The Tonto Platform technically ends at Garnet Canyon, a couple of miles up-river from Elves Chasm, and so does the Tonto Trail. The trail that continues on to Elves Chasm is actually part of the Royal Arch Route and is simply included here for continuity as most people who hike the Tonto to Garnet will probably be continuing on to Elves.

Bass Canyon to Garnet Canyon

The eastern end of this section of the Tonto begins at its southern junction with the South Bass Trail in Bass Canyon. There is also a spur trail, further to the north in Bass Canyon that connects the South Bass Trail to this section of the Tonto, joining it just northeast of Tyndall Dome. The climb out of Bass Canyon at the southern junction is very easy and well marked. The climb out of Bass Canyon along the northern spur trail is steep, rocky and in places, slippery. Some people have claimed to have had problems even finding the spur trail but I did not have this problem when I did it in late April, 1998. There is not a huge cairn marking the climb but there are cairns. The key is finding the huge block of the Tapeats formation that has separated from the rest. The trail that climbs out of Bass Canyon heads up towards just northeast of this and then cuts back to pass just beneath it. This block provides some good shade for a rest stop. Beyond the block the spur trail climbs much more gradually until it joins up with the main Tonto Trail. The distance from the floor of Bass Canyon to the Tonto junction along the spur trail is about a half mile long, maybe a little more. The section of the Tonto that comes out of the southern end of Bass Canyon and joins with this spur trail is slightly more than a mile long and easy to follow.

Beyond the junction with the spur trail the Tonto Trail begins to head almost due west towards Copper Canyon. The first mile or so of this trail is pretty easy to follow and then the trail starts to become considerably less distinct. The problems start near the unnamed drainage that comes down from Wallace Butte, about midway between Bass and Copper Canyons, and I suspect that there is more than one route through this section. There are some good places to camp just east of this drainage and some nice overhanging ledges that provide some good shade along its eastern edge. The key to getting through this section is to watch for the cairns and to keep your mind on following the trail. If you want to look around, stop and look around, and then make sure you are headed in the right direction before starting again. If you like to look around while you are walking you will loose the trail in here very easily.

On the western side of the drainage the trail becomes a little easier to follow as it contours around an arm that extends out from Wallace Butte. On the other side of this arm the trail begins its circuit around and through Copper Canyon. The distance from the Bass spur to this point is about 2 miles. The distance through and around Copper Canyon to the north side of Fiske Butte is a probably a little less than a mile, but it will feel like more. Copper Canyon is fairly large and takes a fair amount of time, about 1.5 hours, to negotiate. The trail through Copper Canyon is fairly well marked but, again, I believe that there is more than one route through it. On my way west along this section of trail I encountered some hikers headed east that were about 100 feet above and to the south of me. I knew that I was on the trail and they insisted that they were as well.

Once on the west side of Copper the trail begins a long contour around Fiske Butte on its way towards the large unnamed drainage below Spencer Terrace and above Walthenberg Rapids. This section of trail is well marked, easy to follow and just under a mile before you start into the drainage. There are some very scenic views up canyon, down canyon and of the river below from this section of the trail. There is a very nice view of Hakatai Rapids from almost directly above it.

The trail through and around the large drainage west of Fiske Butte starts off easy enough but gets progressively worse the further west you get. The descent into the east side of the drainage is not that bad but after you cross over to the west side the trail becomes rocky and there is some good exposure in a couple of places. This is a very deep and rather impressive drainage and I don't understand how features like this go by for so long without being named. People with a fear of heights may experience some problems on the west side of the drainage as the trail gets pretty close to the edge and is not in great shape. Coming out of the drainage on the west side you immediate start around another smaller one. As you head out of the second drainage and back onto the Tonto Platform the trail improves. It is about another mile and a half around these two drainages and this should take about 1.5 hours. Shortly after you exit the second drainage you come out to a point above the river with a very nice view of Walthenberg Rapids. There is also a large boulder there that offers some relief from the sun and makes a good rest stop.

