ventureswithvictoria

Aug 10, 20216 min read

Rim to River: South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails

Updated: Dec 12, 2022

Hike Stats

Distance: 17.4 miles (approx.)

Elevation Gain: 5,100 feet

Location: South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park

Date Hiked: April 2019

*warning: long post with lots of pictures ahead*

One note: the Indian Gardens Campground has since been re-named the Havasupai Gardens Campground to better respect the Havasupai tribe who have been local to the area for many years. You can read more about it here.

Did you ever read a book as a child that inspired you to do something as an adult? I really loved adventure books as a kid, taking delight as the characters took on various physical and mental challenges. When I was about 11, I read a book called Down Under, about a group of teens who take a rafting trip down the Colorado River, at one point visiting the famous Phantom Ranch. I’d wanted to get down to that river and ranch ever since — and in March 2019, I finally got the opportunity to do so. It was Spring Break of my third year of medical school and I had managed to rope my friend Jake into coming along on a road trip from LA (where I got to see a super bloom!) to Anza-Borrego to Joshua Tree and finally - the Grand Canyon.

woman smiling at the camera overlooking the Grand Canyon south rim

Walking up to the rim of the Grand Canyon was truly beyond words. I was worried that after such high expectations that I would be let down, but I needn’t have worried because I immediately teared up at how majestic it was. The sunrise the next morning in particular blew my socks off.

grand canyon south rim sunrise. Sun peaks through clouds to shine rays onto the canyon creating silhouettes

There were many things we wanted to do while at the Grand Canyon, but our ultimate goal was to hike to the bottom and camp down by the river at the Bright Angel Campground. This proved to be tricky due to the permitting system which, truth be told, is quite antiquated and requires faxing or snail mailing your permit application months in advance. I was unsuccessful in getting a permit ahead of time, so we had to hope for a walk-up which is at minimum a two day process that involves putting your name on a waiting list and showing up to the backcountry office each morning hoping for a permit. We had to extend our stay in the Grand Canyon by a day (oh darn), but we eventually got a spot!

The next morning we were off to an early start on the South Kaibab Trail wanting to catch the sunrise at Ooh Aah Point which is about a mile down the trail. The sunrise was subtle but beautiful as the yellow rays brought out the greens of the canyon. Definitely worth the early wake up.

Ooh Aah Point at sunrise on south kaibab trail

section of the south kaibab trail between Ooh Aah Point and O’Neill Butte at sunrise with sun trying to break through the clouds

The section between Ooh Aah Point and O’Neill Butte was quite possibly my favorite. The trail essentially follows the spine of Cedar Ridge with 360 degree views of the canyon along with the looming butte in the background. The trail was bathed in the soft early morning glow, making it even more stunning.

spine of cedar ridge on south kaibab trail with butte in background in morning light

looking into the canyon in morning light

The other highlight of this section was seeing the mules pass by on their way down to Phantom Ranch. The park service uses mules to help bring supplies down to the bottom of the canyon as well as carry out mail - the only mail in the US that is carried by mules!

mules on the south kaibab trail with ranger riding the first mule

mules going down the south kaibab trail to phantom ranch

After the excitement of having to flatten ourselves against the canyon walls to allow the mules room to pass, we made our way down past O’Neill Butte to Skeleton Point. From this spot I could look down at all the switchbacks my poor knees were about to endure. Did I mention that the South Kaibab Trail descends 4860 feet in 6.3 miles? The view was amazing though, and I have to admit I do love a good “trailscape.”

woman with large blue backpack hiking on south kaibab trail with canyon buttes in the background

south kaibab trail switchbacks down into the canyon from skeleton point

After making our way down the switchbacks (in my case, slipping and sliding due to poor boot traction!), we reached the last marked point before we reached the bottom - The Tip Off. The more primitive Tonto Trail crosses here and there are a couple of pit toilets as well.

man hiking along the south kaibab trail deeper in the canyon

Just past The Tip Off are a few other of my favorite viewpoints. I was particularly struck by seeing the trail wind around an outcropping called Train Wreck, framed by towering, multicolored buttes behind, blue skies above, and a chocolate milk Colorado River below. The Tip Off is where it really hit me that I was in the Grand Canyon, and not just there, but truly experiencing it with an intimacy that is perhaps only surpassed by those lucky souls who raft through it.

