Welcome to Travel Tuesday! Truth be told, we meant to go further than just to the 1.5 mile resthouse of the Bright Angel Trail but this was in June and we had a late start in the day (took >2 hours to drive to the Grand Canyon), so we did what we could.
1.5 Mile Resthouse via Bright Angel Trail
Distance: 3.2 miles (out + back)
Elevation: 1184 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Duration: ~1 hour (they recommend to allow for 1.5 hours though)
Trailhead Address: 35.36373, -111.52310
Parking: Free with entry ($25, but free if you have the annual park pass!)
This is a very, very popular hike, so don’t plan on having any kind of solitude here. Someday, I’d like to hike the entire Bright Angel Trail, but that’ll have to wait til I’m not there during the summertime.
If you do this hike in the summer, make sure you start super early to beat the heat!
Almost the entirety of the hike is exposed, so definitely make sure you have sun-protective clothing and/or sunglasses, a hat, and SPF.
The trail can get a little slippery at times, so wear shoes with good traction. You also have to share the trail with mules, so just be careful where you step.
The elevation gain isn’t too bad but it’s definitely harder on the way back (especially since it’s a lot hotter by then!). We went from shade to shade, so that provided some motivation.
The trail is very well maintained and we saw volunteers tending to parts of the trail on the way down. There are beautiful expansive views throughout.
You can technically continue another 1.5 miles down to the 3 mile resthouse, but we came across a park ranger who recommended against it due to the timing (and the temperatures). I’d definitely recommend heeding their advice!
You’ll also get to see some wildlife!!
- Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon?
- What’s the last national park you went to?
12 comments
Skip to comment form
The Bright Angel Trail is such a pretty one! I visited the Grand Canyon in October and while we didn’t go very far down this one (I wasn’t feeling up for a big hike that day haha), it was one of my favorite trails! Your photos of the canyon are very pretty :) Thanks for sharing
Ahh, that’s awesome! Totally understandable–the first time I went, I also was not feeling up to a big hike so I just explored a bunch of little trails instead. :] It’s awesome that there’s so much variety in options for what to check out over there!
Farrah recently posted…1.5 Mile Resthouse via Bright Angel Trail
The views from hikes are always so spectacular, if only I weren’t so darn lazy. xD I do enjoy posts like this. Living vicariously through your trekking posts :)
hahaha, all good — it’s not for everyone! ;P I definitely have my lazy days as well too.
Farrah recently posted…1.5 Mile Resthouse via Bright Angel Trail
What a trail! The light is so beautiful but I can imagine this would be crazily hot if you didn’t rest in the shade every so often!! It’s pretty impressive how well maintained the trail is on the Bright Angel Trail.
Did you just take photos in between other hikers? It all looks so quiet in your pictures.
Josy A recently posted…Cavell Meadows trail – Jasper
They kept it suuuper well maintained! I don’t know how one goes about volunteering for things like this but I’d be down if there was anything like that near me! :]
I definitely waited for little lulls here and there to avoid having people in these shots, hehe. The plus side to it being a hotter day = probably a lot less people than there could’ve been!
I’ve got to get to the Grand Canyon. I can’t believe I live in Utah and I’ve never been.
Ahh, I hope you get to go sometime! There’s so much to explore there! (I love all the national parks in Utah too though! *-*)
I love this trail! Would love to go all the way to the bottom someday. Glad you listened to the ranger – the heat is NO joke in the summer and the climb on the way back will get ya!
Oh, definitely! I’d love to go to the bottom someday as well but safely, as I’d like it to not be the last hike that I ever do!
Farrah recently posted…Hole in the Rock Trail
I’ve been up and down the Bright Angel trail a couple of times. But never in June. That’s way too hot for me. I love the Bright angel trail and this section is particularly nice.
Totally understandable! I’d love to have done it in cooler weather — it’d be awesome to get to do the whole trail. Hopefully someday though!
Farrah recently posted…Seattle Pike Place Market Food Tour