The Grandview Trail is the most history-steeped route in the Grand Canyon, a steep, rugged path that drops about 2,500 feet in roughly three miles from Grandview Point down to Horseshoe Mesa. It was built in the 1890s by miner Pete Berry to haul copper ore up from his Last Chance Mine on the mesa, and much of that hand-built engineering survives: dramatic cobblestone causeways and log-and-rock cribbing carry the trail across sheer cliff faces, in places only a couple of feet wide with long drops below.

Unlike the maintained corridor trails, the Grandview is not built or maintained to any standard, and it is rocky, exposed and demanding, with no water anywhere on the trail. The reward is a fast, spectacular plunge into the canyon and the broad, mine-scarred platform of Horseshoe Mesa, where you can explore old mine workings, collapsed cabin sites and the Cave of the Domes, the canyon's best-known cave, while taking in enormous views. Reliable water requires a further descent to Page Spring (Miners Spring) below the mesa.

Many hikers turn Grandview into a loop, descending to Horseshoe Mesa and returning via the Tonto Trail, while strong backpackers link it with the Escalante Route and Tanner Trail for a classic multi-day circuit. There is a small backcountry campground on the mesa. Overnight camping requires a permit, the climb back out is strenuous, and there is no water on the trail, so this is a hike to treat with respect, but for a taste of the canyon's mining past and a genuinely thrilling descent, few trails match it.