1 Odd clouds over the Needles
We met up in Santa Clarita and drove to the Grand Canyon via Needles, California, which is named after this striking ran

2 Western Arizona
The drive across northern Arizona was beautiful

3 The tourist arrives
We stopped at Mather Point the moment we reached the Grand Canyon

4 View from Mather Point
Our hike would follow Cedar ridge approaching Skeleton Point from the right, descending down into Granite Gorge and up B

5 Looking east from Mather Point
Our trail will follow Cedar Ridge, pictured in the foreground

6 Yaki Point and Cedar Ridge
Note the South Kaibab trail following the ridgeline down

7 O'Neil Butte and Skeleton Point
The South Kaibab trail follows the ridge on the east side of the peninsula

8 Skeleton Point
On the first day of our hike, we stopped for lunch at the top of the cliff facing west, where we watched 2 California co

9 Pipe creek gorge and Isis Temple beyond
The trail to Plateau Point crosses the Tonto Plateau in the center of the photo; I took the trail as a side-hike on the

10 Angel's Gate and Wotans Throne near sunset
Viewed from Mather Point

11 Yavapai Point
Weathered Kaibab limestone can take fantastic shapes

12 Rescue at Yavapai Point
Note the rescue worker wearing bright red below the rim, saving a tourist who had fallen backwards while foolishly posin

13 Yaki Point, late afternoon
Viewed from Mather Point

14 Cedar Ridge, late afternoon
Looking towards Desert View to the east

15 Tower at Desert View
This popular overlook is about 25 miles east of Grand Canyon village

16 Multicolor beavertail blossoms at Desert View
Beavertail (Opuntia erinacea), also known as prickly pear, is common in the area and its blooms provided a colorful acce

17 Cedar Mountain, just east of Desert View
Notice that the plateau two miles east of Desert View is about 500 ft. lower

18 Canyon and Colorado north of Desert View
Looking toward Cape Solitude and the confluence with the Little Colorado River

19 Looking west from Desert View
Note 75 Mile creek coming in from the left

20 75 Mile creek
View to the west from Desert View

21 Looking west from Escalante Butte
75 Mile creek is to the left of the ridge

22 Steve at the Grand Canyon
We're near Lippan Point

23 Cape Final
The view is from Lippan Point to the north, across the Canyon

24 Risk
The park rangers we met didn't like working the Rim because so many tourists take foolish chances. In the previous two m

25 View towards Cape Final
In the foreground is the weather Kaibab limestone of Lippan Point

26 View north towards Shoshone Point
Seen from west of Grandview Point

27 2118 Steve, above Grapevine creek
Looking north, towards Cape Final

28 Weathered Kaibab limestone pinnacle
Jupiter Temple is in the distance

29 Jim above Grapevine creek
The eastern part of the Canyon stretches towards Marble Canyon far beyond

30 View to the east
The tower at Desert View is barely visible on the rim at center-left

31 Smoky eastern vista
The smoke is from a controlled burn set by the Park Service to manage the forest and, ironically, to protect against cat

32 Pipe creek
View from Pipe Creek Vista; Cedar Ridge and the South Kaibab trail are on the right

33 Beavertail blooms on the South Rim
We were surprised by the colorful variety of Beavertail blooms we saw along the trails

34 Tourists in Grand Canyon Village
Note the people casually sitting on the wall, with death-defying drops on the other side

35 Butte on Hopi Point in the afternoon sun
The best time for taking most photos of the Grand Canyon are taken shortly after sunrise or near sunset

36 Grandeur and Yavapai Points, late afternoon.JPG
As we'll discover the next evening at Phantom Ranch, twilight comes much earlier to the Canyon's bottom than it does on

1 Yaki Point and the start of the South Kaibab trail
Note the trail descending the Toroweap formation. The Chimney is in the cleft between the promontory at the far right an

2 Steve at the South Kaibab trailhead
The start of the adventure, 6:10 a.m., June 5, 2009

3 View from South Kaibab trail head
Looking south, with Bright Angel Canyon below in the distance

4 View west from trailhead
Yavapai Point is in the middle distance

5 Beginning descent
Looking west from The Chimney, Kaibab sandstone cliffs to the right

6 Looking west from The Chimney
Kaibab limestone cliffs to the right; the trail at the lower left

7 Steve descending switchbacks of The Chimney
View is to the west

8 Trail switchbacks in the Chimney, just below the trailhead
Jim is at the upper turn

9 View of switchbacks in the Chimney
Looking down at the trail as it descends through the Kaibab limestone

10 View of the Chimney's switchbacks
The trail here is descending the Kaibab limestone just below the rim

11 Looking towards Yaki point
Kaibab limestone sits above the Toroweap formation

12 Steve hiking along the trail
Here the trail follows the Toroweap Formation just below the Kaibab limestone

13 Cliffs between Yaki and Mather Points
Kaibab limestone is at top, with the foliage-covered Toroweap formation below, and the Coconino sandstone forming sheer

14 View to the west
The sun is breaking through the morning clouds to illuminate the Canyon well to the west

15 View from upper South Kaibab trail
Looking to the northwest

16 Looking west from the Toroweap formation
View of Mather Point and beyond

17 Promontory near Yaki Point
Looking east

18 Another view of cliffs near Yaki Point
Note the Toreva (slumping) block of Kaibab limestone which has been undermined and is leaning toward the wall

19 Trail descending the Kaibab formation
Yavapai Point is in the distance on the left

20 Steve on the trail along the base of the Kaibab limestone
The Toroweap formation is below the Kaibab

21 Jim descending steps down through the Coconino
Note the Kaibab limestone and Toroweap formation above

22 View back up the stairs
Note the Toroweap formation above the Coconino, with Kaibab limestone just visible above it

23 On the edge of the world
Steps descend through the Coconino

24 Beavertail and Coconino sandstone at trail's edge
We were surprised by the amount of vegetation we saw throughout the Canyon