south kaibab trail near the tip off with colorful inner canyon

south kaibab trail wrapping around a butte with colorado river down and to the left

From there it was a fairly quick descent down to the river, and we enjoyed a few glimpses of the Kaibab Suspension Bridge we were going to cross to reach the Bright Angel Campground. We passed through a manmade tunnel through the rock, our knees thanking us for finally finding flat ground. It felt a bit surreal to be crossing the bridge that I had read so much about in books and online.

black kaibab suspension bridge over the colorado river — Kaibab Bridge

silver bright angel bridge from above — The Bright Angel Bridge from above

A short while later we had made it to our campsite at the Bright Angel Campground and we excitedly set up our tents, taking care to store all of our scented items in the heavy duty container that was provided to prevent the squirrels from chewing through our gear.

We spent a leisurely afternoon in the cafeteria of Phantom Ranch, relaxing and playing cards. There was another guy there who was hanging out and playing guitar, and we got to talking with a few of the other campers. To pass the time, I completed a Phantom Ranch-themed Junior Ranger book and earned my Phantom Ranch Junior Ranger badge which I now of course proudly display in my living room. I also enjoyed writing a few postcards to my family and boyfriend, thinking how fun it would be to have the official “Mailed by mule” stamp on them. We also went to two different ranger programs, one about geology and the other about snakes, both specific to the Grand Canyon. If you ever go down there, I highly recommend attending the ranger programs; the rangers were so knowledgeable and clearly passionate about their talks, which made them all the more fun and interesting. I spent part of the evening sitting in the sand on the banks of the Colorado, watching the water move slowly by and thinking about just how lucky I was to be there.

The next morning, we reluctantly packed up camp for an early start back to the rim via the Bright Angel Trail. After a short walk along the river, we crossed the Bright Angel Suspension Bridge as the sun began to peak through the cliff walls.

bright angel suspension bridge in the morning

early morning sun shining into the bottom of the grand canyon over the colorado river

ascending the bright angel trail with view of colorado river

We slowly began ascending up the canyon, following a creek part of the way, still far enough down into the canyon to have the walls looming in front of us. The ascent heading towards the Indian Garden Campground was steady and tiring, but not too difficult. There were several gorgeous spots along the way, including a small waterfall and a grove of blooming red buds. Turns out we were there at just the right time because the red buds were at their peak! The purple blooms contrasted beautifully against the reds, browns, and oranges of the canyon.

looking back at the bright angel trail switchbacks in the inner grand canyon

red bud trees in bloom near indian garden campground

Indian Garden was a welcome sight after a long couple of hours of climbing. Here we rested our legs, filled up our water bottles, took advantage of the toilets, and gorged ourselves on Starburst jellybeans to fuel ourselves for the remaining 4.8 miles and over 3000 feet of gain required to make it back to the rim. As the signs at the trailhead say, “Going down is optional, coming up is mandatory!”

hikers resting at indian garden campground

sign that says "caution! Down is optional, up is mandatory"

This part of the Bright Angel Trail was brutal. My legs were incredibly tired and my calves were crying, but I did manage to keep a steady pace with intermittent breaks to shake out the lactic acid and enjoy the views. My heavy and ill-fitting backpack definitely didn’t help things. Jake and I each hiked this part at our own pace.

bright angel trail switchbacks near the top

There are two designated “rest stops” along the Bright Angel Trail, appropriately known as the “3 Mile Resthouse” and “Mile-and-a-half Resthouse.” These both have pit toilets and may or may not have water. These are both popular stops for day hikes below the rim. The people along this section were so kind, many of them offering encouragement and astonishment that I was coming up from the bottom. One awesome group of middle-aged ladies even took my picture in front of one of the two small tunnels along the trail.

woman standing in front of the bright angel trail tunnel

When I finally huffed and puffed my way up to the rim, I was elated! I looked back at where I came from and was proud of what I had accomplished. After tearing my ACL the year before and going through a tough rehab post-surgery, being able to push my body like this and achieve a lifelong dream felt amazing. There is something magical about being in the depths of the Grand Canyon, and I walked away from the rim already planning a future Rim-to-Rim hike.