You are now looking down at the Bright Angel
Trail, the principle
route used for centuries to enter and exit the Grand
Canyon. The trail follows a natural path created by the Bright
Angel Fault Line. This earthquake causing fault provided sufficient breaks in
the major formations in the canyon to allow Native Americans to gain relatively
easy access to Indian
Gardens and the Colorado River. With the arrival of miners in the late 19th
century, this route was developed to allow for mule travel up and down the
corridor. Pioneer miner Ralph Cameron gained rights to the route and
established the Cameron Toll Road.
For the cost of $1, visitors to the canyon could pass down the trail for visits
to the canyon. Although a popular destination for tourists, the trail was
considerably steeper than the one you see before you today. With the arrival of
the park service, efforts were made to purchase the toll route and allow easier
access into the canyon. To bypass this route, the Park Service decided to
create another route into the canyon. The South Kaibab Trail – located five
miles to the east, was created in 1924 and is still in use today. With a free route to the bottom, business for
the toll road quickly dried up and Cameron sold his rights to the trail.
Let your eyes follow the trail down into the canyon. The
switchbacks before you allow the Bright
Angel Trail
to pass through numerous geological formations. Each one has a different
character. The limestone and sandstone layers tend to erode away in large
chuncks, making for sheer cliff walls. The redder mudstone or shale layers
erode away like mud, creating much more gradual slopes. For hikers and riders
going down the Bright
Angel Trail,
they will experience a gradual change in weather and climate. By the time they
get to the bottom, the canyon will be about 20-25 degrees Fahrenheit warmer.
The plant and animal life will have also changed considerably. As it gets dryer
in the canyon, they will leave behind the Ponderosa and Pinyon Pines you see it
the top. These will be replaced by scrub oaks, service berry and a host of
other bushes. As they make it down to Indian Garden,
a thin ribbon of willows and cottonwoods thrive along the banks of the spring,
providing much needed summertime shade. A trip all the way to the bottom
recreates the landscape of northern Mexico – cacti, ocotillos, and cats
claw acacia become the dominant desert plant species. Summer time high
temperatures down at Phantom Ranch usually stay above 100 degrees throughout
the summer months, with an average annual rain fall of 9 inches. At the top of
the Canyon, temperatures seldom go above 80 degrees, with annual precipitation
of nearly 16 inches.