Shinumo Creek & Elves Chasm : Day４ Grand Canyon Rafting Trip!

2025/09/06 - 2025/09/12

7 Day Motorized Rafting Trip

Day 4: Thrilling Rapids and Beautiful waterfalls.
(River Mile 92 - 120: A 30-mile journey through the Upper Granite Gorge)

“What are the best hikes and side canyons to explore during a river trip in the Grand Canyon?”
That's a tough one to answer because there are so many gems, but Sinumo Creek and Elves Chasm are definitely among the best!

In the morning we enjoyed thrilling whitewater rafting in the Upper Granite Gorge.
After the rapids,we refreshed ourselves at the crystal-clear waterfalls of side canyons.

6AM : Coffee call
There was also watermelon for breakfast today!

8:00 AM: Start!
We left Camp Trinity (Mile 92) by boat.
The river was very beautiful in the morning light.

エリア グランドキャニオン周辺(アメリカ)

• 旅行の満足度: 5.0
• 観光: 5.0

• 旅行の手配内容: 個別手配

8:20AM : Near Granite Rapid (94mile)
You can see this rapid from Pima Point (Hermit Road viewpoint on the South Rim).
https://www.nps.gov/places/000/pima-point.htm

Hermits Rapid (mile95)
The second rapid of the day -and my favorite!
The waves were huge and it was so exciting!!

8:40AM
After Hermit Rapid
Travertine Canyon (mile96)
We passed by Travertine Canyon on the river.
Travertine is a type of limestone formed by mineral springs.

Our guide mentioned 'travertine' many times during the trip.

At that time, I didn't really understand what it was.
But now I do.
It is a unique white and orange rock formed by mineral-rich water.

9:00AM 99mile : Cristal Rapid

History note :
In December 1966, a large flood brought many massive rocks into the river from Crystal Creek. Overnight, it created one of the biggest and most dangerous rapids in the Grand Canyon.

How are rapids made?
Huge rocks are carried from side canyons during a debris flows(flash flood).
These rocks block the river and create big waves!

Most rapids in the Grand Canyon were formed thousands of years ago.
We don’t know if they were created by one massive event or by many small debris flows over a long time.
However, for Crystal Rapid, we know exactly when it happened.
It was born in a single night in December 1966.
It is a "young" rapid that shows us the power of nature in our modern history.

During the morning Rapids, we were wearing rain jackets because the cold river water splashed over us again and again.

9:10 AM : Just below Crystal Rapid
The view from the boat was amazing!
We enjoyed the views of the Upper Granite Gorge.
We could see the Vishnu Basement Rocks (metamorphic rocks) and Granite.
These dark rock walls were very tall and powerful.

You can see the walls of Crystal Canyon from "Hermits Rest" (A lookout point located at the western end of the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park)

I took this photo from Hermits Rest.

Seven days before this moment, I had been looking down at this canyon from Hermits Rest!

9:25AM -106mile
Just before Serpentine Rapid

The scenery on both sides of the river began to chang.

Bass Canyon(108)

We could see Grand Canyon Superiorgroup(Shinumo Quartzite and Bass formation) again.
The Bass formation was rugged and dark.
Until now, we had seen "Vishnu Schist" and "Granite" under the "Tapeats Sandstone."
But here, these layers appeared between them.

10:10-10:25AM -mile108 (Ros Wheeler)
We made a brief stop here.

History note : The Ross Wheeler steel boat abandoned by motion picture man Charles S.Russell in 1915. It still remains here.

11:00AM -Shinumo Creek (mile109)

We started a short hike along a fresh stream toward a waterfall.
It was a beautiful hike through metamorphic rock formations.

Along the way, I noticed some "wrinkled" gneiss.
These rocks had been twisted and wrinkled by huge pressure long ago,

The views were scenic and amazing. This is one of my favorite places in the canyon!

After a scenic walk upstream, we reached a refreshing waterfall.
Although I had been observing the metamorphic rocks and gneiss along the way, I was so excited when I arrived that I didn't notice the travertine covering them.
At that time, I was just wondering, 'What kind of rock layer is this?'

