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Matkatamiba

Updated
Matkatamiba canyon
stemming through Matkatamiba canyon
Matkatamiba
Happy hiker in Matkatamiba
map: Matkatamiba

Location

How to Get There
This hike is accessed from a river rafting trip on the Colorado River. The mouth of Matkatamiba is located at river mile 148.5 on river left.
city
Grand Canyon
state
AZ
country
USA
Region
Grand Canyon and Marble Canyon area

Hike details

Distance
0.50 [Miles] Total
Hike Distance- Details
0.5 miles round trip (to the patio and back)
Time
1.00 [Hours]
Time-details
It took us about 1.0 hours total.
Elevation Change
200 Total gain/loss [Feet]
Elevation Gain
100 Total Elevation Gain [Feet]
Elevation Details
About 100 ft of climbing.
Hike Trail Type
Out and Back

Season

Best Season
  • April
  • May
  • September
  • October
Worst Season
  • June
  • July
  • August
Season Details
Spring, Summer, Fall.
Date Hike completed
October 01, 2007

Solitude

Solitude
Low
Solitude Details
Not here. Matkatamiba is one of the most popular attractions on the river.

Difficulty

Difficulty Rating
Easy
difficulty detail
35 yr old Recommendation: Matkatamiba is my favorite hike on the Colorado river. You have to stop here and enjoy playing in the narrows.

Permits

Be Aware of
Climbing up the narrows requires some scrambling techniques

Hike and scramble in Matkatamiba in Grand Canyon national park.

Matkatamiba is great fun for those of us that enjoy narrow slot canyons. The limestone here makes the elusive 'perfect' narrow to explore, at least for a little while. For those who want to see the patio area without the narrow gymnastics, there is a high walk around trail on river right (looking upstream of Matkatamiba).

The eddy at the mouth of Matkatamiba is tough to catch with boats, so be ready. Alternatively, there are two places downstream of the mouth to park a boat and still do this hike, although with a longer approach. This time, we were able to enter the mouth without problem.

From the mouth of Matkat, simply head upstream. The limestone narrows are the treat here, as stemming up the walls and scrambling through mini waterfalls is lots of fun. Expect to take more time than normal to truly enjoy these unique narrows. When you reach the end of the narrows, you will have found the patio. The area opens up a bit here (although still obviously a canyon) and you can enjoy the peacefulness of the creek through this lush area. You can explore further up canyon or turn around here like we did.

Map

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