THE HIKE into or out of the Grand Canyon on the Bright Angel Trail is almost ten miles in length with a five thousand foot elevation change.
Do not underestimate this hike. The trail is very rugged.
We highly recommend hiring the mule-carried duffle service. (Duffle service info here.)
If you are considering either the 6 day or 9 day rowing trip, please go to and read the "Hiking Tips" information from the Grand Canyon National Park Service.
All of our partial canyon trips (6-day or 9-day) include escorted hiking on the Bright Angel Trail.
Hiking In
If you are hiking into the canyon for our "lower" 9-day trip, one of our crew will meet you on the South Rim the evening before your hike, have a short orientation meeting, help you shop for hiking snacks, and help you drop off your duffle if you have missed the required 4:00 PM turn-in time at the Mule Barn. The next morning they will accompany you part of the way down the trail to Indian Gardens, where another Moki Mac employee will meet the group and escort you the rest of the way to Phantom Ranch.
Hiking Out
If you are hiking out of the canyon following the 6-day "upper" section, the river trip will end at Phantom Ranch/Pipe Creek trail. We’ll arrive at Phantom Ranch early in the morning on the 6th river day. If you have arranged for the outbound duffle service, we’ll stop long enough to drop off your duffle and then take you down the river a mile or so to a place called Pipe Creek where the Bright Angel Trail reaches the river. There, one of our crew will accompany you part of the way up the trail to Indian Gardens, where another Moki Mac employee will meet the group and escort you the up to the rim. Earlier that morning, you’ll have an opportunity to pack a sack lunch for the hike out. After your hike, your duffle will be available for pick-up at the Mule Barn at South Rim Village.
More good information about hiking the Bright Angel Trail can be found at these sites:
Wikipedia Bright Angel Trail info.
Kaibab.org hiking info.
You can download a PDF map of the South Rim Village from the National Park Service Here.
Grand Canyon National Park has recently installed several new interpretive displays along the Bright Angel Trail describing the Bright Angel Pueblo archeological site near the mouth of Bright Angel Creek. Don't miss the opportunity during your hike to read all about it! Also, you may download the NPS Press Release here.
