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By Root 3020 0

The path becomes very faint about 4 miles in, after passing the trailhead for the old Bright Angel Trail. Past the Cape Royal Road, the trail descends into, then climbs out of, a very steep drainage overgrown with thorn-covered New Mexican locust. Although challenging, the 3-mile section between the Cape Royal Road and Point Imperial is also the prettiest stretch, skirting the rim of the canyon above upper drainages of Nankoweap Creek. You'll see plenty of scarlet bugler, identifiable by its tubular red flowers with flared lower petals, as well as a number of Douglas firs interspersed among the ubiquitous ponderosa pines.

The Transept Trail & Bright Angel Point Trail

Bright Angel Point Trail .25 mile each way. Transept Trail 1.5 miles. Easy. Access: Behind Grand Canyon Lodge.

To familiarize yourself with the North Rim, start with these trails, which are different sections of the same pathway. At the bottom of the stairs behind Grand Canyon Lodge, the Bright Angel Point Trail goes to the left and the Transept Trail goes right.

The paved Bright Angel Point Trail travels a quarter-mile to the tip of a narrow peninsula dividing Roaring Springs and Transept canyons. It passes a number of craggy outcroppings of Kaibab limestone, around which the roots of wind-whipped juniper trees cling like arthritic hands. The trail ends at 8,148-foot-high Bright Angel Point.

The Transept Trail ventures northeast along the rim of Transept Canyon, connecting the lodge and the North Rim Campground. Passing through old-growth ponderosa pine and quaking aspen, it descends into, then climbs out of, three shallow side drainages, with ascents steep enough to take the breath away from people unaccustomed to the altitude. Approximate round-trip hiking time for this trail is 1½ hours.

Widforss Trail

5 miles one-way. Moderate. Hiking time approximately 6 hours round-trip. Access: Dirt road mile south of Cape Royal Rd. Follow this road about ¾ mile to well-marked parking area.

Named for landscape painter Gunnar Widforss, this trail skirts the head of Transept Canyon before venturing south to Widforss Point. For the first 2 miles, the trail undulates through ponderosa pine and spruce-fir forest, with spruce-fir on the shady side of each drainage. Past the head of Transept Canyon, the trail heads south through a stand of old-growth ponderosa, part of which has been singed by forest fires. The trail reaches the rim again at Widforss Point, where you'll have a view of five temples. Near the rim are a picnic table and several good campsites. This is a self-guided hike; obtain brochures at the trailhead.

CANYON TRAILS

Because of the huge elevation changes on the canyon trails, none should be called easy. (More people are rescued off the Bright Angel Trail, generally considered the "easiest" trail into the canyon, than off any other trail.) In general, please note that rating a trail easy, moderate, or difficult oversimplifies the situation; for this reason, we've avoided doing so below. For example, among the wilderness trails, the Hermit Trail is fine for many day-hikers going to Santa Maria Spring, but it becomes more rugged and harder to follow beyond that point; the trail offers day hikes that vary in distance up to 12 miles. The Tonto Trail is often easy to walk on, but it has little water or shade. It's always a good idea to discuss your plans and your experience with a ranger before setting out on a hike.

SOUTH RIM CORRIDOR TRAILS

Bright Angel Trail

4.6 miles to Indian Garden, 7.8 miles to Colorado River, 9.3 miles to Bright Angel Campground. Access: Just west of Kolb Studio, near Grand Canyon Village. 6,860 ft. at trailhead; 3,800 ft. at Indian Garden; 2,450 ft. at Colorado River. Water sources at One-and-a-Half-Mile House (seasonal), Three-Mile House (seasonal), Indian Garden, Colorado River, Bright Angel Campground.

Both Native Americans and early settlers recognized this as a choice location for a trail. First, there's an enormous fault line that creates a natural break in the cliffs.