25 Steve at a switchback in the Coconino
Yavapai and Maricopa Points are in the distance

26 Stairs descending Coconino
Steve has just turned the corner at the bottom of the switchback

27 Steps down the Coconino
O'Neill Butte is below, to the right

28 View west from swithcback
Bright Angel Canyon heads north into the morning shadows.

29 Lone hiker descending the switchbacks
Pipe Creek gorge is visible below

30 Cross beds of ancient sand dunes
Part of the Coconino sandstone wall

31 Jumbled Coconino sandstone in foreground
Cliffs of Kaibab limestone, the Toroweap formation, Coconino sandstone and Hermit shale are across the way

32 Utah juniper and Coconino
These junipers are one of the most common large plants in the Canyon

33 Trail to Oh-Ah Point
Looking east, with Pattie Butte in the middle distance

35 O'Neil Butte from Oh-Ah Point
The trail follows switchbacks down towards the butte, then zig-zags across the base of the butte, extends along the mesa

36 Angel's Gate from Oh-Ah Point
Pattie Butte in the lower pinnacle in the middle distance

37 Steve descending beyond Oh-Ah Point
The Bright Angel trail threads between Yavapai and Maricopa Points in the middle distance

38 Cedar Ridge and its composting toilet
The Park Service maintains a number of similar facilities along all three corridor trails

39 O'Neil Butte and Skeleton Point
Note the trail slanting down the butte's flank

40 Yavapai and Maricopa Points are shadowed in the middle distance
Hopi Point is sunlit beyond

41 Cremation Creek with Zoroaster Temple across the river
Note how green the Tonto Plateau, due to both the foliage which covers it and the Bright Angel shale which forms it

42 Steve descending Cedar Ridge
Note the Plateau Point trail far below him; I would take this trail as a side-hike 4 days later

43 "Cedar" clinging to boulder near O'Neill Butte
The characteristic tree of Cedar Ridge is actually the Utah juniper, Juniperus osteosperma)

44 Steve on trail down towards O'Neill Butte
Cheops Pyramid is across the river in the distance

45 Steve looking at O'Neil Butte
The Hermit shale cliffs below Mather Point form the backdrop

46 Looking west over Cedar Ridge
On the left is the escarpment east of Yavapai Point

47 Steve on trail below Yaki Point
The trail here circles around Yaki Point towards the escarpment, before reversing

48 Kaibab century plant below Yaki Point
The wall beyond runs west towards Mather Point

49 View northwest over Cedar Ridge towards Trinity creek
Isis and Shiva Temples are on the right of the creek, with Horus Temple on the left

50 Jim at Cedar Ridge
Looking out at O'Neil Butte with Bright Angel Canyon beyond

51 Thief with the fruit of his crime
While we were talking to another hiker, this guy stole her apple; after we ran him down and recovered the loot, his vict

52 Cedar Ridge and O'Neil Butte
Bright Angel canyon and Cheops Pyramid are to the left of the Butte

53 Trail down Cedar Ridge
Utah junipers line the trail

54 Steve on trail below Cedar Ridge
South Kaibab is the steepest of the three "corridor" trails, dropping 4,700 ft. in 6.9 miles, averaging almost 13% the e

55 Steve on trail below Cedar Ridge
Because the trail follows the ridgeline for much of its descent, it offers some spectacular views of the Canyon

56 View to the west
Yavapai and Maricopa Points to the left, Tower of Set in center

57 View to west
Tower of Set and Horus Temple. in the distance, Granite Gorge in the middle distance, and Pipe creek just below Cedar Ri

58 View to the east
Pattie and Newton Buttes in the middle distance

59 Steve approaching O'Neil Butte
Bright Angel canyon is in the far distance

60 Steve on the edge of the world
Cheops Pyramid and Utah Flats are behind him

61 Kaibab century plant below Yaki Point
We're below O'Neil Point

62 O'Neil Butte from below
Oddly, O'Neil Butte seems smaller, the closer one gets to it

63 Esplanade sandstone below O'Neil Butte
Some of the rocks along the trail were rather interesting in their own right

64 The photographer
The tree is a Utah juniper, one of the more prevalent small trees in the Canyon

65 Steve descending along Esplanade sandstone wall
The trail is well below O'Neil Butte here

66 Switchbacks below Skeleton Point
Sumner Butte, Brahma and Zoroaster Temples are on the far side of Granite Gorge and the Colorado river

67 Trail descending Cedar Ridge
Horus Temple and the Tower of Set are in the distance to the west

68 Trail approaching Skeleton Point
Cheops Pyramid and Shiva Temple are beyond the saddle in Cedar Ridge

69 View to west, with Horus Temple and the Tower of Set in the distance
Note the Tonto trail skirting under Yavapai and Mather Points to avoid Pipe creek gorge

70 Promontory beyond O'Neil Butte
Beyond this point, the trail descend to Skeleton Point

71 Breccia pipe below O'Neil Butte
Breccia pipes are formed when rock from higher strata collapses into limestone caverns

72 Skeleton Point
View toward Bright Angel canyon, with Cheops Pyramid to the left

73 Looking back at O'Neil Butte and Yavapai Point
Note trail slanting across the base of the butte

74 Kaibab century plant flower
View is to northwest, towards Pipe creek gorge

75 Jim looking back up towards O'Neil Butte and Yavapai Point
We're on the trail just above Skeleton Point

76 Brahma and Zoroaster Temples from Skeleton Point
Note the century plant blooms along the ridgeline

77 Looking down on Phantom Ranch from Skeleton Point
Phantom Ranch is over half a mile below us at this point; the reflective roof, by the way, is the ranger station

78 Looking down at Colorado from Skeleton Point
The river is 2,700 ft below us; in 4 days we'll be walking past the island in midstream at the start of our hike back up

79 Lunch break at Skeleton Point
From here we watched two California Condors sweep low, right over our heads

80 Skeleton Point
Cheops Pyramid and Isis Temple are visible beyond the brow of the point

81 Starting descent of Skeleton Point
The day was rather cloudy most of the time, which was better for hiking than for photography

