The bottom of the 58-mile gorge is rough and wild, and without trail in most places. To travel down-canyon you either pick your way along the shore, through the dry wash, or walk through the river itself.
A few miles downstream from Horse Trail, the river starts to gain depth and power. It becomes a full-fledged, perennial river several miles (at least) before Blue Spring.
From Blue Spring down to Salt Canyon, it is textbook “choose your own adventure” style hiking. There are few, if any, distinct footpaths on the shoreline. Instead, you must make your own way down, alternating between river-wading and crashing through the scratchy shore vegetation.
Several miles above Salt Canyon, you’ll pick up a distinct footpath on river right. The path is well-worn and easy to follow, thanks to the twice-yearly fish research scientists that get helicoptered in to their camp at the base of Salt Canyon. You can cruise along it.
Many times, this path goes through dense flax thickets. The thick vegetation stands 7-9 feet tall and closely envelops any meager footpath. The ground is always wet, oftentimes muddy – a slick, deep, oily black mud. You’ll want to keep your shoes on and move quickly through these sections. Rattlesnakes typically prefer drier, rockier locations, but your wilderness instincts will be on high-alert regardless.
Fun fact: one of the early names for the Little Colorado was the Flax River, thanks to the large, dense, pockets of vegetation that frequently line the shoreline in the bottom third of the gorge.