The wife, mutt and I spent 4/18-4/26 traveling to and from Toroweap in the AZ Strip. Spent 2 days driving to St George where we topped up on water and fuel and visited the BLM office for info and camping permits for Toroweap. We picked up the BLM Arizona Strip Visitor Map which is highly detailed and a must have for exploring the area.
Hit the dirt at Colorado City and headed south. Our timing was perfect for wildflowers, everything was in bloom, creosote, yuccas, cactus, mallow etc. Spent 2 nights at the primitive campsite at Toroweap with only a few other campers, very quiet and awesome views. The views from Toroweap point itself are incredible, you are 3000 feet above the Colorado river at the top of a shear cliff. We saw massive motor rafts on the river which looked like tiny dots from the top. Downstream you can see Lava Rapids which is one of the biggest in the Grand Canyon. The rapids were formed when lava flows dammed the river and then the river cut through them again.
From Toroweap we headed back north a ways and then west to Mt Trumball where there is a historic schoolhouse. On the way we stopped at the Nampaweap Petroglyph site and hiked in. We turned south at Mt Trumball and went to Whitmore point and camped right on the edge of the cliff. More awesome views and total solitude. Worked our way NW on roads that varied from good dirt to 4w low creeping. Finally came out near Mesquite and headed toward home. Camped outside Beatty NV at a spot we've seen tortoises before and saw one just 20 yards from camp.
All in all an awesome trip. Anyone who's going to be in the St George UT area should take the time and effort to at least see Toroweap. Pictures of the view are awesome but don't compare to actually dangling your legs off the cliff and seeing it for yourself.
Pica at: https://toroweapapril2015.shutterfly.com/pictures/8
Hit the dirt at Colorado City and headed south. Our timing was perfect for wildflowers, everything was in bloom, creosote, yuccas, cactus, mallow etc. Spent 2 nights at the primitive campsite at Toroweap with only a few other campers, very quiet and awesome views. The views from Toroweap point itself are incredible, you are 3000 feet above the Colorado river at the top of a shear cliff. We saw massive motor rafts on the river which looked like tiny dots from the top. Downstream you can see Lava Rapids which is one of the biggest in the Grand Canyon. The rapids were formed when lava flows dammed the river and then the river cut through them again.
From Toroweap we headed back north a ways and then west to Mt Trumball where there is a historic schoolhouse. On the way we stopped at the Nampaweap Petroglyph site and hiked in. We turned south at Mt Trumball and went to Whitmore point and camped right on the edge of the cliff. More awesome views and total solitude. Worked our way NW on roads that varied from good dirt to 4w low creeping. Finally came out near Mesquite and headed toward home. Camped outside Beatty NV at a spot we've seen tortoises before and saw one just 20 yards from camp.
All in all an awesome trip. Anyone who's going to be in the St George UT area should take the time and effort to at least see Toroweap. Pictures of the view are awesome but don't compare to actually dangling your legs off the cliff and seeing it for yourself.
Pica at: https://toroweapapril2015.shutterfly.com/pictures/8
