Upper Thompson Spring

Upper Thompson Spring sits in Thompson Canyon on the North Rim, one of the many small drainages that cut through the forested plateau west of the main developed area. Springs like this one are easy to miss on a map and easy to overlook on the ground, but they're some of the most ecologically important spots in the park — Grand Canyon's springs and seeps support a disproportionate share of the park's plant and animal diversity relative to the dry forest and desert around them, functioning as small, self-contained riparian pockets fed by groundwater working through the Kaibab Plateau's limestone.

What's around it

Thompson Canyon is better known regionally for its aspens, which color up along the plateau's west side in the fall. Upper Thompson Spring isn't a developed or signed destination — there's no maintained trail or visitor infrastructure built around it, so treat it as a backcountry water source and habitat feature rather than a hike with a payoff view. As with any North Rim spring, water reliability varies by season, and this is not a place to count on for drinking water without treatment and local knowledge of current conditions.