click here to view a gallery and slideshow of all 58 photos from this hike

Cardenas Butte is one of the most easily accessible summits within the Grand Canyon. Located just to the west of the Tanner Trail, the way to the top involves a simple scramble without any true climbing, provided that one invests even the slightest bit of care in choosing their route. I did this as a day hike on November 28, 2009.

ever-changing light along Desert View Drive

Comanche Point and the Palisades of the Desert

The butte itself is named after Garcia Lopez de Cárdenas. As a scout on Coronado’s 16th century expedition for the “seven cities of gold,” he was one of the first Europeans to see the Grand Canyon, and consequently credited with its “discovery.”

Here the Desert View Watchtower is just faintly visible, from the scramble off of the Tanner Trail toward the butte.

A typical stretch of the route to the top… I abandoned the Tanner Trail where it crosses a sort of low ridge that leads east from the butte toward Tanner Canyon. I generally followed this route toward the summit, and descended closer to a drainage directly north of the low crested “ridge.”

dark skies over Escalante Butte

Cardenas Butte is just another peak along a ridge that parallels the Tanner Trail, including Escalante Butte to the south and these features to the north.

an initial view to the west, with a sheer face of Cardenas on the right side of the photo

the summit cairn

along the return up the Tanner Trail to Lipan Point

upper 75-mile canyon

I topped out on the rim just in time to jump over to Desert View before sunset. I viewed the last light shining on the watchtower, and on out to the distant Painted Desert and Echo Cliffs.

click here to view a gallery and slideshow of all 58 photos from this hike