Bright Angel Trail

The Havasupai built this trail. They followed the Bright Angel Fault — a natural break in the canyon wall — down to the perennial water of Garden Creek, and they used it seasonally for generations. Then came the miners, the toll-collectors, the early tourists, and eventually the park. The Havasupai were pushed out. The trail became the most popular hiking route into the Grand Canyon, descending from the South Rim to the Colorado River. What was built for survival is now walked by millions. That history doesn't leave the trail.