Now I finally understand that it was the 'travertine' the guide was talking about! The travertine was layered right on top of the ancient metamorphic rocks.

It was a small but powerful waterfall .

You can go behind the rock and emerge right into the waterfall.

The water pressure was so strong that I couldn’t even lift my head!
On top of that, the water hit my lower back so hard that I felt a sharp pain.

Fortunately, it only hurt when I moved in certain ways.
As long as I moved carefully, I didn't feel any pain.
So, I could still enjoy the rest of the day!

12:00PM - 110mile Camp : Lunch time
We had tacos for lunch.

There is a lot of greenish-black schist.

As we continued down the river after lunch, we saw a solo boater passing by.
In the background, the ancient Vishnu Schist was clearly visible, with smooth, polished surfaces known as fluting.

After passing the Monument Fault, we saw amazing folds in the rocks.
Following the Butte Fault from the previous day, I felt the great power of the Earth again. It was so exciting!
The rock layers were bent like soft clay. Nature is incredible.

1:40PM
As we got closer to the landing spot for Elves Chasm, the scenery changed again.
On the left side, where we were about to land, the Bright Angel Shale appeared to reach the river.
On the other side, I could see much older basement rocks, with layered formations above them.

2:00PM Elves Chasm -(mile117)

Elves Chasm lies in a small side canyon off the main river.
It is a quiet place and feels like a hidden oasis.
Compared to Shinumo Creek, the pool here felt deeper and richer in water.

There is even a hidden tunnel. If you follow it, you can climb up to a ledge partway up the waterfall. From there, some people even jump into the deep pool below.

The travertine here is very thick, and the large rock used as a jumping platform may be a collapsed piece of it.

We also jumped from this ledge.
It was a fun and exciting experience in such a quiet oasis.
The rock here, which forms the jumping point, seems to be a large piece of travertine, with many small holes that give it a porous texture.

At the time, I didn’t fully understand it, but later I learned that this kind of porous texture is typical of travertine.

On the way back to the boat after playing in the water, we walked among many large, rounded rocks.
They seemed to be pieces of travertine, rounded by erosion over time.
Some layered rocks were also visible, but it was difficult to tell whether they were Tapeats Sandstone or Muav Limestone.

Looking back at the photos later, I noticed the rock layers.
From the riverbank where our boat was parked, the cliff on the opposite side looked like the Tapeats Sandstone.
Looking even closer at the photos, I can see a bit of metamorphic rock underneath the Tapeats layer.
This must be the 'Great Unconformity.

At the time, I didn't realize it.
Photography allows me to discover things I missed during the exciting river trip.

When I looked at the photos of the hike back to the boat, I found something amazing.
From a distance, I could see the entire sequence of layers clearly.

At the top was the iconic Redwall Limestone (same figure as the previous photo), followed by the Muav, then the gentle green slopes of the Bright Angel Shale, and finally the Tapeats Sandstone at the bottom.

Then I knew for sure: the rock right in front of our boat was the Tapeats layer!

2:40PM
We got back on the boat and continued down the river toward our campsite.
3:00PM
As we got closer, I could clearly see the Tapeats Sandstone along the right bank.

This time, I could recognize it right away.

mile120 - 119.8mile Camp
4:00PM

Down stream view from our today’s campground site!
The setting sun turned the Redwall into a brilliant orange, and its shine reflected beautifully on the surface of the Colorado River

Upstream view.

At the campsite, some people set up their cots right by the river, but we chose to stay up on the sand dunes.

In the bushes on the sandy hills, I came across a Velvet Ant.
Its velvet-like texture was so unique and beautiful.
It is not actually an ant, but a type of wasp.
You can learn more about this insect below.
https://www.sfzoo.org/velvet-ant/

That night, the stars were incredibly beautiful.
Then I realized that the moon, which had been so bright on the previous nights, had not risen yet.