82 Kaibab and Muav limestone of Skeleton Point
We were surprised at how green this part of the Canyon is; that's due to the Muav limestone, Bright Angel shale, and the

83 Tonto Plateau below Skeleton Point
Note the Tonto trail skirting the edge of the Pipe creek gorge

84 Jim on trail down to Skeleton Point
Tower of Set and Horus Temple in the distance, with the Granite Gorge and the Colorado River in the middle

85 Notch in Skeleton Point
The trail is about to descend the switchbacks down the Redwall on the east side of Skeleton Point

86 Trail through Skeleton Point notch
The trail is about to descend the switchbacks below Skeleton Point

87 Brahma and Zoroaster Temples
We're descending the upper part of the trail down from Skeleton Point

88 Looking east from Skeleton Point
Wotans Throne and Vishnu Temple dominate the horizon at this point

89 Switchbacks at Skeleton Point
It was here that we had an extended conversation with a ranger patrolling the trail, and listened to her describing some

90 View west through Skeleton Point notch
Note the Tonto trail on the plateau below; The Tower of Set and Horus Temple are in the distance, with the Granite Gorge

91 Another view of Brahma and Zoroaster Temples
At this point, we're farther down the switchbacks

92 Face of cliff below Skeleton Point
Note the hemispherical grotto eroded in the face of this Redwall limestone

93 Descending Skeleton Point switchback
Note the caves in the cliff face

94 Looking back at O'Neil Butte and Yaki Point
Note the sheer Redwall limestone face below O'Neil Butte

95 Yaki Point frm the Skeleton Point switchback
Note all the major strata of rock: Kaibab limestone at the South Rim, then the Toroweap formation, Coconino sandstone, H

96 Steve descending Skeleton Point
Zoroaster Temple is in the background

97 Cremation creek cuts through the Tonto Plateau east of Skeleton Point
Wotans Throne and Vishnu Temple are on the horizon, with Angels Gate in front of Wotans Throne

98 Steve descending to the Tonto Plateau
Looking across river to Buddha Temple and the mouth of Bright Angel canyon

99 View northwest across Tonto Plateau
The horizon is defined by Dana Butte, the Tower of Set, Horus Temple and Isis Temple, with the red rocks of Granite Gorg

100 Looking back at Skeleton Point
Yaki Point looms in the background, 3,300 above our trail

101 Detail of the lower end of Skeleton Point
The Redwall limestone bluff stands above its Muav limestone base and the Bright Angel shale slopes below

102 Brahma and Zoroaster Temples on the north side of the river
Granite Gorge and the Colorado Rive area are hidden by the rolling hills of the Tonto Plateau

103 Isolated rest stop dwarfed by Sumner Butte across the river
Bright Angel canyon is to the left of the Butte

104 View west toward Dana Butte
A??loping hill covered with black brush is seemingly capped by the promontories of the South Rim from Maricopa Point the

105 Yavapai and Maricopa Points
From the South Rim 3,500 feet above, the rolling hills of the Tonto Plateau appear flat

106 Steve admiring the view to the south
Sumner Butte, to the right of Steve, is on the other side of the river and overlooks Phantom Ranch

107 View of Pipe creek gorge, Dana Butte and Whites Butte
Notice the Tapeats sandstone walls of the gorge; the Tapeats underlies the Bright Angel shale of the Tonto Plateau

108 View to the east, across the black brush
Wotans Throne towers behind Angel's Gate

109 Emergency tephone at the junction of the South Kaibab and Tonto trails
Another view of Buddha Temple and Sumner Butte

110 Over the edge at the Tipoff
From here, the trail drops 1,400 ft. in 1.9 miles, a grade of 14%

111 Switchback just below the Tipoff
Looking north, over the Colorado (lower left), Granite Gorge with its ancient Vishnu schist wall, and the undulating Tap

112 Trail slanting down into Hakatai shale below the cap of Tapeats sandstone
The Hakatai shale here was preserved from eroding away because the rock of the Cremation Graben was dropped several hund

113 View of Colorado River with Isis Temple beyond
The river at the bottom of Granite Gorge is 1,400 ft. below

114 The trail is down into the Vishnu schist of the Granite Gorge
The trail has descended from the Tapeats sandstone into the upper levels of the 1.8 billion year old Vishnu schist

115 Steve on trail through Hakatai shale
Sumner Butte in background looms over the confluence of the Colorado River and Bright Angel creek

116 Granite Gorge walls of Vishnu shcist and Zoroaster granite
Maricopa Point is in the distance

117 Looking into the Inner Gorge over a quarter mile down
Visible from here are the Colorado River, Bright Angel Campground, the silver Bridge and the River trail headed towards

118 Granite Gorge wall of Vishnu schist, with its Tapeats cap
Sumner Butte and Zoroaster Temple rise above

119 Granite Gorge and the river that created it
The metamorphic Vishnu schist and Zoroaster granite of the inner canyon are more resistant to erosion than the higher sa

120 Vishnu schist walls, Tapeats sandstone cap and Hatakai shale of the inner gorge
Note Isis and Buddha Temples above

121 Inner gorge
The Vishnu schist walls of the Granite Gorge appear almost tortured by the tectonic forces that broke apart the ancient

122 Silver leaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) growing in the soil of the Hakatai shale
We were continually amazed at the quantity and diversity of the Canyon's vegetation

123 Looking down at the Black bridge
Note the switchbacks as the trail descends steeply down the Cremation Graben

124 Steve chatting with two hikers
We didn't see many hikers on the South or North Kaibab trails, but the trails never seemed empty

125 Looking up the Cremation Graben
From this angle, it was easy to see the section of Hatakai shale that had been dropped several hundred feet by the ancie

