Kai and I just completed a 5 days trip in the Grand Canyon. We descended into the canyon on the Tanner trail, and spent the first and second nights near Palisades Rapid on the Colorado River. The second day I took the Beamer trail all the way to the confluence of the Colorado River with the Little Colorado River and back. It was amazing to see the turquoise color of the Little Colorado which is caused by silt. On the third day instead of climbing on back the Tanner trail we followed the Colorado downstream on the Escalante Route with the third night by Escalante Creek. The Escalante Route climbs high above the Colorado River and offers magnificent views. On the forth day on the way to Hance Rapid we had to negotiate the short sections of rock climbing. From Hance Rapid we carried water and spend the night at a spot half way on the way back to the highway. On the fifth day and climbed the rest of the way out on the New Hance trail. There is no water anywhere except from the Colorado River, but it rained overnight and the rocks were wet and slippery. There is no parking and no sign on highway 64 when you get to it. I had to hitch hike back to Lipan Point to get my truck.
The scenery on that portion of the Grand Canyon is well worth the effort. In particular the descent on the Tanner Trail offers a far distance view of the Colorado River. I have repeated the Escalante Route in 2023 with John, Jerome and Tony and it was just as rewarding as the first time.