Stairway Canyon
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| | Difficulty:2A VI (v1a1 VI) Raps:3, max ↨45ft
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| Best season: | Spring;Fall
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36.2577, -112.9559
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Introduction
An infrequently visited tributary of the Colorado entering just before river mile 172. Most visitors are river-runners, but an occasional hiker will ascend Stairway as part of a Tuckup loop, or, an exit after a technial descent of Fern Glen or Willow.
Approach
There is a nice small beach camp on the Colorado where Stairway enters, although it seems less used than other beaches on the river.
Very rarely will Stairway be descended by hikers, but for those approaching from above, the options are:
- Tuckup Trail
- Or, a more direct approach parking on the Schmutz Spring road, hiking south via either of the 2 overgrown roads, then finding a way through the cliffs to the Esplanade bench to pick-up the Tuckup trail.
Descent
Ascending from the Colorado, there are 3 or 4 obstacles in the Redwall to overcome, the difficulty likely increasing as you progress.
- A ~20ft angled wall in a cirque needs to be climbed direct. Maybe 4th class.
- A ~20ft waterfall should be bypassed on the right along a sloping dirt ledge - immediately after re-entering the drainage is teh chute to bypass the 3rd obstacle.
- If you keep going up-canyon, you'll be blocked by a vertical ~50ft waterfall, back-track then ascending an obvious chute with loose rock on the left (Looking up-canyon).
- The major obstacle is a ~300ft dryfall in the Redwall. This is avoided on the left (looking up-canyon), by hiking up scree and loose rock to go around a point into steep a parrallel drainage. Hike up this gully to a narrow V-shaped crack at the top. The first ~10ft is low 5th class without exposure and a pretty flat landing area, then another ~20ft at 4th class. Pack hauling is preferred given you'll likely have a big heavy pack, and, the crack feels a little bulgy with a pack on. It is low 5th class, not a difficult climb by any means.
You can exit the Supai in various places towards the top.
There will be trickling water in the Muav, and there should be at least pothole water in the Redwall below the 50ft fall.
- In May 2025 there was a pool of water under boulders near the base of the 300ft dryfall
- In May 2025 there was a pool of water surrounded by greenery about 100 yards up-canyon from the top of the 300ft dryfall, it looked permanent, but might not be.
There is a special campsite above the 300ft dryfall, perched on the point in-between the bypass and the drainage (they're only ~100 yards apart).
Exit
Most hikers will ascend Stairway, then follow the Tuckup Trail up-canyon back to Schmutz Spring.
The water at Willow Spring is mineralized and will likely cause gastro issues.
A couple of more direct exits to the Schmutz Spring Road are from Willow Spring:
- Easier but longer, exit west to an old road
- Shorter but harder, exit north through the "Pinnacle Pass"
Red tape
A backcountry permit is required at all times for an overnight trip in Grand Canyon National Park, Stairway Canyon is in Use-Area LC9 (The Dome).
Also, on the Kanab plateau, an America The Beautiful annual pass is required to enter the park boundary.
Beta sites
Super Amazing Map : Stairway Canyon
Grand Canyoneering Book by Todd Martin : Stairway Canyon- Grand Canyon Loop Hikes by George Steck
Trip reports and media
- Go Carefully Blog : Tuckup Canyon / Stairway Canyon Loop, 2012
- Back Country Post : Tuckup to Stairway - Grand Canyon, 2017
- Bob's Arches : Photo of an arch above Sairway Canyon
- Bob's Arches : Enlarged photo of an arch above Sairway Canyon
- Reddit : User Panafoot describes how they failed to climb up Stairway, being forced to retreat back to Tuckup