The Bright Angel Trail is the Grand Canyon's most storied footpath — the classic corridor route from the South Rim down to the Colorado River, walked by everyone from first-time day hikers to rim-to-rim veterans. Following a natural break in the cliffs along the Bright Angel Fault, it descends about 9.5 miles from the trailhead near Kolb Studio and Bright Angel Lodge (around 6,850 feet) to the river far below, where the River Trail leads on to Bright Angel Campground and Phantom Ranch — roughly 11 miles and nearly 4,400 feet of descent in all.

The trail is a walk through both geologic and human history. The route follows an ancient path used by the Havasupai, later widened into a toll trail around 1890 by prospectors Pete Berry and Ralph Cameron. In the first mile you pass through two tunnels blasted in the 1930s, and just below the upper one lies Mallery's Grotto, a rock alcove bearing pictographs — including deer — painted by Native peoples over many centuries. The stone resthouses at 1.5 and 3 miles were hand-built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935–36 and offer shade, benches, seasonal water, and emergency phones.

At 4.5 miles the trail reaches Havasupai Gardens (long known as Indian Garden), a green oasis of cottonwoods — trees planted by Ralph Cameron — with water, a ranger station, and a campground; a side trail continues to Plateau Point and its dizzying overlook of the inner gorge. Below the gardens the trail drops through the tight switchbacks of the Devil's Corkscrew, cut into the black, roughly two-billion-year-old Vishnu Schist — the oldest rock in the canyon — before following Pipe Creek to the river and crossing the Silver Bridge to the campground and Phantom Ranch.

This is also the canyon's classic mule route. Pack trains and mule rides have used it since the late 1800s, and hikers must yield: step to the inside (uphill) edge, stand still, and follow the wrangler's instructions as the animals pass.

Do not try to hike from the rim to the river and back in a single day. The Park Service warns against it in the strongest terms — the relentless climb out, extreme heat, and roughly 4,400 feet of elevation change cause rescues and deaths here every year. Excellent day-hike turnarounds are the 1.5-Mile Resthouse (3 miles round trip), the 3-Mile Resthouse (6 miles), and Havasupai Gardens (9 miles round trip); anything below that is for very fit, prepared hikers or overnighters with a permit. Camping below the rim requires a backcountry permit.

A park entrance fee applies. Carry far more water and salty food than you think you need, use the seasonal water stations (confirm which are running before you start), begin at dawn in summer, and remember the golden rule of the canyon: going down is optional, but coming back up is mandatory.