Nankoweap Granaries

Mapped here is the hike from Nankoweap beach camp up to the granaries. This is the hike you would take if coming from a raft trip. The other way to get here is by the grueling backpacking trip down Nankoweap Trail from the North Rim. Backpackers can camp along Nankoweap Creek or on the beach near the raft trips.From the beach, it is a steep and rocky ascent of about 700 feet up to the granaries. The start of the trail can be tricky to find because many sandy paths braid through the vegetation from the beach. Most of them converge near the same place, however. Once at the base of the scree slope you should be able to locate the beaten path up to the granaries.It's quite a long way up, and the hike will be very hot on a sunny day. You'll enjoy expanding views over the river as you climb, and the destination is frequently within sight to keep you motivated. The final approach to the ruins requires scrambling up some rock ledges. Once on top, you'll be able to peer into the stone windows and gaze over the most amazing river view you'll ever see.

The Ancestral Puebloan people constructed these granaries roughly 1000 years ago, using them to keep corn and other foods in storage through the winter. These people lived and farmed seasonally on the delta down below, and moved crops into the granaries after harvest. At that time, the Colorado River flowed free of dams and its volume would change drastically through the year. Spring runoff brought huge flows that covered the floodplain, leaving fertile soil for inhabitants to farm throughout the summer and fall.