Small cascade of water along the Powell Trail in Little River Canyon National Preserve

Length: 1.1 mile round trip
Time: 1 hour hiking plus time to explore the area
Difficulty: Strenuous

The Powell Trail is one of three trails along the Canyon Rim Drive in Little River Canyon National Preserve that descend into Little River Canyon and end at the river, and none of them are fun to hike. While it is only .4 mile to the bottom of the canyon, the Powell Trail is so rutted and full of rocks that it took me 40 minutes to get there. Keep in mind that I am sixty years old, so younger people might not find it as challenging, but it is a mess nonetheless. I originally hiked it in 2014, and it wasn’t that bad. Erosion has really taken its toll over the last eleven years.

Rocky terrain on the Powell Trail in Little River Canyon National Preserve

Like the Eberhart Trail, the Powell Trail is made up of a set of switchbacks that descend steeply down from the rim of Little River Canyon to the canyon floor and the Little River. There is not a foot of level ground until you reach the bottom, and of course on the way up, not a foot of level ground until you reach the top. The overall average grade is 18% (15% is where strenuous hiking begins), but plenty of segments have grades in the low 20 percents. The last tenth of a mile has an average grade of 24%. Regardless of where you are on the Powell Trail, it is a strenuous hike in every sense of the word.

Both of my hikes on the Powell Trail were done during the wet season (winter and spring), and a stream ran along the path, and often on it. There were numerous water crossings, including one where I had to climb down from a ledge (photo below with cascade and large fallen tree, taken looking back after crossing the water). I was able to get across all of them without water cresting the tops of my waterproof hiking shoes (not boots). Expect to get wet feet if hiking in sneakers during the winter and spring. In the summer these streams may be dry.

Stream flows down the Powell Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

Stream consumes the Powell Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

At .3 mile into the hike, the Powell Trail forks, with a level segment heading to the left and a steep segment to the right. Both come out at the same spot a minute later, only the steep segment is shorter. However, it takes so long to navigate the loose rocks that the longer—and much easier—left trail doesn’t take any more time. Take the left trail. And remember that when you hike back up, stay straight at the fork.

Once at the bottom of the canyon, it is another .1 mile to the Little River. At this point the Powell Trail is as flat as a pancake and has minimal rocks and roots projecting from its surface.

Level terrain along the Powell Trail at the bottom of Little River Canyon, Little River Canyon National Preserve

Back in 2014, the Little River was easy to access. Today (2025) the bank is overgrown with vegetation, making it impossible to get to the water without a little bushwhacking. On the way back I met two guys heading to the river to fish, and I told them they were better off taking the Eberhart Trail, for the riverbank there is still easy to access. Being young and realizing they were halfway on a trail that was only .5 mile long to begin with, they decided to continue on and check things out for themselves. I have no idea what they decided, but my suggestion for launching a kayak, fishing, and even swimming is to use the Eberhart Trail.

2014 photo of the Little River at the end of the Powell Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

2025 photo of the Little River at the end of the Powell Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

2025 photo of the Little River at the end of the Powell Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

All in all, I don’t see much reason to hike the Powell Trail. The Eberhart Trail is in awful condition as well, but it originated as a dirt road, so it is wider and easier to hike. As far as I can tell, the Powell Trail has always been a traditional hiking trail. And as mentioned above, there is still easy river access at the end of the Eberhart Trail.

For kayakers, carrying a kayak down either the Eberhart or the Powell trail is a task similar to Klaus Kinski’s character in the film Fitzcarraldo carrying a steamship over a mountain, but using the Eberhart Trail is going to be easier. Furthermore, you are launching two miles farther up the Little River when using the Eberhart Trail as a launch point than when using the Powell Trail. The trip from Eberhart to Canyon Mouth Park, the last take-out spot within Little River Canyon National Preserve, is 6 miles, whereas it is only 4 miles from Powell to Canyon Mouth.

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