Bright Angel Trailhead

Bright Angel Trailhead is the starting point for Bright Angel and offers a great perspective. It is located west of Bright Angel Lodge near Kolb Studio. As one of the major fault lines dividing the canyon, Bright Angel has allowed animals and humans to enter and exit the canyon for centuries. In the late 1880s, prospecting partners Pete Berry and Ralph Cameron improved the trail to better reach the canyon's mine sites. Seeing the development of tourism at the site as an excellent financial return, Cameron later invested several thousand dollars in developing the trail, extending it to reach the banks of the Colorado River. Cameron also built a camping area at Indian Garden (a Havasupai site). A territorial representative in Congress from 1908 and later a U.S. senator (1921-1927), Cameron used his connections to men of influence to maintain his hold on the trail, which was the last toll trail in the national park system. The community of Cameron, east of the national park, is named after him.

The trail is 12.9 km long (15.9 km to Phantom Ranch) with an average elevation gain of 10%. it takes 4 to 5 hours to reach the Colorado River, 1,300 m below. Indian Garden, located on the Tonto Plateau, is 7.4 km and 933 m of elevation gain from the trailhead and is the recommended final destination for a one-day round-trip hike.