The Old Bright Angel Trail (South Rim)
the first side canyon east of Indian Garden
There are two places in the Grand Canyon commonly referred to as the Old Bright Angel Trail. The first is on the North Rim, as a bypass of the upper North Kaibab Trail. The second, which I set out here to find on April 3, 2009, bypasses the regular Bright Angel between Indian Garden and the top of the Devil’s Corkscrew.
To find the Old Bright Angel Trail, follow the Tonto Trail east of Indian Gardens. The old trail is found in the first major drainage, leading to the north (left).
To access the Old Bright Angel Trail from the north (bottom): At the top of the Devil’s Corkscrew, there is a long switchback leading to the west. At this initial turn to the west (right), follow the drainage straight ahead.
Isis Temple from the Tonto Plateau
Between these two boulders on the north side of the Tonto Trail is the best place find the Old BA Trail.
Switchbacks on the old trail are evident and simple to follow.
the old trans-canyon telephone line
A light rain began to fall – with awesome thunder echoing throughout the canyon – so instead of following the route to the Devil’s Corkscrew, I chose to turn around and make for the rim.
Before going directly to the rim, though, I explored the promontory on the Tonto Plateau that juts out between Garden Creek (The Bright Angel Trail) and the first drainage to the east (The old trail). Here I found this large cairn and interesting marking – the boundary of an old mining claim, perhaps?
mule train at the Jacob’s Ladder ascent of the Redwall
I didn’t have any pictures of this exposed section of the trans-canyon pipeline, so I took some!
The weather began to take a turn for the worse.
Snow accumulated quickly!
The only clothes I had for this day hike were shorts, t-shirt, fleece hoodie, and a hat. The only solution and means of staying warm was to keep moving, and not to stop! The adrenaline was pumping and I was quite chilled by the time I reached the top, but it worked out okay.
