Tuweep

At 3,000 vertical feet (880 m) above the Colorado River, the sheer drop from 

Toroweap Overlook offers a dramatic view. The volcanic cinder cones and lava 

flows in this ancestral home of the Southern Paiute people make this area unique. 

A visit to Tuweep provides an opportunity for an uncrowded, rustic, and remote 

experience. Access is challenging and demands skill at negotiating difficult 

roadways. Services are non-existent: there is no water, gas, food, lodging, or 

phone service. 

•	 High clearance vehicles required

•	 Day use area: open sunrise to 30 minutes 

past sunset

•	 Camping requires reservation permit; 

permitted campers must arrive by sunset

•	 Vehicle numbers limited; carpool

•	 Pets must be leashed; restricted to open roads 

and campground

•	 Pack out all trash; there is no water

•	 Vehicles and vehicle combinations longer 

than 22 feet (6.7 meters) are prohibited—this 

is the total length from end to end, including 

anything towed

•	 Off-road vehicles, ATVs, side-by-sides, and 

dirt bikes not displaying highway license plates 

are illegal; stickers and non-highway plates not 

valid; proof of highway insurance required

•	 Fires and charcoal grills prohibited

•	 No hunting or collecting

Need to Know 

© MIKE MCTEER 

The stunning view from Toroweap Overlook can only 

be reached by negotiating difficult roads.

Access the three main routes to Tuweep from 

AZ 389 between Fredonia, Arizona, and St. 

George, Utah. Allow two to three hours driving 

time. Bring the BLM Arizona Strip Visitor Map, 

and do not rely solely on your GPS unit. Muddy 

conditions exist during summer monsoons and 

from winter precipitation.

Sunshine Route: County Road #109, the most 

reliable route, leaves AZ 389 eight miles (13 km) 

west of Fredonia or six miles (10 km) east of 

Pipe Spring National Monument. This 61-mile 

(98 km) road features sharp rocks, washboarding, and dust. Please do not stop on 

tribal land when traveling this route.

Clayhole Route: County Road #5 leaves AZ 389 

at Colorado City, Arizona. It is 56 miles (90 km) 

long and impassable when wet.

Main Street Route: BLM Road #1069 and 

County Road #5 from St. George is 90 miles 

(145 km) long. This scenic route is impassable in 

winter due to snow and mud.

Tuweep Airstrip: Closed.

Directions and Access 

Bring tire plugs and a portable air compressor to repair flat tires. Ensure you have enough fuel, 

full size spare tire, jack/lift, and owner’s manual. Tow service costs $1,000–2,000 and assistance 

is not guaranteed. Carry extra water, food, and warm clothing in case of emergency.

Vehicles have become stuck for several days (top). 

Conditions require a high clearance vehicle (bottom).

© MARJORIE CASSE (top); NPS (bottom)

Prohibited

Grand Canyon National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Grand Canyon National Park
Park Boundary

LEGEND North

Tuweep 

Campground

Trailhead

Restrooms

Parking

Trail

Unpaved Road

Colorado River

Tuweep

4760ft

1450m

Toroweap 

Overlook

4552ft

1387m

Saddle Horse 

Loop Trail

Tuckup 

Trail

T O R O W E A P V A L L E Y

KANAB 

PLATEAU

Vulcans 

Throne

5102ft

1555m

Parking for low-clearance 

vehicles. High clearance 

required beyond this point. 

Pipe Spring Nat’l Monument 61mi/98km

Fredonia, Arizona 63mi/101km

3.4mi

5.5km

0.8mi

1.3km

0.7mi

1.1km

1.2mi

1.9km

0.7mi

1.1km

e x perience y o u r america TM printed on 100% recycled paper 0615

Permits are required for camping and overnight use at Tuweep Campground and

in all backcountry use areas. To obtain a permit, visit http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/

tuweep.htm. Permits cannot be issued at Tuweep. Camping is prohibited on the land adjacent to the 

park and at the airstrip.

Camping and

Overnight Use 

Tuweep’s hiking trails are marked 

with cairns (piles of rocks). Shade is 

scarce and water non-existent. Walk 

only on trails, roads, and washes. 

Each footstep off trail may destroy 

fragile biological soil crusts and 

damage native plants. All trails are 

closed to pets, bicycles, and vehicles.

Tuckup Trail: Experience Tuweep’s 

unique geology on this six-mile 

(10 km) roundtrip trail. There are two 

access points: the first is signed before 

arriving at Tuweep Campground and 

the second leaves from campsite 10.

Saddle Horse Loop Trail: This 

45-minute loop offers spectacular 

views of the Colorado River. Access 

the trail along the road between 

Toroweap Overlook and Tuweep 

Campground or from a trailhead near 

campsite 5. 

Tuweep Hiking Trails 

Tuweep Campground: 

There are nine small, group campsites for one 

to six people with a maximum of two vehicles, 

including motorcycles, and one large, group 

campsite for 7–11 people with a maximum of 

four vehicles, including motorcycles. 

•	 Campers must arrive by sunset 

•	 Fires and charcoal grills prohibited; fossil fuel 

stoves allowed

•	 Picnic tables and composting toilets provided; 

no water available

Trail to Access the 

Colorado River

Whitmore Trail: Located at 

Whitmore Overlook, a 3-hour drive 

west of Tuweep, this moderate fourmile (6.5 km) roundtrip trail takes you 

down to the Colorado River. Access 

Whitmore Overlook from the Main 

Street Route; high clearance required.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/

planyourvisit/tuweep.htm

Information

•	 Store all food and garbage in a vehicle; pack 

out all trash

•	 Seven night limit; affiliated groups are limited 

to one campsite

•	 Horses and mules prohibited

•	 Vehicles and vehicle combinations longer 

than 22 feet (6.7 meters) are prohibited—this 

is the total length from end to end, including 

anything towed