126 Looking down on the Silver bridge
The bridge carries the Bright Angel trail across the Colorado

127 View of the Black bridge
The South Kaibab trail crosses the river on this bridge

128 The confluence of the Colorado and Bright Angel creek
Phantom Ranch is up the tree-lined canyon to the right

129 Jim at the Black Bridge tunnel portal
Each of the "corridor" trails has at least one tunnel

130 Steve crossing black bridge
The heavy planks in the bridge floor are for the mule trains, which all use this bridge instead of the Silver Bridge

131 Black bridge and its tunnel
The south end of the bridge ends at the tunnel entrance

132 The Colorado at its confluence with Bright Angel creek
Note the people on the beach; swimming at this part of the river is extremely dangerous due to the strong current and th

133 Black bridge
Each cable used for the bridge were carried down into the Canyon by crews of 42 Havasupai workers

134 Black bridge from downstream
Steve is on the last leg of the hike

135 Two mule trains on the river trail
Mule trains coming down the Bright Angel trail follow the River trail to cross the river trail on the Black bridge

136 Anasazi ruins at the confluence of the river and the creek
The circular structure is thought to be the remains of a kiva, while the rectangular ruins are thought to be from reside

137 Steve at the junction of the South Kaibab and Bright Angel trails
We still have a little ways to go, but just the same, we knew we'd made it at this point

138 Bright Angel campground, just below Phantom Ranch
Up to 90 people can camp at these sites strung along the creek

139 Phanton Ranch cantina
The cantina serves as restaurant, store, coffee house and bar, depending on the time of day

140 Phantom Ranch fire engine
Everything at Phantom Ranch comes in by mule train, so technology is pretty simple

141 Typical cabin at Phantom Ranch
Phantom Ranch has 7 smaller cabins like this, which accommodate 4, and 2 larger ones that can accommodate 10

142 Trail's end, Dorm #12
Steve is reviewing photographs by our dorm; there are 2 men's dorms, and 2 women's; each accommodates 10 people

144 Late afternoon at Phantom Ranch
The inner canyon is already in shadow, but the sun is still shining on the South Rim

145 Jim cooling off in Bright Angel creek
The water was cold, but it sure felt good

146 Bright Angel creek by our dorm
Looking upstream, in the direction we'd be hiking the next day

146 Yavapai Point lit by the setting sun
The end of our first day's hike

1 Starting ascent of Bright Angel Canyon
We departed Phantom Ranch at 6:15 a.m., June 6

2 The canyon starts to narrow immediately above Phantom Ranch
This is still part of the inner canyon, and is cut through Vishnu schist and related ancient, hard rock

3 Looking back at South Rim
The Colorado flows between the nearer Vishnu schist and that in the middle distance

4 Entering the narrow canyon called the Box
The Vishnu schist of the Box is comparatively hard rock

5 Trail in the Box, with morning sun catching the top
Because the canyon here is so narrow, its floor is in shadow for much of the day

6 Sacred Datura in the Box
The Sacred Datura (Datura meteloides) favors the shadier parts of the canyon

7 First bridge across creek
Note the narrowness of the canyon

8 Tapeats pillar atop Vishnu schist
The trail has already climbed through about half of the visible Vishnu schist

9 Sunlight and shadow
Note the horizontally foliated Tapeats sandstone above the Great Unconformity, 1.2 billion years of missing geological r

10 The trail crosses the creek 4 times in the first 2.7 miles
The dark walls contrast sharply with the spring green of the plants along the creek

11 Trail and creek in the Box
Note rugged Vishnu schist wall

12 Trail along the creek through the Box
Jim is the nearer hiker

13 Tapeats sandstone formation in sunlight
Note the eroded Vishnu schist in the shadows

14 Nearing the top of the Box
The narrow canyon twists and turns in the resistant schist

15 The canyon widens here as its floor nears the top of the Vishnu schist
Hillers Butte towers in the distance

16 Nearing north end of the Box
Note the old telephone pole on the left; it's a registered historic structure, built by the CCC in the 1930s

17 Nearing north end of the Box
Note that the Tapeats sandstone sitting atop of Vishnu schist

18 Great Unconformity is clearly visible
Between the Tapeats and the Vishnu schist is a missing gap of 1.2 billion years in the geological record

19 Steve hiking out of the Box towards the sunlight
Johnson Point looms above

20 Bright Angel Creek flowing down through Tapeats
The canyon floor is quite lush from here on up to Roaring Springs

21 Looking up Bright Angel canyon in the early morning
The top of the Vishnu schist can be seen on the right

22 Hillers Butte
The butte is Redwall limestone, with Muav and, Bright Angel shale below, and Tapeats sandstone below that

23 Clement Powell Butte
The trail is about 4 miles up the North Kaibab at this point

24 Steve ascending Bright Angel Canyon
The final ascent of the Bright Angel Trail is barely visible in the far background

025 Jim on trail studying map
022 DSCN0259 JIm on trail studying map.JPG 2009-06-05

26 View back down canyon
The South Rim receding into the distance is now about 7 miles away

27 Looking up Bright Angel Creek
Manzanita Point is in the distance, marking the turn into Roaring Springs canyon

28 Fallen block along trail
The canyon walls are constantly eroding!

29 Steve walking pas Kaibab century plant
Note the boulders rounded by flash floods

30 Looking back at the Box and South Rim
The final ascent of the Bright Angel trail is visible in the far distance

31 Steve hiking towards Manzanita and Komo Points
The Walhalla Plateau is in the distance, above Manzanita Point

32 Muav limestone bluff
The greenish, easily eronded Bright Angel shale is below it

33 Steve ascending trail
Note all the boulders that have fallen as the eroding eroding shale undermines the rocks above

34 Promontory below Manu Point
The Redwall limestone forms sheer walls that contrast with the more easily eroded Muav limestones and Bright Angel shale

