River Mile: 11.2 - right
Time: 45 minutes is enough time for a nice stroll up the canyon.
Difficulty: Moderate. There is lots of boulder hopping and a scramble or two.
Wet or Dry?: Wet
Ideal Weather: Moderate to Hot
Potential: A 2 or 3 hour hike will have you out of the canyon near the community of Cliff Dwellers.
Soap Creek is a popular first night’s camp. Despite this, few river runners hike here. The hike up Soap is not spectacular, but it is a nice place to get away from camp and the roar of the river.
The best scenery is near the mouth of the canyon. You’ll be boulder hopping and scrambling around small falls in the creekbed- typical Grand Canyon hiking. A 15 minute walk from camp is sufficient to get you into the quiet solitude of Marble Gorge. However, ambitious hikers can make it out Soap Creek to the rim of the Canyon. If you decide to go for the rim, you will take a cairned route on creek right around the biggest fall. At the major fork high in the canyon, head straight, avoiding the canyon that branches north. At the top, there is a B.L.M. trailhead near highway 89A.
Soap Creek was named when explorer Jacob Hamblin boiled badger here in a kettle of alkaline water. In the morning, he was left with a kettle of soap resulting from the combination of the badger’s fats and the alkaline water.