Prickly Pear Cactus in bloom at Indian Garden

This hike down the Bright Angel Trail had two main objectives. First was to check out the small cascading waterfalls of Garden Creek where it intersects with Pipe Creek. Second was to explore the lower reaches of Pipe Creek Canyon, and follow it upstream as far as possible.

a glance into Pipe Creek from near the top of the Devil’s Corkscrew, Bright Angel Trail

These are the waterfalls at the bottom of Garden Creek. They are visible from the trail, though most hikers don’t take the time to go check them out.

Garden Creek seems to be nothing but a series of waterfalls. Several higher, more dramatic falls can be viewed at a distance from the Tonto Plateau, but to the best of my knowledge they are completely inaccessible to foot travel.

This is where Pipe Creek converges with the Bright Angel Trail, at the bottom of the Devil’s Corkscrew. To explore the canyon, simply follow the streambed up the left side of this image.

This old rusted artifact is just a stone’s throw away from the BA trail.

It’s not long before progress is blocked by this huge chockstone, wedged into place here by the forces of Nature. I saw a potential bypass to the east (Left side of this image, downstream) that would allow access farther up-canyon, but on this particular hike I chose to call it a day, and started heading back toward the rim.