Hiking the Bright Angel Trail to 1.5 Mile Resthouse (Grand Canyon NP, South Rim, Arizona) - Trip Report
I hiked into the Grand Canyon via the Bright Angel Trail which was iced out with plenty of snow lingering from the snow storm prior. I opted to turn around at the 1.5 mile resthouse and even just that short distance that gave me plenty of beautiful canyon views. This is one of the more popular trails at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and it’s easy to see why - I’m even hoping to backpack this trail the next time I’m at the Grand Canyon.
Hiking Information
Location: Grand Canyon National Park (along the South Rim, near Tusayan, Arizona)
Trailhead & Parking: Google Maps
Date Hiked: November 10, 2020
Trail Type: Out & Back
Elevation Change : 2,963 ft
Distance Roundtrip: 3.1 miles
Nearest Restrooms: at the trailhead
Fees: There is a fee to enter Grand Canyon National Park, here is information Grand Canyon entrance park fees.
Season Accessibility: Year round (they can close access to the Grand Canyon when the weather is too severe)
Trail Tip: Traction devices make all the difference after a recent snowstorm, as most of this trail is shaded
Additional Hiking Information
This trail has several turn around points so I thought I’d include the information on those turnaround points in case you feel like venturing further than I did. This data reflects roundtrip information :
3.0 Mile Resthouse : 6 miles with 5,498 ft elevation change
Indian Garden : 9 miles with 7,719 ft elevation change
Plateau Point : 12.2 miles with 8,508 ft elevation change
River Resthouse : 15.6 miles with 10,567 ft elevation change
The Drive/Parking
To get to this part of the South Rim, you’ll need to enter via HWY 64 (just above Williams, AZ), which is located to the south of the Grand Canyon. And usually you could reach this part of the South Rim via HWY 64 Desert View road as well (near Cameron, Arizona) which is east of the Grand Canyon, but that road is closed at the Watchtower along Desert View road due to COVID-19 restrictions. So after heading up HWY 64 and once you’ve passed through the pay station, you’ll take that road to the parking lot in front of the Bright Angel Lodge. It seemed like that parking lot filled up by the late morning, but there are also a few more parking spots up the one-way road that takes you closer to the Klob Studio (which is where I parked).
The Hike
I started this hike around noon, because I naively thought it might help melt out some of the lingering snow and ice from the previous storm. I quickly learned that was not the case as the trail was completely iced over along with some snow on the sides of the trail. Luckily, I came prepared with my YakTrax which gave me great traction on the slippery sloped trail. People with some sort of hiking shoe or boot (and no traction devices) did okay, but those wearing Nikes or any shoe with a smoother tread were not looking very stable.
The trail was almost all shady and had only a few melted out, sunny sections. The sun felt so warm and cozy when I finally got to those sections - the temps were around 20 degrees which was improvement from the day before, but still pretty chilly.
Another thing I noticed on the trail were the backpackers making their way up from the bottom of the canyon - mostly coming from the South Kaibab trail. I have to say, I know how harsh it can be backpacking with drastic incline, but… in the Grand Canyon, it’s quite literally ONLY incline on your way back, which seems to be a completely different ball game. I’m used to the up/down/flat/up again/flat/down random mix style of trails in the Eastern Sierra so it definitely seems like a new kind of challenge with a day purely UPHILL. Needless to say, I still would like to backpack this area!
I really was feeling the Christmas-y vibes hiking with the orange/brown rock coloration mixed with the white fluffy snow, almost felt like I was walking in a gingerbread canyon with white frosting all along it.
I then ran into a group that was on a horseback ride up to the top of the canyon on mostly mules, which seems like the only easy option to get back to the top… but where’s the fun in that? ;) Totally kidding, I love horseback riding on trails as well, but sometimes it does feel good to earn your views.
When I finally got down to the 1.5 Mile Resthouse, I contemplated whether I should continue on or turn back now. Originally, I had my sights set on hiking down to the 3 Mile Resthouse, but this was my first real hike in the last two months due to living in a cloud of smoke by the Creek Fire. I decided the smart move was to head back now and aim for a longer trail tomorrow with an earlier start. I soaked up the views and headed back up to the top of the Grand Canyon.
Sunset at Navajo Point along the Desert View Road
I was glad I headed back when I did because I still had enough time to go enjoy the sunset along the Desert View Road. I really enjoyed this trail and hope you got some enjoyment out of this trip report and/or my video, Happy Trails!
VIDEO OF MY ADVENTURE
PIN THIS for later!
Thanks for reading my latest adventure!
Tiare Kirkland
Hi! My name is Tiare, but you can just call me ‘T’. I’m a California based hiker and I spend most of my free time taking photos and videos of some of my favorite hikes. You can usually find me ‘Out Hiking’ in the Sierra Nevada mountain range or road-tripping to new areas. Read more about me here and follow along with my adventures by subscribing below!