Toroweap Overlook (also known as Tuweep Overlook or Toroweap Point) is a viewpoint within the

Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in northwestern Arizona, the 15th site to have been named as a national park. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyo ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, United States. It is located in a remote area on the North Rim of the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a mile (). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon Nati ...

, west of the North Rim Headquarters (but by road). The overlook is the only viewpoint in the National Park from where the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

can be seen vertically below. The overlook stands above the river.

Terminology

Toroweap and Tuweep are used more or less interchangeably. The term Tuweep, a Paiute word for "the earth", was used for an early Mormon settlement in the valley, and is now used by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

to refer to the area. Toroweap, a Paiute term meaning "dry or barren valley", strictly refers to the valley and the overlook.

Geology

At Toroweap the layer of soft Hermit Shale is about 800 feet thick, much thicker than farther east. Erosion of this layer formed the broad Esplanade Platform on the resistant Esplanade Sandstone. Further erosion formed a deep side canyon, draining into the Colorado. The Toroweap Fault underlies the valley, and volcanic activity along the fault resulted in the Uinkaret volcanic field, from where

lava flow Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

s filled the side canyon. Sediment and lava flows eventually filled the side canyon to the level of the Esplanade Platform. The high outer rim of the Grand Canyon is absent at Toroweap, and the overlook can therefore be reached by a road which follows the Toroweap Valley to the brink of the Inner Gorge. Just west of the overlook the Lava Falls can be seen spilling over the rim and falling to the river. Nearby is Vulcan's Throne, a

cinder cone A cinder cone or scoria cone is a steep, volcanic cone, conical landform of loose pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic fragments, such as volcanic ash, clinkers, or scoria that has been built around a volcanic vent. The pyroclastic fragments are forme ...

from the period of volcanic activity.

Access

Toroweap is reached by rough unpaved roads. Mohave County road 109 leaves State Route 389 8 miles west of Fredonia, and runs 61 miles south to the overlook. The Clay Hole road reaches the overlook from Colorado City, 56 miles from Toroweap, however, this route should not be traveled after rain or snow. Toroweap can also be reached by the "Mt. Trumbull/Main Street Route" from St. George, Utah, 90 miles away on Bureau of Land Management road 1069 and Mohave County road 5.

Facilities

There is no lodging, food, gas or water in the area. The National Park Service only intermittently staffs the Tuweep ranger station 6 miles north of the overlook. There is no cell phone service in this remote area. There is a primitive campground 1 mile north of the overlook that now requires reservations several days in advance from the Grand Canyon National Park backcountry office.

Hiking trails

The short Saddle Horse Loop Trail allows access to more viewpoints near the overlook. The Tuckup Trail starts near the Toroweap campground. The Lava Falls Trail provides a difficult route to the river from near Vulcans Throne. Another hike to the river is much shorter with only 1,000 feet of elevation change to the river compared to 3,000 feet at Toroweap. This trail starts in Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument at Whitmore Canyon Overlook, 9 miles west of Toroweap. It is located in Whitmore Canyon at the overlook on the BLM1045 road. Take the Mt. Trumbull/Main Street Route west from Toroweap Valley past Mt. Trumbull. Turn south onto BLM1045 at the Mt. Trumbull Schoolhouse. This is a better option to reach the river.

References

External links

* {{coord, 36, 14, 51, N, 113, 03, 21, W, type:landmark_region:US_scale:50000_source:GNIS, display=title Grand Canyon, North Rim Grand Canyon Geography of Mohave County, Arizona Tourist attractions in Mohave County, Arizona Scenic viewpoints in Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon, North Rim (west)