Shortly after you reach the Tonto Platform the trail begins to turn southward for the final run to Garnet Canyon. There is one more major side canyon left to negotiate and the trail through this, like the first one, starts off easy on the east side and gets worse on the west side (these are technically the north and south sides at this point). After you exit this drainage the trail makes pretty much a straight run south towards Garnet, passing through three more very small drainages. This section of trail, from the viewpoint above Walthenberg to the descent into Garnet is about 2.5 miles.

The descent to the floor of Garnet Canyon is a little tricky and again there appear to be multiple routes. The basic idea is to descend using the west side of the first major side drainage that you encounter once you enter Garnet. There are cairns marking these routes and I found it more confusing going down than coming up, though coming up I remember having to climb more using both hands, and in some places my hiking stick to push myself up. The trail comes down into Garnet near the little promontory of rock that marks the junction of this drainage and the main drainage of Garnet. There are a couple of good campsites just up canyon, and on the north side, from where the trail finally reaches the floor. On a walk further back into Garnet there appeared to be more campsites further back.

Garnet Canyon to Elves Chasm

The trail to Elves Chasm starts out of Garnet just a little west of where the Tonto Trail reached the floor. It is down past a couple of small drop-offs, around a small bend and climbs out on the south side. There is (was) a huge boulder there (8+ feet high) with a cairn on top to mark the start of the trail. The trail is cairned but it is not that easy to find the start of it if you miss this marker. The trail climbs easily out of Garnet Canyon, passes a nice lookout with a good view down into the canyon near where it drops into the river, and then begins to head south. This first section of trail is pretty easy to follow. There are not many cairns but the trail is pretty well worn and they are not needed to follow it. Once the trail starts south above the river it gets progressively worse. There are cairns but you need to look for them as the trail is pretty well overgrown in places and this growth tends to conceal the cairns from a distance.

The trail passes through and around a couple of good-sized drainages but nothing like the prior section of the Tonto. Each of these takes only about 5-10 minutes to get to the other side. The descent into one of them (heading towards Elves Chasm) was pretty steep and hairy but on the way back I discovered another route, further towards the backside of the drainage, that made the climb out much easier. There are a couple of places along this route where there is more than one way to go and you pretty much have to choose what looks best to you. About a mile south of Garnet there is a very nice spot near the bend in the river where you can see all the way up river to Garnet and all the way down river to Elves Chasm.

The biggest hazard with the next section of trail is all of the man-eating limestone along more than half its route. This stuff is sharp and like rock with shark's teeth. It is highly recommended that you bring gloves with you just to protect you hands along this section of the trail. Given all of the brush along the trail and the fact that you also have to climb over some of this man-eating rock, long pants are also recommended.

There is one spot closer to Elves Chasm (about a mile east) where the trail descends to a small beach at the end of a drainage and the trail out the other side is not very obvious. The only trail that I could find climbed rather steeply out of the drainage and appeared to be going higher than it should. I became concerned that I was on the wrong trail and thought that maybe I was on the Royal Arch Route heading towards the rappel, even though I was pretty sure I had already passed that point. After descending back into the drainage and looking for an alternate route I finally gave up and followed the trail and it did continue down river.

Even closer to Elves Chasm there is one section of trail that requires you to pass around a huge outcropping of rock with only a very small ledge beneath you to support your feet. You cannot simply walk here and must turn and face the rock a look for something to hold on to. It's only a few steps to the other side but persons with a fear of heights would probably not be able to do this. I didn't see anything obvious but there may be another route that somehow goes over and around this outcropping.

The total length of the trail from Garnet Canyon to Elves Chasm is about three miles even though the river miles along this section number only a little more than two. It will probably take about 3 hours, one-way to, do this. Once you get to Elves Chasm all of the hassles with the trail will seem worth it.
 

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