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Arizona

Hiking Arizona’s Marble Canyon and Vermilion Cliffs: Off the Beaten Path

Program No. 6113RJ

In remote and beautiful Marble Canyon, enjoy challenging hikes in a geologic wonderland of slot canyons, red rock vistas and the awe-inspiring waters of the Colorado River.

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7 days

6 nights

17 meals

6B 5L 6D

Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation

Marble Canyon, AZ

Chocolate Cliffs Hike

Marble Canyon, AZ

Cathedral Butte & Wash Hike

Marble Canyon, AZ

Spencer Trail Hike

Marble Canyon, AZ

Instructor's Choice Hike

Marble Canyon, AZ

Vermilion Cliffs Sand Crack Hike

Marble Canyon, AZ

Program Concludes, Independent Departures

Marble Canyon, AZ

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At a Glance

In remote and beautiful Marble Canyon, enjoy varied hiking opportunities in a geologic wonderland. While on foot in this challenging terrain, be rewarded with infinite views as well as the hushed space of a twisting slot canyon. Hike hidden trails and explore off-the-beaten-path locations known only to local experts. Spend time on the Colorado River while connecting with nature and history in this storied landscape.

Activity Level

Outdoor: Challenging

Hike six miles daily, largely off-trail, over uneven terrain, high steps and desert vegetation with elevation changes of 1,600 feet. Must have good balance and use of hands to navigate some rocky sections. Elevations of 3,000-5,000 feet.

Small Group

Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

Hike to the Colorado River via sinuous Cathedral Wash canyon.
Explore the Chocolate Cliffs, revealing outcrops of rare petrified wood and ancient rock art.
Hear from naturalists as they share their knowledge of the canyon and interpret its geologic, natural and human histories.

General Notes

This Outdoor Challenging activity level program demands a high level of fitness including upper body strength for rock scrambling. Due to narrow paths with vertical drops, this program is not suitable for those who are afraid of heights. Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Matt Turner

Since he decided to attend high school in Southwest Colorado, Matt Turner has been in love with the natural wonders of the Four Corners region prompting him to obtain a degree in Natural History from Prescott College. In addition to working as a field biologist and ecological consultant, he is an avid photographer, leads trips throughout the Southwest, across rivers and in the backcountry. As a naturalist, he hopes to impart a unique perspective of the region's natural environment in all of its visitors.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Matt Turner View biography

Karlyn Bunting View biography

Karlyn Bunting grew up in Page, Arizona, after the construction of Glen Canyon Dam – at the heart of what is commonly called the Grand Circle. He loves to hike and explore the many natural wonders of the region, and is deeply interested those who traveled this region prior to our modern day — from the Ancestral Puebloans to the Mormon migrations. Karlyn is also an avid photographer and storyteller, and enjoys sharing his unique and multi-faceted perspective of the Colorado Plateau.

Sherri O'Neil View biography

Sherri O'Neil has been an outdoor educator since 1996, bringing nearly three decades of expertise in fostering meaningful connections with the natural world. She earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Northern Arizona University and a master’s degree in outdoor education from Prescott College, where her studies focused on interpreting Indigenous cultures and promoting stewardship through education. A published author, Sherri has contributed multiple articles to Legacy, the magazine of the National Association for Interpretation.

Suggested Reading List (7 books)

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You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

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Hiking Arizona’s Marble Canyon and Vermilion Cliffs: Off the Beaten Path

Program Number: 6113

Desert Solitaire

by Edward Abbey

Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire, the noted author's most enduring nonfiction work, is an account of Abbey's seasons as a ranger at Arches National Park outside Moab, Utah. Abbey reflects on the nature of the Colorado Plateau desert, on the condition of our remaining wilderness, and on the future of a civilization that cannot reconcile itself to living in the natural world.

Lee's Ferry: From Mormon Crossing to National Park

by Reilly, P.T.

The Colorado River and its deeply entrenched canyons create a lengthy barrier to travel in the interior West. Here and there, ancient Indian foot trails descend canyon walls and find access to the bottoms, but one of the few places between Colorado and California where wheeled vehicles can approach the river's banks is at its confluence with the Pahreah River, between Glen Canyon and the steep drop toward Grand Canyon. Here, from the mid-nineteenth until well into the twentieth century, Lee's Ferry was a primary link between Utah and Arizona.. Mormons trying to reach potential Indian converts and new lands for colonization to the south first developed the site. John D. Lee and members of his family, seeking an inconspicuous spot after the Mountain Meadows Massacre, were the first residents at what they called Lonely Dell. In subsequent decades, many interesting and important western characters passed through this topographical and historical funnel, from John Wesley Powell to Buffalo Bill. 542pp.

Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West

by Stegner, Wallace

Here Wallace Stegner, a Pulitzer Prize-winner, gives us a thrilling account of Powell's struggle against western geography and Washington politics. We witness the successes and frustrations of Powell's distinguished career, and appreciate his unparalleled understanding of the West. "Stegner's most exciting work." (San Francisco Chronicle) 496pp

Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis

by Glennon, Robert

In the middle of the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas casinos use billions of gallons of water for fountains, pirate lagoons, wave machines, and indoor canals. Meanwhile, the town of Orme, Tennessee, must truck in water from Alabama because it has literally run out. Robert Glennon captures the irony—and tragedy—of America’s water crisis in a book that is both frightening and wickedly comical. Unquenchable reveals the heady extravagances and everyday inefficiencies that are sucking the nation dry.

Everett Ruess - A Vagabond for Beauty

by W.L. Rusho

Everett Ruess, the young poet and artist who disappeared into the desert canyonlands of Utah in 1934, has become widely known posthumously as the spokesman for the spirit of the high desert. Many have been inspired by his intense search for adventure, leaving behind the amenities of a comfortable life. His search for ultimate beauty and oneness with nature is chronicled in this remarkable collection of letters to family and friends.

Encounters with the Archdruid

by McPhee, John

The narratives in this book are of journeys made in three wildernesses - on a coastal island, in a Western mountain range, and on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The four men portrayed here have different relationships to their environment, and they encounter each other on mountain trails, in forests and rapids, sometimes with reserve, sometimes with friendliness, sometimes fighting hard across a philosophical divide. 256pp

Half Broke Horses

by Walls, Jeannette

Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, wrote this true life novel which unfolds across Northern Arizona from the 1920s to the 1960s. Its heroine, Lily Casey Smith, (Ms. Wall's grandmother) battled the elements, prejudices, economic conditions and politics of remote frontier Arizona. Many of the locations described - Peach Springs, Seligman, Flagstaff, the Navajo Reservation, the Arizona Strip - are sites visited by NAU Road Scholar programs. Readers of this selection will feel the sense of heritage from this tale of life in our distant corner of America.

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Hiking Arizona’s Marble Canyon and Vermilion Cliffs: Off the Beaten Path

Enroll with Confidence

Protecting the Environment

At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

General Notes

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