Hiking down Bright Angel Trail

One of the trails that I feel is worth the hike is Bright Angel Trail (of course, this is the trail that I took which is near my lodge). Bright Angel Trail is actually a steep but well-maintained trail. It begins near Kolb Studio and Lookout Studio and follows switchbacks through several rock layers to the Indian Garden Campground. A detour will bring you to Plateau Point Trail which allows a dramatic overlook of the canyon. Yes, it’s really a wonderful view of the gorge and Colorado River.

There are a few stop points along the trail.
First stop: 1 1/2-Mile Resthouse (you know how far it is from the start of the trail)
Elevation Change: 1,131 ft (345 m)

Second stop: 3-Mile Resthouse (yup, you also know how far you are from the trailhead)
Elevation Change: 2,112 ft (644 m)

Third stop: Indian Garden
Distance: 4.6 mile
Elevation Change: 3,060 ft (933 m)

Fourth stop: Plateau Point
Distance: 6.1 mile
Elevation Change: 3,195 ft (974m)

Total distance hiked: 12.2 mile

For the first 3 mile, the trail was exceptionally tough. Snow and ice was everywhere. Every step that you take must be extra careful. I slid quite a couple of times. My hiking boots were not suitable for icy trails. I need crampons/spikes which I didn’t have. (I didn’t expect the trails to be icy. That’s why I didn’t prepare for it). And yup, if a 70 year old lady with backpack can hike, so do I! But anyway, upon reaching 3 mile mark, the icy trails disappear and slowly transition into the dry trail. It was an interesting site, given that for the past one hour, I had been hiking in a white surrounding.

This picture showed my way down to Indian Garden. It was the third rest-point after 2 ½ hours or so of hike. At this point, it was getting quite hot and I had to start removing my outer jacket. When you go hiking in the cold, I think it’s wise to wear several layers that can be taken off easily. As you hike, you’ll most likely get warmer which means you will start removing layers of clothings.

Finally, after hiking for 3 hours (which is almost 1 ½ hours faster than typical hike), I reached Plateau Point. This place offers a spectacular vista point of Colorado River. There were few people there and it’s a bit hard to imagine that I managed to hike down into one of the best natural landscape in the world.

I have always wanted to visit Grand Canyon (after my dream location-Egypt), given the spectacular view of the million of years of rock formation. And yup, I finally made it to the place, although not to the core of the Canyon. You can continue to hike down to the river but it’ll be crazier and I will need to backpack for two days.

Here’s the view of the Colorado River. Isn’t the place beautiful? That’s also the place where I had my “Granola Bars and Gatorade” lunch. Getting in touch with nature. That’s the satisfaction that I get.