Everything about The Bright Angel Trail totally explained
The
Bright Angel Trail is a
hiking trail located in
Grand Canyon National Park in the
U.S. state of
Arizona.
Access
Description
The trail originates on the south rim of
Grand Canyon and descends 4380
feet in elevation to the
Colorado River. It has an average grade of 18% along its entire length. At trail's end, the
River Trail continues another 2
miles to the Bright Angel Campground and
Phantom Ranch. These two trails combined are the most common method used to access
Phantom Ranch by hikers and mules.
There are two trails that cross or join this trail. The first being the
Tonto Trail at
Indian Gardens which leads towards the Monument Use Area to the west (the east leads to the
South Kaibab Trail 4.7 miles from the junction), and the
River Trail which officially begins when the Bright Angel Trail reaches the
Colorado River at the River Resthouse, although some consider that the Bright Angel Trail officially ends after crossing the Colorado River at the Silver Bridge.
Condition
Grand Canyon National Park categorizes the
Bright Angel Trail as a
corridor trail. With this designation it receives regular maintenance and patrols by park rangers.
Water availability
Water is available from the trans-canyon pipeline at the Mile-and-a-half Resthouse, the Three Mile Resthouse, and Indian Garden. During cooler months (usually October-April) the two resthouses are shut off from the water supply to prevent the pipeline from freezing.
Below Indian Gardens, both Garden Creek and Pipe Creek flow year-round (perennial). Water is also available at the River Resthouse from the
Colorado River. All water from natural sources must be filtered, treated, or boiled prior to consuming.
Camping
Hikers may only camp at Indian Garden, where they can stay overnight with a permit issued by the Grand Canyon National Park Backcountry Information Center. Use of the campground overnight is regulated by the National Park Service, and they call for a maximum number of groups (7 to 11 people) and parties (1 to 6 people), as well as a maximum total number of persons.
| Area |
Name |
Type |
Group(s) |
|
Parties |
Max People |
| CIG | Indian Garden |
Campground |
1 |
and |
15 |
50
|
Use permits are available on a first-come, first-serve basis from the park's Backcountry Information Center. Requests are taken beginning on the 1st day of the month, up to four month's before the requested first night of camping.
Hazards
Hazards hikers can encounter along the
Bright Angel Trail include
dehydration, sudden rainstorms, flash flooding, loose footing, bootpacked ice, rockfall, encounters with wildlife, and extreme heat. At the
Colorado River, additional hazards include
hypothermia (due to the river's consistently cold temperatures),
trauma (due to collisions with boulders in rapids), and
drowning. Also, the trail is used by the mules that people can ride to the bottom of the canyon. These mules are highly trained, however the trail isn't really wide enough for a person and a mule so there's always the chance of getting kicked. The trail also has many switchbacks, and a bad fall can result in serious injuries.
History
The trail was originally built by the
Havasupai (
Havasu 'Baaja)
Native American tribe for access to the perennial water source of present day Garden Creek. The Havasu settled seasonally in this area, now known as Indian Garden.
Ralph Cameron
Ralph H. Cameron, who would later become a
United States Senator (R-AZ
1921-1927), settled on the canyon rim in 1890 and began improving the old Havasupai trail. It was at this time that the trail was extended all the way to the
Colorado River. Once official control of the trail fell to Cameron, he named it the
Cameron Trail and began charging a $1 toll to access it.
Kolb brothers
Ellsworth Kolb arrived at Grand Canyon to work at the
Bright Angel Lodge in 1901. He was employed as a bellboy. The next year, Ellsworth invited his brother
Emery to come to the canyon as the possibility of mine work opened up. However,
John Hance's asbestos mine closed before he arrived, leaving Emery unemployed.
Shortly after this, Emery discovered a photography business for sale in
Williams, Arizona. He purchased the business for $425 and moved the operation back to Grand Canyon. He and Ellsworth began taking photographs of visitors who took the mule rides down Cameron's trail, charging a fee for the pictures. The Cameron family leased a small piece of land nearby to Emery, where the two brothers set up a photography studio in a tent to develop and sell their photos.
The business was extremely profitable, and after a few years the Kolb brothers built their permanent studio building on the rim of the canyon. Rock was blasted away to provide the foundation for the building, which is perched slightly below rim level.
Ellsworth left the venture in 1924, but Emery continued operating the studio until his death in 1976. The present-day
Kolb Studio is operated by the
Grand Canyon Association as a gift shop, art studio, and history center.
Competition with Cameron
To compete with Cameron, the
Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad improved an existing horsetheif trail in
Hermit Canyon (the
Hermit Trail) in 1910. Beginning in 1918, the newly created
National Park Service began construction of the
South Kaibab Trail near
Yaki Point as an additional bypass for Cameron's tolls.
NPS control
After a long series of legal battles, Cameron ceded control of the trail to the National Park Service, who stopped charging the $1 toll. The NPS renamed the trail
Bright Angel Trail in 1937.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Bright Angel Trail'.
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