Nankoweap Canyon, located in the extreme northeastern part of Grand Canyon National Park, is rich in both geologic and cultural history. Beginning with explorer John Wesley Powell in the late 1800s, scientists have flocked to this massive side canyon to examine unique geologic features such as one-of-a-kind rock strata and billion-year-old plant fossils.

During this high-intensity backpack, the class will visit the upper reaches of the Chuar Valley, created by the massive Butte Fault, and examine rare rock groups that hold a key piece to the canyon’s many unfolding formation theories. Participants will also explore other rugged mesas and buttes where breathtaking views await, and consider such geologic wonders as Tilted Mesa and the Nankoweap Delta beside the Colorado River. The delta was home to a thriving Ancestral Puebloan community centuries ago, the architectural remains of which will also provide ample interpretive fodder.

This class will begin with an orientation in the Marble Canyon area and will carpool to the trailhead on rough but reliable U.S. Forest Service dirt roads.