• Distance: 2 miles round-trip
• Duration: Less than 1 hour
• Elevation gain: 800 feet
• Effort: Moderate
• Trailhead: River right, mile 188

The shortest river-to-rim hike in Grand Canyon, this trail starts at a prehistoric ruin, passes through an ancient lava flow, and ends at a historic line cabin—an interesting timeline, especially if you add the modern helipad across the river on the Hualapai Reservation, used for passenger exchanges.

A short walk across the beach leads to a masonry ruin, protected by cliffs and a retaining wall built by the Park Service. To the left of the ruin are some pictographs. To the right, a trail leads up to the rim, where local ranchers built a line shack.

At this point, the walls of the canyon rise less than 1,000 feet from the river, and a Bureau of Land Management road leading from St. George, Utah, crosses through ranch land to the edge of the canyon. With a good map and a high-clearance vehicle, it’s possible to access Whitmore Wash from above.