If one is looking for a challenging hike and some overnight camping, then the Grand Canyon National Park's hike to Tapeats Creek is sure to be delightful. It is an expert trail that requires experience, climbing ability and extreme fitness. Covering some twenty seven miles in a loop, it is best done over two or more days. In fact, it does run very close to the scenic Colorado River.

The trail loops around at Deer Creek, extending out over rough cross-country terrain. It includes beach walks passed the Colorado River, high altitudes looking down on the Granite Narrows and dips and turns without much warning.

Basic orienteering skills are essential. Being fit enough to scramble and climb downwards is also helpful. It is not for beginners by any sense of the imagination because summer temperatures are searingly hot, requiring a pre-sunrise beginning.

Camping spots can be found near the Colorado River's rapids (Hundred and Thirty-Five Mile), which expose campers to direct sunlight, with little protection from the rain or other weather conditions. However, more seasoned hiking veterans will continue for another three hours until they reach Lower Tapeats campground. Thankfully, the return hike is less strenuous, rising up the Deer Creek Trail to a pleasant valley. Very few will retrace their original steps.