Located in the remote and mostly uninhabited Arizona Strip, Whitmore Overlook is an iconic Overlanding destination. The trail ends at an uber-impressive viewpoint 500 feet above the Colorado River as it snakes through the western end of the Grand Canyon. The ambitious can hike down to the river. But most will be content to sit on the cliff's edge admiring the scenery and possibly seeing a group of river rafters passing below. While the end of the trail is a worthy destination, getting there is special too. The trail begins at the historic Mount Trumbull Schoolhouse. Constructed in 1922, the schoolhouse was the civic focal point for the hardy residents of the area until 1966. Today it houses artifacts and photographs of the era. Passing through a pinion-juniper forest, every curve on the trail presents a new and impressive view of the Uinkaret Mountains to the east and the Whitmore Plateau and flat-topped 6,500-foot Grassy Mountain to the west. The sandstone cliffs glow in a rainbow of reds, oranges, pinks, grays, and white. Traveling farther south, ominous dark lava flows spill over the sandstone heights. Part of the Uinkaret Volcanic Field, the lava flows range from 850,000 to 72,000 years old. Uinkaret flows dammed the Colorado River at least 17 times, forming a lake that spanned back to the present-day Phantom Ranch. Each time the river overflowed the dams. The silt-laden water of the Colorado River eroded the basalt dams allowing the river to return to its voyage to the Gulf of California. From the Whitmore Overlook, you can see the remains of one of the lava dams across the river. The climax of the trail is obviously a night spent under the stars on the edge of a cliff above the mighty Colorado. With no light pollution, the night sky comes alive with a blanket of twinkling billions of stars and galaxies overhead. Sunrise and sunset views are nearly unparalleled. It's worth the trip.

In the late 1870s, Edward Dutton led various geological survey teams deep into what was then the unmapped northern side of the Grand Canyon. He found a long narrow promontory extending far out into the canyon with views he called "most sublime." Today there are only two routes to Dutton's Point Sublime. The first originates at the Grand Canyon's North Rim Village and is appropriately named Point Sublime. The second route comes in from the north and is named Kanabownits for a picturesque spring along the trail. Kanabownits Road passes through a fertile forest with ferns towered over by old-growth Ponderosa pines. Spruce and aspens dot the forest. The tight trail drops into small tight canyons, grips hillsides on narrow shelves, and bursts into open glades fed by springs. Once a ranger lived along the trail watching for wildfires. Today only the small deteriorating cabin remains up a small spur trail. While Point Sublime is the objective of the area, should you choose to enter or depart by the north, Kanabownits Road is a worthy part of the adventure.

You've undoubtedly seen the photographs though you might not have known where they were taken. The dramatic sandstone cliff dropping 3000 feet straight down to the Colorado River below is an iconic image. The location is the Toroweap Overlook. It sits in one of the most remote areas of Arizona, the Arizona Strip. Toroweap and Tuweep are used interchangeably. Both are derivations of a Paiute word meaning dry, barren valley. The long drive to Toroweap bears out the applicability of the name. But even barren locals can be dramatically beautiful. Multihued sandstone cliffs rise on either side of the Paiute's barren valley. To the south lies cinder cones and lava flows from the ancient Uinkaret Volcanic Field. Long views abound as the road descends towards the canyon cut by the Colorado River, the grandest canyon of them all. Walking to the edge of the Toroweap Overlook is a profound experience. The views are breathtaking. The immenseness of your surroundings is almost incomprehensible in human terms. The view here is like no other along the entire Grand Canyon. You have to work to get here, but it's worth the effort.

In an effort to manage the number of visitors to the area, all motor vehicles entering the Toroweap area of the Grand Canyon National Park require a backcountry permit or a day-use ticket available through Recreation.gov.

Vulcan's Throne, a cinder cone volcano, erupted 72,000 years ago, sending a 1200-foot-high wall of lava into the Grand Canyon. One of at least 17 in the Grand Canyon's history, the resulting lava dam created a lake that ran as far back as the present-day Phantom Ranch. The silt-filled Colorado eventually overcame the dam, grinding away the basalt and returning the river to its present state. Today Lava Falls, one of the largest rapids on the Colorado River, marks the existence of this massive volcanic dam. A sandy trail leads to the western slopes of Vulcan's Throne and then on to a hiking trail that leads down into the Grand Canyon. The geological history of the region is written largely along the trail. A part of the six million-year-old Uinkaret Volcanic Field, Vulcan's Throne's dark volcanic cinders stand in dramatic contrast to the red and orange Toroweap Formation sedimentary sandstone through which the volcano rose. Both were tectonic forces instrumental in shaping the Grand Canyon. In the quiet of the area, you can pause and contemplate the wonder of the ever-evolving earth on which we reside.

In an effort to manage the number of visitors to the area, all motor vehicles entering the Toroweap area of the Grand Canyon National Park require a backcountry permit or a day-use ticket available through Recreation.gov.