35 Looking up tpwards the confluence with Ribbon Falls creek
Oza Butte rises up on the far side of Ribbon Falls creek

36 Oza Butte, high over the canyon floor
Ribbon Falls creek flows from the side canyon on the left

37 Oza Butte towering over Ribbon Falls
Ribbon Falls, 120 ft high, is dwarfed by the scale of the canyon

38 Ribbon Falls
Ribbon Falls is up a short side-trail, which I'll explore later, on the descent from the North Rim

39 Ribbon Falls and its travertine pedestal
The travertine is from calcium and carbonate picked up by the creek from limestones higher up precipitating as the creek

40 Looking south from opposite Ribbon Falls
The South Rim is now about 9 miles distant

41 Meeting another hiker along the trail
The trail is descending from a hill opposite Ribbon Falls

42 East end of Oza Butte
Oza Butte is peninsula separating Transept canyon from the gorge cut by Ribbon Falls creek

43 Hikers approaching Wall Creek ford
Wall Creek comes down fro Walhalla Plateau in the east, between Komo Point and Deva Temmple

44 Oza Butte
Oza Butte ends in 2 arms reaching down towards Bright Angel creek

45 Redwall Butte below Oza Butte
This butte stands at the end of the northern arm of Oza Butte

46 Oza Butte
A broader perspective on the east end of Oza Butte

47 Deva Temple towers over the east side of the canyon
Deva Temple is one of the most prominent features of the central portion of the Grand Canyon

48 Cavern hollowed out by erosion
The cavity formed is probably about 60 feet high

49 Rubble from a canyon wall below Oza Butte
The larger blocks are considerably larger than an automobile

50 Trail blasted along a bluff by the creek
Note Steve hiking up the trail

51 Trail towards Cottonwood
The campground begins in the cottonwood trees in the distance; Manzanita Point, where the trail turns up Roaring Springs

52 Trail below Cottonwood
The cliff is formed from the mudstones of the Dox formation

53 Jeff and Kim at Cottonwood
We met Jeff and Kim at Phantom Ranch the evening before, and would meet them a day later on the North Rim

54 Park Service building at Cottonwood
Note the wind sock. The Park Service has several emergency heliports along the trails for evacuation of injured hikers

55 View of South rim from junction with Transpet canyon
Note Park Service buildings and camp sites at Cottonwood

56 End of the north arm of Oza Butte
The bluff is Redwall limestone

57 Southeast end of Bright Angel Point
Nearly all the major rock strata of the Gran canyon are visible except the Vishnu schist

58 Lower part of Bright Angel Point's southeastern end
The highest promontory is topped with Kaibab limestone, the one on the right is Hermit shale, and the one on the left is

59 South Rim from mouth of Roaring Springs canyon
The South Rim is now about ten miles distant

60 View down Bright Angel canyon from just below Roaring Springs canyon
Note the uplifted strata of Tapeats sandstone, compared with the horizontal strata above it

61 Bluff below east end of Bright Angel Point
The trail turns up Roaring Springs canyon just beyond this bluff

62 Redwall formation east of trail
Eroded Muav limestone below the Redwall

63 About to turn up Roaring Springs canyon
Vegetation is lush all along the creeks

64 Under Komo Point
A Redwall promontory looms over a Muav wall

65 Prickly pear and Muav limestone
We saw several varieties of prickly pear, with several different colors of flowers

66 Looking back to Deva Temple
Manzanita Point is opposite the trail to the left

67 Cascade on Bright Angel creek
In the 10 miles from Roaring Springs to the Colorado, Bright Angel creek drops 2,400 feet

68 Bridge just below the residence
Manzanita creek joins the Bright Angel here, and the old Bright angel trail diverges to head to the top of its namesake

69 Upper Bright Angel canyon from the residence
The Roaring Creek pump operator lives here

70 Upper Bright Angel canyon, from confluence with Roaring Springs
The trail turns up Roaring Springs canyon just ahead

71 Jim photographing Uncle Jim Point
The pumphouse operator's residence is around the corner ahead

72 Upper Bright Angel canyon from the residence
The operator of the Roaring Springs pump facility lives at the junction of the two canyons, and his yard provides a rest

73 Manzanita Point from the residence
We're about 8.7 miles from Phantom Ranch, but have climbed only 2,400 feet so far; now the real climb begins

073a Prickly pear and Manzanita Point
For some reason, the beavertail blooms along this trail were mostly yellow

74 Lower end of Bright Angel Point, from lower end of Roaring Springs canyon
This Redwall promontory sits atop greenish Muav limestone

75 Looking down Roaring Springs canyon past the residence
The flat-top building is another emergency helipad

76 Looking straight up upper Bright Angel canyon
The trail used to head straight up this canyon, but in 1928 the current trail climbing Roaring Springs canyon was opened

77 Uncle Jim marks the beginning of upper Bright Angel canyon
The North Kaibab trail turns left just beyond the low slope in the foreground

78 Lower Uncle Jim Point
Uncle Jim Point is actually a mile long ridge sloping downward from the North Rim, dividing the two canyons

79 Steve on trail, looking at Roaring Springs
The trail climbs 3,400 ft in its last 5.7 miles

80 Jim photographing Roaring Springs
The cascade from the springs is probably over 300 ft. high

81 Uncle Jim Point and Roaring Springs
Water from Roaring Springs is pumped up to both the North and South Rims

82 Roaring Springs
The springs form where groundwater meets an impermeable barrier near the the boundary between Muav limestone and Bright

83 Uncle Jim Point
The Redwall limestone promontory towers over the canyon

84 Looking back at Manzanita and Komo Point
The bottom of Uncle Jim Point is on the left

85 Kaibab limestone knob over Manzanita creek
The knob is part of the Walhalla Plateau

86 East wall of upper Bright Angel canyon
The ridge topped with red Hermit shale separates Bright Angel canyon form the canyon formed by Manzaita creek

87 Jim walking up Muav slope toward the Redwall
Note the power lines sloping down to the Roaring Springs pumping station

88 Redwall bluff of Uncle Jim Point
Bright Angel canyon's east wall is beyond

89 View up Roaring Springs canyon
Note the power lines to the pumping station

90 Eroded vertical wash in Redwall
Falsh floods play a major role in the erosin which formed and continues to shape the Canyon

