The South Bass Trail is one of the Grand Canyon's classic historic routes, a remote, unmaintained path that drops about 4,400 feet over roughly 7.8 miles from the quiet western South Rim to the Colorado River at Bass Rapids. It was developed in the 1890s by pioneer William Wallace Bass, who ran a tourism operation here and even strung a cable crossing over the river to link his south and north trails. Today it is a strenuous, non-corridor backcountry trail for experienced, self-sufficient hikers, usually done as an overnight or multi-day backpack of about 15.6 miles round trip.

Getting to the trailhead is part of the challenge: it lies at the end of a long, rough dirt road west of Grand Canyon Village that crosses Havasupai tribal land, which may require a fee or permit, and is often impassable when wet, so a high-clearance vehicle and current road information are essential. There is no water at the trailhead or anywhere on the trail until the river, more than 4,400 feet below, and camping is at-large, with no established sites beneath the rim.

What South Bass offers in return is solitude and grandeur. Far from the crowds of the central corridor, it descends through the canyon's great rock layers to a beautiful stretch of the Colorado, with wide views, quiet camps and a strong sense of the canyon's pioneer history. A backcountry permit is required for overnight trips, summer heat in the inner canyon is dangerous, and the river is the only reliable water, so this is a route to plan carefully, but for hikers seeking the wild, historic west end of the canyon it is a gem.