Grand Canyon Bright Angel Trail

The Bright Angel Trail is a popular, maintained dirt hiking trail. The trail is steep, well defined, and easy to follow. There is some shade on trail depending on the time of day, primarily from the walls of the Grand Canyon.

When hiking always remember to give uphill hikers the right of way. During winter or early sping, the upper portion of the trail can be very icy.

Directions to Trailhead: The Bright Angel Trail is located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The trail begins just west of Bright Angel Lodge. Follow the path along the rim and the trailhead is located by the mule corral.

Services: The Bright Angel Trail is randomly patrolled by park rangers. Water and restrooms available at trailhead and at Indian Garden. There is a Ranger Station located at Indian Garden. Seasonal trail water (May - September) is subject to breaks in the water pipeline. You should check at the Visitor Center or Backcountry Information Center for an update on the status of water.

The Bright Angel Trail offers spectacular canyon views all along the trail making it very easy to loose track of how far down you have hiked. Additionally, the steepness of the trail is very misleading on the way down. Plan on taking twice as long to hike up as it took to hike down. Even though the Bright Angel Trail has water along the trail, you need to carry water. A common mistake is not carrying water or not carrying enough water. When hiking in a group, each person should be carrying water. Remember to eat as well as drink while hiking, you use a lot of energy hiking the canyon.

Mules and Hikers: There have been several recent encounters between hikers and mules resulted in injuries to packers and the death of some mules. To ensure safety for yourself, other trail users, and mule riders, when encountering mules on the trails:

• Step off the trail on the uphill side away from the edge.

• Follow the direction of the wrangler. Remain completely quiet and stand perfectly still.

• Do not return to the trail until the last mule is 50 feet (15 meters) past your position.

DO NOT attempt to hike from the rim to the river and back in one day, especially May to September.

Take a few minutes to watch the short video on the Bright Angel Trail.