91 Entering the Redwall of Roaring Springs canyon
The Needle is in the column at right

92 Steve hiking up trail at near Muav-Redwall boundary
120 million years of the geological record are missing at this boundary

93 Eroded Redwall face
Further indication of the power of flash floods

94 Hikers in Redwall grotto
The grotto was blasted out of the limestone to provide a path up the precipitous Redwall

95 Lower Roaring Springs canyon and Komo Point from grotto
Note the trail snaking along the cliff

96 Trail along boundary between Muav and Redwall
The Redwall presents a serious barrier to the climb

97 Trail climbing into the narrow gap between the redwall
The canyon walls here are quite precipitous

98 Trail along the Redwall
Nearly every hiker we met considered this to be the most nerve-wracking part of the trail

99 Trail along the Redwall
A turn in the canyon and trail obscures the vertical drop from the trail along the cliff

100 Kaibab century plant and the Redwall
The wall behind the flower is the opposite wall of the canyon

101 Trail along the Redwall
The slope disguises the sheer drop beneath the trail in the foreground

102 Looking up Roaring Springs canyon
Notice the tall confers appearing at this elevation

103 Redwall bridge
The trail descends to the bridge from both directions

104 Looking back from the bridge, down the canyon towards Komo Point
Note the narrowness of canyon through the relatively hard Redwall limestone

105 Looking from the bridge up Roaring Springs canyon
Note that above the Roaring Springs cataract, the creek is usually dry

106 Looking from bridge up at rampart above trail
The hiker is continually amazed at the forms the Canyon takes

107 Climbing up from the Redwall bridge
Note how narrow the canyon is through the Redwall

108 Trail climbing up from the Redwall bridge
The canyon follows a fault line; notice how the strata on the right have been lifted higher than those on the left

109 Looking back at the trail along the Redwall
This well captures the sheer drop beneath the trail along the face of the Redwall

110 Redwall bridge and the lower Roaring Springs canyon
Note the trail climbing on the left, or east side of the canyon

111 Steve climbing the relentless grade up from the Redwall bridge
Only 2.7 miles to go, but 2,000 ft. to climb; that's a steady 14% grade

112 Redwall bridge and Roaring Springs canyon
The bridge is already far below, but the canyon walls still rise far above the trail

113 Lone tree on crag
Although the crag towers above, it's still far below the rim

114 2768 Redwall bridge and Roaring Springs canyon
Looking back at where the trail turned from Bright Angel canyon, 3 miles away and nearly 2,000 feet below

115 Roaring Spring Canyon Komo Point in the distance
Note all the twists and turns of the trail as it climbs the canyon

116 Redwall bridge and Redwall trail
The steepness of the trail's climb is quite apparent

117 Komo and Obi Points in the distance
Komo Point looms over the junction of the Bright Angel and Roaring Springs canyon, and is where the North Kaibab turns

118 Note the hikers on the trail on the left
We've now climbed 4,300 feet since leaving Phantom Ranch

119 Hiker descending from Supai tunnel
Only 2 miles to go and 1,450 ft to climb; we're getting tired!

120 North Kaibab Trail snaking along the Redwall
View from the downhill portal of Supai tunnel

121 Supai tunnel and the Coconino wall beyond
The Supai tunnel is cut through red Esplanade sandstone, the uppermost formation of the Supai group

122 Rim-to-rim hikers
These two were very experienced Canyon hikers, knew what to expect and were traveling very light. They left the South Ri

123 Looking down the full length of Roaring Springs canyon
Note how the Redwall on the west side of the canyon is significantly higher than the Redwall on the east; ancient earthq

124 Upper Roaring Springs canyon walls in afternoon light
Coconino walls loom over the tree-covered Supai slopes

125 West wall of canyon
The Cocononno sandstone wall towers over the mature confers beneath it

126 Coconino wall scaled by confiers growing above and below
The vertical striping is from pigments washing down from the Toroweap formation above

127 Coconino of the canyon's east wall
The sheer walls of light colored Coconino is one of the most distinctive features of the Grand Canyon

128 View of entire Roaring Springs canyon
Notice how straight the Coconino wall is

129 Obi Point and Deva Temple
The main canyon along the Colorado is beyond, and Mt. Humphreys is visible, 65 miles away

130 Top of Uncle Jim Point
The ridge that descends from here slopes all the way to Bright Angel canyon

131 Quaking aspen just below the rim
The North Rim is about 1,000 feet higher than the South, and is host to many species of trees normally associated with m

132 Steve at the top of North Kaibab trail.JPG
14.5 miles and 11 hours later, we reach the North Rim!

1 Deva, Brahma and Zoroaster Temples
The San Francisco peaks are on the horizon, 65 miles away

2 Grand Canyon Lodge
The lodge was built in 1927 by the Union Pacific Railroad

3 Kim, Steve and Jeff at Grand Canyon Lodge
We met Kim and Jeff at Phantom Ranch; they're are frequent Canyon hikers from Florida

4 Steve and Jim at Grand Canyon Lodge
Angel's Gate, Deva and Zoroaster Temples are behind us

5 Dining room at the Grand Canyon Lodge
Our waitress, like many employees there, is a frequent Canyon hiker

6 Our cabin
We were right on the edge of Transept Canyon

7 Transept Canyon from our cabin
The Kaibab Plateau is heavily forested, in contrast with the desert below

8 Transept Canyon
Transept is a straight and narrow displaying all the Grand Canyon's major rock strata above the Tapeats sandstone

9 Oza Butte, the southern face of Transept Canyon
Note the Kaibab, Toroweap, Hermit and Supai formations, with the caverns in the Redwall below

