Conditions:Garden Creek-20230526143914

Latest:	24 May 2023 (15 days ago)

Reported by:	Mojojojo (20 reports)
Quality:	Amazing
Waterflow:	Moderate
Wetsuit:	None
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Normal
Time:	File:TimeX.png day	File:BarX.png

Team: 3 people with experience level Advanced to Intermediate

Trip report URL:

Comments: Beautiful perfect descent! The water and air temps were perfect for no wetsuit. We took our time and spent 2 nights at havasupai gardens (before and after canyon) and it made for a really enjoyable experience. I know people do this route in a day …. I don’t think I would lol! So much hiking!!! Highly recommend at least one night camping. Tips for the route: I studied pics and videos of the cascade sequence and felt really comfortable spotting the re-belay station. It would’ve been tough to spot had I not done this, but since I did it was easy. The first down climb sketched me out because I’m super short (5 ft). There is a Boulder w webbing and quick link above the first down climb on the top of the cliff DCL you can use to skip that first sketchy down climb if you want to. Also, we didn’t bring our stuff sacks and spent a lot of time untangling rope. Next time I will bring stuff sacks for all rope to avoid this issue. Overall, great canyon and incredible rappels and views. I will definitely repeat!

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
24 May 2023	Amazing	Moderate	None	Normal	File:TimeX.png day File:BarX.png	3 people Advanced to Intermediate	Mojojojo (20 reports)
Comment: Beautiful perfect descent! The water and air temps were perfect for no wetsuit. We took our time and spent 2 nights at havasupai gardens (before and after canyon) and it made for a really enjoyable experience. I know people do this route in a day …. I don’t think I would lol! So much hiking!!! Highly recommend at least one night camping. Tips for the route: I studied pics and videos of the cascade sequence and felt really comfortable spotting the re-belay station. It would’ve been tough to spot had I not done this, but since I did it was easy. The first down climb sketched me out because I’m super short (5 ft). There is a Boulder w webbing and quick link above the first down climb on the top of the cliff DCL you can use to skip that first sketchy down climb if you want to. Also, we didn’t bring our stuff sacks and spent a lot of time untangling rope. Next time I will bring stuff sacks for all rope to avoid this issue. Overall, great canyon and incredible rappels and views. I will definitely repeat!
31 Oct 2022	Amazing	Moderate	Full wetsuit	Normal	11 hours	2 people Intermediate to Advanced	Jawx0420 (40 reports)
Comment: We finally made the trip down to Garden Creek to celebrate Mandy's birthday a few days early! What an incredible experience. We have hiked the GC several times before but this was our first official Grand Canyoneering route. The trails were empty which made the hike in/out more enjoyable. We started at 6am and made it to the drop in point in just over 2 hours. The technical section was very enjoyable and the flow was perfect! The water is extremely cold this time of the year and there isn't much sun exposure if you start early like we did. We wore full wetsuits which was required in my opinion. We did experience a pretty significant rope pull issue at the re-belay station. It took us at least 30 minutes to remedy the situation. Morale of the story is, once you start pulling, don't stop. All anchors were in good shape and the beta is spot on. The hike out is difficult but that's to be expected. Our shoulders were hurting more than anything from the heavy packs / wet gear. We could have easily completed this route in >10 hours if we didn't experience the pull issue. We will definitely be back!
20 Sep 2022	Amazing	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	6 hours	4 people Intermediate to Advanced	Arielsnothererightnow (6 reports)
Comment: TL;DR Absolutely beautiful canyon! Regular GC steep/long exit. Bring trekking poles. Canyon itself is amazing. It’s in th GC so the long & steep (fat elev loss/gain) entrance & exits are to be expected. Make sure all parties have experience hiking in these conditions. I personally think trekking poles are required, especially w a heavy pack. Start early & bring headlamps. The first two (mile 1.5 and mile 3) water stations on the way in/out were DRY (broken pipe was reported). The third station at Indian gardens has water and obviously you could filter the canyon flow if you wanted. For a pretty consistent (I consider myself fit) AZ hiker, I drank right around 3/3.5 liters for the entire canyon. We wore 2mm shorty’s and it was like the perfect temp on Sept 20th
19 Sep 2022	Good	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	11 hours	4 people Intermediate to Advanced	EMoorcroft (282 reports)
