Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist

Hiking the Tanner Trail – The Grand Canyon

Cold weather hiking at the Grand Canyon? Yes, of course… it’s not so bad. Well, there was some snow on the trail to hike in. The temps were chilly, but just divine to hike in! No worries about getting too hot or dehydrated in this kind of weather. We started hiking about 9am, not worried about beating the heat if we were hiking during the hotter months. The snow on the trail was more powdery and not too slick, maybe due to the temps being in the teens. It was about 20 degrees when we started moving downward. The trail drops quickly to a spectacular view looking west. Overall, the Tanner Trail offers big sweeping views and is best hiked in cooler months due to the lack of shade. We eventually arrived at the top of the Redwall for a lunch break, enjoying the panoramic views of the river below. The Redwall section is rough but drops quickly like the top section. Then, the trail meanders along ridges and slopes to the drainage that leads to the Tanner Rapids. The trail is about 9 miles and we all arrived by 3:30, in time to watch the shadows lengthen and set up camp near the Tanner Rapids. The night was a chilly 35 degrees. I bundled up and was mostly comfortable, but my lightweight sleeping bag rated for 28 degrees wasn’t quite enough to stay warm. I awoke about 6am the next morning and took off hiking to warm up and to catch the sunrise. Puffy clouds interfered for a dramatic sunrise, but the views of the meandering river were worth the trek. I dropped back down to the camp for a hot breakfast. Later that morning, I took out my paints for a oil study of the rapids and cliffs above. After lunch we took the Beamer Trail for just over 2 miles up canyon to explore. On returning to camp, I whipped up a couple more oil paintings before dinner. We spent time refilling our water for the hike out the next morning. Some hikers got an early start and the other half got going a little after 7:30. It was a joy to watch the canyon fill with morning light. The temps stayed comfortable for the hard climb up. Right before the last 2-mile steep push to the top, clouds rolled in for some interesting shadows. My brother’s new boots were causing him pain and he decided to take the last 2 miles in flip flops. They worked just fine for him! Will this be a new trend? Snowflakes drifted down just before finishing the hike. It was thrilling to watch the snowstorm blow in from Lipan Point! Enjoy these pictures from the hike:

Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Lipan Point – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Snow on top of Tanner Trail
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Snow on top of Tanner Trail
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Big View West after the first descent down the Tanner Trail
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Descending the Redwall – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Butterscotch Castle – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Fall Colors – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Hiking on the Tanner Trail – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Lines of Light – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Hiking on the Tanner Trail – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Boulder Chess – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Hiking down the Tanner Trail – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Afternoon Quiet – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Tanner Rapids – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon oil painter
Afternoon at Tanner Rapids
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Fly Fishing – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Sunset inside the Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Sunsetting at Tanner Rapids
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
View above Tanner Rapids – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Meandering River – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Moonset – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Sunrise – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
First Light – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Signs of Autumn – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Sun Arriving – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Sunrise inside the Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Morning Reflections – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Plein Air Painting – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Russell plein air painting at Tanner Rapids (photo credit R.F.)
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Plein Air Painting – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Russell plein air painting at Tanner Rapids (Photo Credit R.F.)
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Hiking Beamer Trail – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Along Beamer Trail – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Shadows – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Along Beamer Trail – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Along Beamer Trail – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
On the Beach – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Spots of Green – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Little Cactus – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Plein Air Painting – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Afternoon Light – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Plein Air Painting – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Watching Tanner Rapids – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist`
Sunset at the Colorado River – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Sunset at the Colorado River – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Sunset at Tanner Rapids

Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Morning Moon – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Sunrise from Tanner Trail – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Hiking Out, Clouds Moving in at Tanner Trail
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
View from Tanner Trail
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Along the Tanner Trail
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Russell Johnson the Hiker (Photo Credit R.F.)
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon oil painter
Flip Flop Hiker on Tanner Trail
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Snow Coming – Lipan Point, The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Lipan Point, Blowing Snow – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Prescott, AZ oil painter
Lipan Point, Blowing Snow – The Grand Canyon
Russell Johnson Grand Canyon artist
Group at Tanner Trailhead