10 Transept and Bright Angel Canyons
Oza Butte slopes away to the east

11 Afternoon view of Bright Angel Point and Oza Butte
A vista point below Grand Canyon Lodge is in the foreground

12 View down Bright Angel Canyon towards the Colorado
Note the South Kaibab trail descending toward the Tip-Off

13 Angels Gate, Deva, Brahma and Zoroaster Temples
Mid-morning, with Bright Angel Point in the foreground and the San Francisco Peaks in the distance

14 French couple admiring the view
Angel's Gate and Deva Temple are in the distance

15 Deva, Brahma and Zoroaster Temples
Late afternoon; Note the smoke from a controlled burn on the South rim

16 Angel's Gate in the late afternoon
The shoulder of Mt. Humphreys is in the distance

17 Brahma and Zoroaster Temples
Late afternoon view from the Grand Canyon Lodge

18 View southeast from Grand Canyon Lodge
Angel's Gate and Deva Temple

19 Uncle Jim Point
The upper Bright Angel canyon is beyond the point

1 Beginning of the North Kaibab trail descent
Mt. Humphreys, 65 miles away, is framed by a Douglas fir and a quaking aspen

2 Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine just below the North Rim
We started hiking down the North Kaibab at 5:35 a.m., June 9, 2009

3 Looking down Roaring Springs canyon
The sheer wall of Coconino and the vegetation covered slopes of Toroweap above and Hermit shale below dominate the view

4 Steve descending through the Coconino layer
The sheer wall of Coconino shale had been jumbled here by ancient earthquakes along the Roaring Springs fault

5 Coconino sandstone on the northeast wall of the canyon
Pine and fir are prevalent here, as the Coconino is about a thousand feet higher than the Coconino of the South rim

6 Morning sun on the southwest wall
Note how narrow the canyon is between the walls of Redwall limestone; the trail can be seen snaking along the middle of

7 Coconino wall on the southwest side of the canyon
The Grand Canyon Lodge is directly above this wall

8 Steve hiking down through the trees
This part of the trail descends through Hermit shale

9 Jim turning corner beneath flowering wisteria
The wall of Coconino sandstone is to the right

10 Coconino on northeast side of canyon
Again, note the density of the trees and shrubs on the sloping Hermit shale

11 Coconino catches the morning sun
View looks down Roaring Springs canyon, through the narrow Redwall gorge, and on to Komo Point

12 Looking down Roaring Springs Canyon
The canyon's junction with the Bright Angel Canyon is in the distance

13 Coconino sandstone wall of Roaring Springs Canyon
Grand Canyon Lodge is above the Canyon rim at about this point

14 Entrance to Supai tunnel
The tunnel is at the 2.7 mile mark

15 Steve descending through Esplanade sandstone
This is in the uppermost level of the Supai Group

16 Steve at Supai tunnel
The tunnel is cut through Esplanade sandstone, and marks the end of the forested portions of the canyon

17 Supai tunnel
The tunnel was cut in the 1930s when the Roaring Creek section of the trail for constructed

18 Steve on trail under an Esplanade sandstone wall
This part of the trail is still in part of the Supai Group

19 Trail drops towards Redwall
Switchbacks carry the trail down to the Redwall bridge, from where it climbs again to skirt the precipitous Redwall on t

20 Switchbacks down to the Redwall bridge
This view takes in about half of the elevation change in the North Kaibab trail

21 View down Roaring Creek Canyon
A lone Douglas fir stands well below the level of most

22 The trail uses switchbacks to descend along fault
The trail zig-zags up the defile

23 The southeast wall of the canyon, below the Grand Canyon Lodge
The cliffs visible include Coconino sandstone, Hermit shale and Esplanade sandstone of the Supai Group

24 Trail descends towards Redwall bridge
Once across the bridge, it ascends before snaking along the Redwall, towards the Bright Angel Canyon in the distance

25 Descent to Redwall bridge
Note the narrowness of the canyon at the bottom

26 Redwall bridge
Keep in mind that all building materials come in by pack mule

27 Looking down Roaring Springs Canyon to Bright Angel
Peninsula between Bright Angel and Manzanita Creeks looms over the junction of the two trails

28 Trail ascending from Redwall bridge towards the Redwall itself
Note the hikes along the trail

29 The trail cuts across at the bottom of this cavern in Redwall
Note how sheer the Redwall is

30 The canyon narrows through the Redwall
Notice the trail's switchbacks beyond the cavern

31 Jim on the trail through the Redwall
Komo Point is in the distance

32 Steve hiking along Redwall
This is shortly before the upper end of the most precipitous drop along the trail

33 Cavern eroded in Redwall
The trail was blasted out of the bottom of this cavern

34 Fracture marks from dynamite used to cut trail
It appears that much of the trail up Roaring Springs Canyon was blasted out of the sheer rock walls

35 Steve on trail through the Redwall
He is photographing columbine clinging to the rock wall

36 Upper end of the slot canyon below the Redwall
Roaring Springs creek has been able to cut only a narrow slot through the Redwall

37 View into slot canyon
The Redwall is really grey, except where its colored by redish material eroded from the Supai and Hermit strata above

38 Trail approaching precipitous portion of Redwall
The far side of Bright Angel Canyon is in the distance

39 Trail across sheer wall of Redwall
Every hiker we met remarked upon this section of the trail

40 Jim on the Redwall
The drop below this portion of the trail is precipitous

41 3011 Trail across the Redwall
Fortunately, we met no oncoming traffic

42 Looking down into narrow canyon
The rock visible is all Redwall limestone

43 Steve on precipitous part of Redwall trail
Every hiker we met said they hugged the wall all the way through this section

44 Further down the Redwall
Bright Angel Canyon is in the distance

45 The trail descends further along the Redwall
Note the sheer wall ahead of the hiker

46 Looking down into Roaring Springs Canyon
The Canyon cuts through the Muav limestone beneath the Redwall

47 Trail snakes along the Redwall
Komo Point is in the distance

48 Jim on the Redwall
Almost down to the Muav limestone

49 Jim descending the Redwall
Uncle Jim Point and Bright Angel Canyon are ahead

50 Steve hiking through Redwall
View is back up towards the North Rim in the distance

51 Trail snaking along the base of the Redwall
Bright Angel Canyon is in the distance

52 Trail at the boundary between the Redwall and Muav limestone
The trail is nearing the lower end of Roaring Springs Canyon

