shoot the rapid.

“Emerald”

The canyon E of Serpentine that enters the Colorado at river mile 105.6 is sometimes called “Emerald”, although a different canyon that enters the Colorado from the N side at river mile 103.9 bears this name on the USGS topo.  The upper part of Emerald 105.6 has an intimidating appearance, and the crossing is the sketchiest part of the Tonto West trail. Emerald offers no easy slopes to descend downcanyon from the trail crossing. However, it reaches the Colorado close to the mouth of Serpentine, and I have explored it by heading upcanyon from the river.

Between the mouths of Serpentine and Emerald, the riverside schist is covered in awkward talus close to the angle of repose. In lower Serpentine, just upcanyon from the mouth, I found traces of an old trail leading up to the best traverse at the top of the talus, i.e. at the foot of the lowest cliff band.   Along the river nearing Emerald, after crossing the head of a ravine, there is a final large ridge of schist that forms the near wall of Emerald.   The Emerald drainage doglegs right just before the mouth, so this ridge runs almost parallel to the Colorado (the feature shows clearly on the topo).   Peering over the ridgeline, the Emerald side is an almost vertical cliff. There are several possibilities here. Turning right, a scramble higher up the ridgeline took me past the head of progressively less steep ravines.   I found a short but crumbly 3rd-class downclimb onto a talus slope to enter Emerald, but there may be an easier walk-down gully further up. Alternatively, turning left when reaching the ridgeline, a descending traverse on the gentler Colorado side of the ridge leads all the way down to river level and the narrow mouth of Emerald.

The lower part of Emerald is a broad valley similar to Serpentine with no obstacles.   A mile of easy walking upcanyon from the mouth brought me to the Tapeats narrows, where a pouroff with a high chockstone blocked progress decisively.   The Tonto trail crossing is not far above here, but I could see no prospect of any non-technical scrambling route up. For climbers, there may be an exposed route up through the Tapeats ledges just below the chockstone on the E side.

“Quartz”

The canyon W of Ruby that enters the Colorado at river mile 104.8 is sometimes called “Quartz”.   From the Tonto trail on either the W or E side there are obvious walk-down shortcuts before reaching the official trail crossing, bringing you down to the bed just above the Tapeats narrows.   There are overhang camps to be found here. The best I saw was low down on the E side, deep enough to protect a group from heavy rain. It had a low roof but an open aspect downcanyon.

The first ~0.7 mile DC in Quartz involved a few minor scrambles.   Then came the biggest obstacle, two consecutive dry falls in the schist.  To bypass both falls required a rough scramble on the W side up to the foot of a crumbling cliff ~75 feet above the bed.   It was not beyond 3rd class, but there was some exposure, and this is a steep unstable area with recent rockfall where great care is required.

Below this bypass it was ~0.2 mile to the lip of another dry fall. Below here, the gradient of the drainage is interrupted by pouroffs, but it descends in a straight line to the Colorado, visible below.   The last part of the descent turned out to be fairly straightforward. I scrambled a little higher up the schist slope on the E side to traverse the head of two steep ravines into a gentler walk-down gully with deer trails. I came back to the bed just above the lip of a last dry fall, and crossed to the W side to scramble down the last rocky slopes to the river’s edge.   There is no hint of a beach, just schist slickrock that slopes into the river.

From the mouth of Quartz, the boulders of Ruby beach are visible only 0.3 mile upriver.   Since Ruby Canyon also grants access between the Tonto trail and the river (described below), a loop is possible, descending one canyon, traversing along the river and returning to the Tonto via the other.  There seemed to be several possible lines to traverse the moderate schist slopes along the river between the mouth of Quartz and Ruby beach. The final approach to Ruby was the most awkward section. I descended a talus slope to come around the bottom of a last ridge at river level onto Ruby beach; it may be easier to scramble higher up and over the top of that ridge onto the walk-down slope behind Ruby beach.

Ruby

Ruby is interesting to explore.   I have always found flow in the lower reaches in the spring.   One 2nd-class bypass of a dry fall grants access to the Colorado.

Heading downcanyon from the trail there are ~1.5 easy miles until the dry fall.   The bypass is on the E side on an undulating ledge that goes no higher than ~20 feet above the lip of the pouroff.  Clambering through some brush and boulders allows you to remain close to the wall to avoid exposure. The traverse continues across some unusual white mica-rich bedrock that I have not identified.   Do not be tempted to try to descend the tricky white slopes since another obstacle, a massive chockstone, lies hidden below. Instead, stay close to the wall on the right, and traverse around the corner to enter a broad schist gully to descend.

The river is only ~0.1 mile further. The boulder-strewn beach has no easy camping. It juts out into the river while the rapid bends around it. Although the rapid is not severe, sitting on the outermost boulders of the beach would provide an interesting eye-to-eye view of river runners.   As described above, a scrambling traverse 0.3 mile W along the river provides access to the narrow mouth of Quartz.

