Bright Angel Viewpoint

Bright Angel Lodge is a popular starting point for visits to the canyon. From the rim in front of the lodge you get a spectacular panorama that this combination of seven individual pictures can only hint at.

Individual views from this viewpoint show just a few of the scenes you can see here.

The Bright Angel area is also close to the starting point for one of the major trails that go from the rim down to the Colorado River. The Bright Angel trail travels down the side of the canyon to meet up with the Kaibab Trail at the bottom. The Kaibab Trail actually traverses the entire canyon from rim to rim, although it's usually used to come back up on trips that go down, stay overnight at Phantom Ranch and then come back up the next day. In the middle of the picture you can see the trail passing the Indian Garden ranger station, proceeding through the trees, and then continuing out to the edge of Plateau Point where it takes another dip down to the river.

Trail

El Tovar

The granddaddy of resort hotels at the South rim is the El Tovar, opened by the Santa Fe Railway in 1905. A nice place to visit if you have the time.