This trip began with a trip down the Lava Falls Route at the terminus of the Toroweap Valley. The Lava Falls Route is oftentimes referred to as a "trail" but it is not. Although it is only 1.5 miles from the trailhead to the Colorado River, the descent is an amazing 2,500’. Legend says that the NPS ranger at Toroweap from 1942-1980, John Riffey, built the trail down the crumbly ancient lava flow, but it is probably an ancient Anasazi route.

I drove my little Neon to just past the Toroweap Lake before I was forced to park and walk the rest of the way. I signed the register and started down about 7:30 am. There is not much of a view unless you stop to rest and look around. I spent most of my time looking just ahead of my feet! The cinders are slippery, and the rocks all loose. Although really well marked, the route required rough scrambling.

Just before the final descent down the chute with extremely loose scree and cinders I saw my first Rattlesnake of the year, a Great Basin Rattler. A real beauty, light brown with dark well defined splotches, about 18 inches long! She never even rattled, just calmly moved away out of the path of my big Solomon hiking boot. I saw my only Pink on this route in the eighties. The meanest snake I have ever seen, it was at eye level and hissing and rattling to beat the band!

It was impossible to move down the scree with out sending rocks and cinders sliding down below. Be very careful with other hikers below on this section.

I arrived above Lava Falls in at 9:00 am. John Riffey said an average hiker should take 2 hours down to the river. Harvey says it took him 67 minutes on a "warm day in August", so I guess my 1.5 hours means I’m a bit above average. In 2000 they had to rescue 12 hikers off the Lava Falls Route with the helicopter! I suspect most people should spend the entire day making the round trip! Don’t be deceived by the short length of the route.

Many plants were in still in bloom. Hedgehog Cactus, Indian Paintbrush, and creosote to name just a few. It was fun to see many big Barrel Cactus standing guard over the great Chasm!

The return is slow and steep. Please fill up with water at the river and rest in the shade. It will take at least twice as long to return to the rim.

Vulcans Throne 5,108’ is an easy morning outing. Mike Quinn and I parked at the dry lake 4,498’ and started up the northwest ridge. We had quite the view from the summit. We could not see the river, but Prospect Canyon and the Toroweap Valley opened up to the south and north. We could see The Dome and Mt. Sinyala to the east! We went down the north side, finding a couple old tin cans here and there from the herders of days gone by.

Mt. Trumbull 8,028’, we visited in the afternoon. The trailhead is marked and begins west of the Nixon Guard Station. The elevation gain to the summit is about 1,500’. We were in fresh snow above 7,800’, which made the trail difficult to find. There were a few flags in the trees, and rock cairns, to mark the route through the big Ponderosa Pines to the summit. It’s amazing that the Mormon pioneers missed these trees 100 years ago. This is the area that they cut the timber for the temple in St. George. J.W. Powell's trip to Mount Trumbell!

Great views to the north to the modern day Mormon polygamist stronghold of Colorado City, and the east to the Grand Canyon. It would be fun to spend the afternoon on the summit, eating snacks, and identifying the various points to the east. There is a register on the summit rocks. We were the forth party of the year!