“Jasper”

The canyon W of Turquoise at river mile 102.6 is sometimes called “Jasper”.   You cannot go far downcanyon, but the walk is worthwhile for the view. Just after the drainage cuts into some pink Zoroaster gneiss, a precipitous vertical pouroff drops into a huge tranquil abyss.

Turquoise

Near the trail crossing, the only reliable flow is just upcanyon on the W side, where a slow seep feeds into a tiny pool of anxious tadpoles. However, about 0.25 mile DC a substantial stream emerges, soon growing to equal the flow of Boucher Creek. I have not been there later than April, but the size of the stream and the vegetation suggest that it may be perennial.

Aside from the water supply, exploration of Turquoise further downcanyon is an interesting adventure. Below the trail crossing, it is fairly easy walking at first, slowed only by pools in the stream and vegetation.   ~0.8 mile DC the creek falls into a grotto, a lovely spot where I have twice encountered hummingbirds.   The vegetation makes it awkward to get right down into the grotto, and the downstream exit is blocked by a chockstone.   I made a long bypass, scrambling high on the W side, almost to the foot of the Tapeats. After traversing the head of several steep ravines in the pink gneiss, I used a narrow schist ravine to descend back to the bed (fairly steep, 3rd class in places). A further ~0.5 mile DC, a falls presented the second major obstacle. I scrambled up a short gully, again on the W side, but this time descended immediately.   This was more difficult 3rd class schist with some exposure.   From here, there remained another ~0.5 mile to the river, involving a few more short scrambles.   There is a pouroff at the narrow mouth.   To dip your toes in the Colorado would require a dangerously exposed clamber across slippery gneiss on the E side that I did not attempt.

Sapphire.

Camping at the Sapphire crossing is limited.   However, along the trail ~0.2 mile W of the Sapphire crossing there is a fine Tapeats overhang for rainy weather.   It is found in the second overhang formation visible above the trail, where the trail makes a diagonal climbing traverse up a fairly steep slope.

Downcanyon, below the Tapeats narrows, Sapphire sculpts several pouroffs through pink gneiss, easily passed on the W side.   It then enters a deep narrows, with boulders chocking the entrance.   Green & Ohlman claim that there is a route to the river down Sapphire, but they provide no details and make no mention of this barrier.   Negotiating the short drop at the chockstones might not be difficult for a skilled climber, but for a hiker/scrambler I have found no bypass.   The lower canyon continues in a deep slot with massive vertical walls.

Agate.

The Agate trail crossing is a dull boulder-strewn wash with no water and meager camping. However, Agate downcanyon is a fabulous exploration. It is a hanging valley, terminating in Granite Gorge high above the Colorado with a ~200ft vertical pouroff.   A vantage point above the lip provides an unusual perspective from midway up the wall of a steep part of the inner gorge.

From the trail crossing, Agate is easy walking downcanyon for almost a mile until a 20ft pouroff into a grotto. There is a short 2nd-class bypass on the E side.   Scramble up only about 30ft above the bed to make a short traverse across an open slope.   Then descend on smooth schist through a V-shaped notch to an unexpectedly convenient ramp back down to the bed just below the pouroff. The mouth is ~0.2 mile DC from here.  There is no need to go into the acacia thicket on the E side, instead go to the lip of the next pouroff to see an easy way to hop down. Finally, scramble up to take the natural route traversing the slopes on the W side (moderate 2nd class), eventually reaching a spectacular viewpoint on a bluff above the lip of the final huge dry fall.   There are views to the river far below and up and down this steep gneiss section of Granite Gorge. Obviously Agate does not grant access to water from the Colorado, but in spring I have always found flow and small pools in the lower reaches.

In the broad middle section of Agate, look up to the E to see a crack in the Tapeats cliffs where a promontory is falling away.   If you are heading E on the Tonto, this provides a pleasing shortcut to climb back up to the Tonto platform. It goes straight up the middle, 3rd class.  In a couple of spots some agility is required to maneuver a pack up through the ledges, but deep in the chimney there is little exposure.

Slate.

Heading downcanyon, pouroffs in the Tapeats narrows may be bypassed by twice using the easier ledges on the E side (the ledges on the W side are far more exposed and dangerous).   Below the narrows, the drainage meanders W into a series of slick pouroffs. These may be bypassed by scrambling over the obvious ridge that’s topped by a prominent Tapeats tower (2nd class, steep unstable slopes).   From the foot of the tower atop the ridge a further short scramble up through the Tapeats provides a shortcut to/from the Tonto platform on the E side. Back in the bed below the ridge, Slate is a long and uneventful walk to the river. There is a partial view of Crystal Rapids, limited by the steep E wall of lower Slate that terminates in a sharp corner at the narrow mouth.  There is no beach and nowhere to camp except a small bivy spot up in the boulder pile on the W side.

Slate is perhaps more interesting to explore upcanyon, with caves visible high in the Redwall. In their books, both Steck and Green & Ohlman describe routes into Slate all the way down from the rim at Jicarilla Point, but according to their accounts these routes go beyond basic scrambling, requiring a rope in several places.

Awesome stuff Ralph, thanks for that.