Eminence Break

Distance: 4 miles round-trip
Duration: 8–9 hours
Elevation gain: 2,600 feet
Effort: Difficult
Trailhead: River left, mile 44

This rugged route starts at the lower campsite near President Harding Rapids [1]. The trail follows an old Indian route, crossing the Eminence Break Fault and leading up to the rim, where your efforts will be rewarded with sweeping views. Scrambling and climbing skills are needed to make the last couple of hundred feet, and the shadeless route shouldn’t be attempted during summer.

To find the trail, walk below the rapids, looking at the Redwall slope to the left. Getting to the top of the Redwall takes a little under an hour, so it’s a good destination if you aren’t planning a layover at Harding camp. From here, you’ll have good views of the river and the entrenched meander made by the Colorado River, carving out Point Hansbrough (named for Peter Hansbrough, one of the men who drowned during Robert Stanton’s ill-fated 1889 expedition).

If you continue, cairns lead the way through Supai cliffs and slopes, requiring scrambling past the upper Supai. The slope is very steep, with a lot of loose rock. From the Kaibab limestone rim, you’ll have views of the Echo and Vermilion Cliffs to the north, the forested Kaibab Plateau [2] to the west, and flat-topped Shinumo Altar directly east. The trail tops out near Tatahatso Point, an overlook on the western Navajo Reservation.