Comment: 3.5 hr approach from bright angel. 3.5 hr canyon. 4 hr exit. Low flow. Wore shory wetsuits and neoprene socks and were all very comfortable. Anchors in good shape. Water is shut off at 1.5 mi and 3 mile rest stops, updates available at visitor center website. 1 to 2 liters per person was adequete. Finished the exit in the dark which is always nice.
5 Sep 2022	Great	Low	None		12 hours	3 people Advanced	RFontaine (125 reports)
Comment: A very long trip to a short but beautiful desert paradise! We started our hike on Bright Angel Trail at 6pm, down to Indian Gardens Campground where we stayed the night. Took us 3hrs to get to the campground. From the campground we hiked 45min down to the approach in the late morning. The canyon had one sunny section but for the most part was shaded. Very pretty but the flow was very low, which made it much less exciting. Most raps are low angle walk downs. One rap in particular near the end was very neat and pretty being a shear fluted section. I didn't wear a wetsuit and was plenty comfy in the water. The technical section is very short and was over before we knew it. We hiked back up to Indian Gardens where we had stashed our stuff. I believe the from the exit to the campground took us about 2hrs at a moderate to slow pace. The sun was out, it was hot midday, but very bearable, lots of spots to rest in the shade. We chilled at the campground for about 30mins before heading back up Bright Angel at 4pm. By this time the sun had mostly hidden behind the canyon walls and we were in the shade for 95% of the exit hike. From the Indian Gardens to the top took us 3hrs & 20mins at a moderate pace with a few breaks. Total time was 12 hours which doesn't count stopping for the night at the campground. For the effort and time spent, I feel it would be more worthwhile to go back when there is significantly more flow, spend a bit more time down there and do multiple canyons in one trip. FYI, The water is turned off at both rest stops on the way to Indian Gardens as there was a pipe break, not sure how long until it is fixed. However, the spigot at Indian Gardens is on.
30 Apr 2022	Amazing	Moderate	Thin wetsuit	Normal	2 days	6 people	Rglenn (17 reports)
Comment: All wore wetsuits, 2 wore shorty and 4 wore full 3/2. None of us were either cold or to hot. CFS was higher with additional force than last October, but nothing drastic. This is an amazing fun Canyon! After finishing canyon we continued to Phantom Ranch and stayed in the cabin we reserved. Along with shower, steak dinner and breakfast this makes it a 5 star adventure. Oh, and the mules carried our ropes, wetsuits and harnesses back to the Rim. Day 2 we ascended S Kaibab Trail.
24 Apr 2022	Great	Moderate	Rain jacket	Normal	13 hours	2 people Advanced	Nclegg (275 reports),EMoorcroft (282 reports)
Comment: Time includes of descent of East Pipe Creek followed by Garden Creek. Approached via S Kaibab and exited via Bright Angel. Reached the start of Garden in about 5 hours. Descent of Garden took 3.5h moving at a moderate pace. No wetsuits. Wore a rain jacket with neoprene socks and was only slightly chilly towards the end. One swimmer, numerous wades. Chains at rebelay station are hard to miss. Devil’s Corkscrew was even more fun the second time around. Exit took about 4 hours. Some sheep kicked down a moderately-sized rock onto the trail that nearly struck Eric, so pay attention to your surroundings on the switchbacks out and don’t do anything that might provoke the local bighorn community.
23 Apr 2022	Amazing	Moderate	Thin wetsuit	Normal	13 hours	7 people Brand new to Advanced	Ben albrecht (4 reports)
Comment: Stellar canyon, after the downclimb it’s pretty shady about until 11:30. The first pitch anchor is good enough and the rest bomber! Got into the sun for the last few raps. Team of seven with 3 ropes and a pull cord. Finished and went to pipe creek beach before hiking out!
29 Aug 2021	Amazing	Moderate Low	None	Normal	2 days	2 people Intermediate to Advanced	EMoorcroft (282 reports)
Comment: 3rd time doing this route, and the first time doing it as an overnight. Highly reccomend the overnight option. 1st drop is easiest downcl9mbed in the watercourse. 1st rapp anchor (knot chock) is a moderate downclimb. All anchors were great. Pull issues may occur while pulling the 2nd rapp of the multi stage. we pulled from high and back, and had a partner whip the rope to relieve friction caused by the water as it lays in the watercourse. Camping beta: Faxed the permit request a week on advance and got the permits in 2 days. Indian gardens has awnings at each site which was useful for hammock Camping. The food storage boxes at IG are big enough to hold gear, so you can lighten your load for the route. Packing light and breaking this up into an overnight made it much more enjoyable. Hiked out at 2 am to beat the heat. The second to last rapp is the banner photo chute rappel.
