One of only two fully maintained hiking routes into the Grand Canyon from the south rim, the Bright Angel Trail begins near the main visitor complex, at the start of the Hermit's Rest road, and follows the course of Garden Creek, reaching the Colorado after 8.5 miles and a descent of over 4,500 feet. This is the most popular trail, and the 'easiest' by which to hike to the river, although most hikers turn back a long way before - one common target is the first of two rest stations after 1.5 miles (the other is after 4 miles), which makes for a round trip of 2 hours or so.
Start of the Trail: Much of the well used and often very dusty trail is along a side canyon so the views are more restricted than those on the other main route (the South Kaibab, which follows a ridge downwards) but the scenery is of course still breathtaking. Many people prefer to travel by horse or mule, which requires reservations many months in advance. Livestock have priority on the trails they use so travellers on foot have to stop and let them pass, and since the mules walk in convoys of a dozen or more and can be slow moving as well as quite smelly, they can be rather a nuisance.
Indian Garden: Some of the steepest sections are near the start, where the path descends quickly with many switchbacks. The second rest station is near a tree-lined spring at Indian Garden and is more appropriate for an all-day hike; beyond this the path divides - one branch goes almost flat for two miles to Plateau Point which has great views of the Colorado along the inner canyon gorge.
The River: The main trail continues steeply down to the river and then alongside for a while before crossing it on a suspension bridge. Another trail, Tonto, crosses the Bright Angel on its journey following the canyon along the Tonto Plateau a little above the river for over 100 miles, mainly westwards, and a trip over the full distance would take up to two weeks.
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