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Grand Canyon National Park
South Rim Trails
West Rim Trail/ South Rim Trail
From its starting point near Bright Angel Lodge-Ground Zero for human activity inside the park-- the West Rim Trail travels eight miles west along the canyon rim before ending at Hermit's Rest. Along the way, it meanders through pinyon-juniper woods, crosses busy overlooks, and squeezes along narrow strips of land between the rim and the Hermit Road. Though far from pristine, it boasts lovely views of canyon monuments such as Shiva Temple, Osiris Temple, and the Tower of Ra. As it nears Hermit's Rest, it passes through relatively uncrowded stretches of forest.
The South Rim trail heads the opposite direction from Bright Angel Lodge, following the rim for about 1.5 miles to Yavapai Point. Between Bright Angel Lodge and El Tovar Hotel, this wide, paved trail is thronged with people of nearly every nationality. Beyond the El Tovar it passes many nice, weather-smoothed rocks in the Kaibab Limestone-perfect places for viewing the canyon.
Canyon Trails
Bright Angel Trail to Plateau Point
Because it has drinking water (seasonally), shade, and is relatively gradual, the Bright Angel is the least difficult trail into the canyon from the South Rim. During high season, this wide, well-maintained corridor trail brims with hikers, rangers and the daily mule trips. From its trailhead near Bright Angel Lodge in Grand Canyon Village, it drops in switchbacks (by Grand Canyon standards) through a natural break in the cliffs along the Bright Angel Fault, passing two small sets of Indian pictographs along the way. Below the Redwall, the trail straightens and descends to Indian Garden, where riparian species such as willow and Arizona grape thrive near a spring. Fit, well-prepared hikers may want to continue past Indian Garden campground to Plateau Point (1.5 miles away, via the Tonto and Plateau Point trails), which overlooks the Colorado River, 1,300 feet below. Plateau Point is 3,195 vertical feet and 6.1 miles from the trailhead.
South Kaibab Trail to Cedar Ridge
Other than being exceedingly popular and well maintained, the South Kaibab Trail has little in common with the other South Rim corridor trail, the Bright Angel. Whereas the Bright Angel Trail follows natural routes into the canyon; much of the South Kaibab trail is manmade, having been dynamited into rock by workers in 1924. Whereas the Bright Angel Trail sometimes follows lush, shady creekbeds, the South Kaibab Trail gravitates to ridgelines with panoramic canyon views. And while the Bright Angel is relatively gradual; the South Kaibab fairly steep.
Because the South Kaibab trailhead is a few miles outside Grand Canyon Village, it tends to be less crowded than the Bright Angel Trail. In a few hours time, you can descend the South Kaibab Trail 1.5 miles and 1,140 vertical feet to Cedar Ridge, where the mule trips stop for water. Continuing north past Cedar Ridge, the trail soon reaches a saddle with stunning views of the Tonto Platform on either side.
Hermit Trail to Santa Maria Spring or Dripping Springs (via the new Dripping Springs Trail)
Upper sections of the Hermit Trail face west, so they receive warm afternoon sun. This makes the trail a good choice when other South Rim trails are slick or snow-packed. The trail provides access to two different springs: Dripping Springs, 3 miles from the trailhead (via the Dripping Springs Trail), and Santa Maria Spring, 2.5 miles from the trailhead. The Dripping Springs Trail branches off the Hermit Trail below the Coconino Formation, skirts the cliffs at the head of Hermit Gorge, then travels to the head of a small side canyon, where water drips from an overhanging rock. If you continue straight on the Hermit Trail past the junction with the Dripping Springs Trail, you'll eventually reach Santa Maria Spring. Here, you can rest under a small, vine-covered shelter built next to a spring in the 1910s, when the Hermit Trail was built to provide access to a tent encampment for tourists. Situated at the end of Hermit Road, this trail draws fewer people than the South Kaibab and Bright Angel trails and is a good choice when the other trails are too crowded.
Grandview Trail to Horseshoe Mesa
Built by copper miners in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the trail itself merits attention: In places, the miners used metal rods and logs to hang this trail on nearly vertical canyon walls, then topped the logs with dirt and cobblestones. Because the trail slopes steeply in places, the remaining cobblestones are treacherous when wet. After .75 miles the trail reaches Coconino saddle, with views into Hance and Grapevine Canyons. This is a nice turn-around point for many hikers. Others continue onward, making the circuitous descent onto the aptly named Horseshoe Mesa, which has foundations, tunnels, broken glass and rusting machinery from the old copper mines. Like the Hermit Trail, the Grandview is a nice alternative to the corridor trails during crowded periods. Most day hikers will want to turn around after reaching the mesa, three miles and 2,600 vertical feet below the trailhead.
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