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| Garden Creek Waterfall |
Ed said the Bright Angel Trail was better than
Phantom Ranch. The T-shirt and lemonade at Phantom Ranch sounded good to me but T-shirts and lemonade are manmade. They exist outside the Grand Canyon but it'd be cool to say I got a T-shirt at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. However a seasoned GC hiker, Ed, said that the Bright Angel Trail up to Indian Gardens was beautiful and a much more satisfying adventure. Plus I'd get to hike out with my friends until I met my wife and brother-in-law. This was part of the exchange at Phantom Ranch. Some were just doing half the canyon so they left and were replaced by other travelers.
I chose to hike out and also explore. The trail up Bright Angel is pleasant, beautiful, smooth and maintained. This was a sharp contrast to the
Tabernacle Trail a two days earlier. The friends departing felt like close family members by now and it was hard to see them go. We had some time for goodbyes and photos at the beach before trekking.
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| Philip and Laurel: they are the best! |
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| Aimee, Jackson and Trevor: awesome friends! |
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JP, MyKaela, me and Nancy: 7 days without mirror,
shower, warm water takes its' toll on my looks. |
We began hiking. The going is gradual and the lower canyon follows a clear stream. It's beautiful. I made a mental note to return here on my way back to photograph some of the waterfalls easily seen along the way. Garden Creek flowed from the right side and a deep canyon (Pipe Creek) came from the left. We soon began climbing steps upwards. This part of the trail is called the Devil's Corkscrew but wasn't that bad.
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| Nancy climbing up the Devil's Corkscrew on Bright Angel Trail |
Just before reaching Indian Gardens I met up with my wife, Fran, and her brother. We had a happy reunion on the trail but I had to see my departing friends keep going without me. I turned around and began trekking back down. The trail up here is gorgeous, just high enough to see new vistas and down into canyons.
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| Reunion at the Grand Canyon: views to the north. |
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| Bright Angel Trail: yeah, this is the Grand Canyon! |
On my way back down to the beach, we stopped at Pipe Creek canyon and explored about 1/2 mile. It's narrow, dark purple walls look spectacular. The tiny creek here is dwarfed by the canyon it cut. Not much further down, an easy detour and Class 3 scramble leads to the waterfalls at Garden Creek. This is a beautiful spot with tons of water.
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| Pipe Creek Purple Walls. This is way down at the bottom of the Grand Canyon |
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| Garden Creek 3-tiered waterfall with long exposure to blur the water movement. |
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| Fran resting beside Garden Creek Waterfall |
Gordon's hike rating:
Hike Difficulty: ★★ Mild
Trail Condition: ★★★★★ Excellent maintained wide trail
Trail Hazards: ★★ Dropoffs
Trailhead: Colorado River mile 89
Time Required: Varies
Distance round trip: Varies
Off the Beaten Path: ★★★ Main trail but deep in the Grand Canyon
Scenery: ★★★★ Excellent, 4 Stars
Photographic Potential: ★★★★ Excellent, 4 Stars