24 Apr 2021	Amazing	Very Low	Thin wetsuit	Easy	9 hours	2 people Intermediate to Advanced	Triggerfish (22 reports)
Comment: Slept Friday on nearby Nat Forest land. Hounded down overpriced McBreakfasts on way through GC gate. Bright Angel Trailhead 0830. Suited up at dropin 1000. Used 2mm shorties, and were very comfortable. Prob would have been fine in just boardshorts. Wore felt sole tabis in the slot. Fantastic grip on algae, but still slippy (what isn’t?) on dry polished rock. Used a 200’ rope and 200’ pullcord. All anchors solid. Raps all relatively low angle, with easy starts. Clean, easy pulls. Flow perfect - not pushy. Garden Creek looked decent to purify/drink, but got a little less so near the end. We purified some from a small, clear other stream we crossed in the gully between Garden Creek and the trail. The long, steep outhike is the only reason this isn’t mad crowded, and could be a prob for beginners or kids. We hiked hard. Back at trailhead at 1745. It’s a long day, but we both were glad we daytripped it. Adding the pack weight of overnight gear to our pounds of wet canyon gear? No thanks!
21 Mar 2021	Amazing	Moderate Low	Full wetsuit	Normal	9 hours	4 people Brand new to Intermediate	Amoryn (2 reports)
Comment: Most. gorgeous. canyon. ever. We got a permit for 2 nights at Indian Gardens so we were really able to take our time & enjoy everything. Hike down Bright Angel was icy in sections towards the top but perfect mid-70's (daytime) temps at the campground. Also, something like 30-35 mph wind gusts were predicted for Saturday afternoon at the airport (which had us a little concerned) but the winds were almost completely blocked in the canyon & even more so in GC. We wore 5/4 mm wetsuits & paddling jacket to help with evaporative cooling. The first downclimb was a challenge for me on the slick rock & awkward angles. Thank goodness for help from friends. All anchors were perfect and easy to access. We brought more rope then was necessary. Met a new friend in the canyon (hi friend!) who ran it with a 200-ft rope and 200-ft pull cord. Good to know for next time. Super super special place! Can't wait to go back.
21 Mar 2021	Good	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	10 hours	1 people Intermediate	TinyDancer (1 reports)
Comment: All anchors were in excellent condition. The flow was moderate due to recent snow melt. Temps that day were in the low 60s. Should not need a wetsuit soon unless you run cold. 08:00 am: Tiny Dancer stared down Bright Angel trail. 10:00 am: Informed Indian Garden Park Ranger of where Tiny Dancer was going. 10:30 am: Tiny Dancer arrived at Garden Creek Drop-in, suited up, and snacked on Lucky Charms. 12:00 pm: Passed a group of 4. Hey frens :) 01:30 pm: Tiny Dancer exited Garden Creek, took a 30 min break, ate some fried chicken & a cookie. 02:30 pm: Checked in at Indian Garden ranger station. 06:00 pm: Arrived back at car.
14 Nov 2020	Amazing	Moderate Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	11 hours	1 people	Morgan (103 reports)
Comment: What a beautiful canyon. Anchors all in good shape. Special attention is required when rigging the R5 anchors as the rapides that end each of the fixed chains are quite large. My standard-sized carabiner could conceivably have passed through them if loaded along its long axis. Car to car time includes a descent of the east fork of Pipe Creek.
28 Jun 2020	Great	Low	None	Normal	8 hours	3 people Beginner to Intermediate	Doctors out (25 reports)
Comment: Great canyon, but access is a monster. Downclimbed past the first anchor (didn't even see it) which threw off our rap count/beta a bit. Make sure you rig appropriately if you can't see the bottom. Fun but short canyon. Pushed on the hike out and made it up in 3 hours. 8 hours roundtrip.
28 Jun 2020	Great	Very Low	None	Normal	9 hours	3 people Beginner to Intermediate	EMoorcroft (282 reports)
Comment: 2nd time on this route and it is top on my list for Arizona canyons. keeping group size down to 3 this time improved efficiency and cut down on time. the approach is awesome, but the exit can be a long haul if done in one day. kept all pulls on the right and double checked rigging before the chute and cascading waterfall. This proved to be beneficial in our case. a possible biner pinch on the pull was prevented, and no issues were had. A yellow grivel helmet was left atop the last rapp sequence down the cascading water fall. one member of our group made it car to car in 8 hours. we took our time and stopped at all 3 rest points on the way out and did it in 9 hours. 9

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