glbrown

Thunder River is an actual short river within the Grand Canyon. Unlike most rivers it is a tributary of a creek- Tapeats Creek—which flows into the Colorado River within the Grand Canyon—at about Mile 135 from the North Rim side. It is mainly accessible by boat/ raft and hike up from the river—the way that I got there—although I guess that you could hike there from North Rim. The amazing part of Thunder River is that it is a spring that emerges from the side of the canyon wall—gushing out into a large and beautiful waterfall. The water is crystal clear and cold. It then flows as Thunder River about half a mile into Tapeats Creek in Tapeats Canyon. Tapeats Canyon is downriver from South Rim/ Bright Angel trail about 45 river miles by raft.
I hiked to Thunder River during a Colorado River raft trip in 1998 that started at South Rim, entered the canyon via Bright Angel Trail, and became a raft trip when we met rafts that had come down from Lee’s Ferry at Pipe Creek. Six days later we explored Tapeats Canyon/ Creek and Thunder River. We then hiked across Surprise Valley to visit The Patio with its aqua colored water, similar to Havasu Creek and Falls, another day further downriver.
I highly recommend a Colorado River raft trip—doing it oar powered—the natural way. Being part of a paddle raft crew is even more exciting and strenuous. My trip was an outfitter- led one by Canyon Explorations, which I recommend. We had large inflatable oar boats, which are like floating pick up trucks, a smaller paddle raft, and inflatable kayaks. The thrill quotient rises as the raft gets smaller. The side hikes are an amazing surprise—there is lots to see besides the river. The trip is so much more than just thrilling rapids—there are plenty of those too!!