2010 Grand Canyon XP News
Thanks for your entry to the 2010 Grand Canyon XP in the North Kaibab forest on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Our satellite internet system should be on line and we will be checking it frequently before and during the ride. Cell phone service is marginal or non-existent at the ride site. We are working on the trail now and will have all of our rigs in camp by the end of September. You are welcome to come early and stay late, although we may put you to work.
It is too cold for the regular shower trailer on the north rim, but we will have one shower in the Sundowner trailer. Annie will serve dinners for a nominal charge. Free lunches are available for the riders and crews. Daytime temperatures have been in the low seventies. Nighttime lows have been in the thirties, but can easily slip close to the freezing level at this time of year. Horses from warmer climates will appreciate a blanket at night. The area has not experienced the moisture that was present before the ride a few years back. The leaves are still on the aspen trees and there should be a lot of color this year if all goes well.
Certified weed free hay is required for all livestock in national forests. However, last year the FS decided to ease up on that requirement as there is no place to get it locally. I have requested a pass on that requirement this year but have received no reply as yet. Regardless of the law, as responsible forest users, we need to bring only high quality weed free hay into the forest. It would be prudent to bring as much hay and water as you can comfortably travel with. Ride service trucks bringing water and feed can and do break down. Wise riders are always prepared for emergencies. If you need or want hay we will bring some of Crockett’s certified weed free hay if you request it via email before the ride.
Directions:
The base camp is located at Dry Park, in the North Kaibab National Forest at 36°27.468′ N x 112° 14.839′ W. You can reach this camp by taking Hwy 67, the Grand Canyon Parkway, about 27 miles south from Jacobs Lake, Arizona. Turn right on Forest Road 22 and go about 10 miles to the bottom of the hill 36°27.855′ N x 112° 14.760′ W, where you turn left into Dry Park. The camp is about 1 mile south of Forest Road 22. Do not turn into the Dry Park Lookout, which is a dead end road with no turn around. Dry Park is a large dry meadow further down the road at the bottom of the hill. If you are coming from the north or west there is a shorter route to camp that involves more dirt road and a steep hill but is shorter overall. We use this route to bring all of our rigs to camp. It saves time and fuel, but you need to relax and go slow. To access this route, go east out of Fredonia Arizona on US Hwy 89A. Turn south on Forest Road 22, which is just east of town. This road is paved for about 22 miles, and then turns to improved gravel. After mile 39 the good road will fork and the left fork heads towards Hwy 67. Take this left fork for 0.8 mile to 36° 27.924’N x 112° 14.847’W and turn right into the park. There are mileage markers all along this road. The 40 mile marker is hard to see but it is there. The turn off to camp is just past that. The first turn off drops off a sharp berm. I take it with the flatbeds, but not with the regular pickup beds as the trailer will hit the bed. There is a second turn, just up the road that is easier for vehicles with little clearance between bed and trailer.
See you soon,
The Duck