53 Looking back up Roaring Springs canyon
Note the boundary between the Muav and Redwall limestone

54 Muav cliffs in lower Roaring Springs Canyon
The trail is above this cliff

55 Looking back up Roaring Springs Canyon
Note the "Needle" on the far wall, and the North Rim above

56 Muav-Redwall boundary
Formation eroded by runoff from heavy rains

57 Trail snaking around Muav slope
The trail is nearing the junction with Bright Angel Canyon

58 Trail past Muav formation
The east wall of Bright Angel Canyon is ahead

59 Kaibab century plant and Utah juniper
The trail descends towards Manzanita Point and Bright Angel Canyon

60 Looking back at Roaring Springs Canyon
Kaibab century plant flowers in foreground

61 Roaring Springs and Uncle Jim Point
Roaring Springs forms a cascade well over 100 ft high

62 Roaring Springs
The spring flows through the Redwall limestone until it reaches a relatively impermeable barrier low in the Muav limesto

63 Steve and Rim to Rim to Rim South African
We met this hiker at almost the same point in our hikes going north and south

64 Two rim to rim to rim hikers at Roaring Springs
Roaring Creek cascade and Uncle Jim Point are behind us

65 View of upper Bright Angel Canyon
Kaibab century plant (Agave utahensis) in foreground

66 Steve descending lower Roaring Springs
Manzanita Point and Bright Angel Canyon are ahead of him

67 Trail nears end of Roaring Springs Canyon
The trail turns to the right shortly after this bend

68 Bright Angel Creek just above its confluence with Roaring Springs
Note the twisted trunk of the Utah juniper

69 Steve leaving Roaring Springs Canyon
Note the Tapeats sandstone formation to the right

70 Looking back up toward Uncle Jim Point
The residence of the Roaring Springs pump operator is nestled in the trees

71 Looking down Bright Angel Canyon from the residence
This is the junction of the Bright Angel and Roaring Springs Canyons

72 Steve hiking down just past the residence
The trail will shortly turn to follow the Bright Angel fault

73 Looking down canyon from near Manzanita Point
The promontory is the bottom end of Bright Angel Point

74 Tapeats sandstone bluffs overlooking trail
The South Rim visible in distance

75 Steve descending through Tapeats sandstone
Redwall clifffs on left form the lower end of Komo Point

76 Limestone spire above Tapeats sandstone
Spires are probably combination of Redwall and Muav limestones, with a 120 million year gap between them

77 Redwall bluffs above Muav, Bright Angel and Tapeats
Bright Angel Point with Grand Canyon Lodge loom in the distance

78 Redwall bluff is the lower end of Oza Butte
Transept Creek flows out the drainage below the Tapeats beneath the Redwall

79 Bright Angel Canyon above Cottonwood
The Park Service buildings of Cottonwood Campground are under the larger trees in the distance

80 Transept Creek flows out of Transept Canyon here
Bright Angel Point looms above

81 Bright Angel Canyon wall above Cottonwood
The campground is in the trees and shrubs on the left

82 Silver leaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) at Cottonwood
There was a whole field of these in the campground

83 Park Service residence at Cottonwood
The Park Service has a ranger stationed full time at Cottonwood (and Phantom, and Indian Spring) during the warm-weather

84 Bluff overlooking Cottonwood picnic tables
This is part of the bottom end of Oza Butte

85 Trail leading south from Cottonwood
Note the hikers underneath the Muav limestone overhang

86 Looking back up at Cottonwood
The campground area is in the trees at the bend in the creek. Manzanita Point in distance

87 Steve pushing south out of Cottonwood
The South Rim is in the far distance

88 Trail heading south
The trail is through Tapeats sandstone at this point, as the canyon is getting deeper

89 Bright Angel Creek flows through Tapeats strata
Note the uplift of the Tapeats

90 Redwall promontory
This is the southern end of Oza Butte

91 The trail fords Wall Creek just above these falls
Wall Creek flows between Komo Point and Deva Temple

92 Slot canyon between arms of Deva Temple outliers
This is the next drainage south of Wall Creek

93 Redwall promontory above trail
This is the end of the more southerly arm of Oza Butte

94 Ribbon Falls and its travertine pedestal
Ribbon Falls is 120 feet high, counting the travertine pedestal

95 Ribbon Falls' travertine pedestal
The pedestal is partially hollow

96 Flora around Ribbon Falls' travertine mound
Mosses, maidenhair fern, columbine and other plants live in the microclimate formed here

97 Looking through Ribbon Falls
The trail curves around the back of the falls

98 Pool behind Ribbon Falls' travertine pedestal
The falls forms a very pleasant oasis along the trail

99 Ribbon Falls and its alcove
The travertine pedestal is 30 feet high

100 Jim at Ribbon Falls
Note the moss-covered travertine pedestal

101 View across canyon from Ribbon Falls
Deva Temple and its arms loom over Bright Angel Canyon

102 Promontory below Manu Temple
The promontory is a redwall outcrop above Muav and Bright Angel rock

103 Canyon wall below Ribbon Falls
The trail follows the creek along rubble covered slopes below Dox formation outcrops

104 Eroded fallen block
Over the centuries, the softer rock has eroded away leaving the harder rock to form vertical walls 15 feet tall

105 Same formation from a different angle
Some of the fallen blocks along the trail were huge

106 Steve hiking down the trail
Water bars along this trail were very tall, but he didn't trip over any of them!

107 Clement Powell Butte
Note the Great Uncomformity along its base; note too that nearly every major strata of rock in the Grand Canyon is visib

108 The canyon narrows at Hillers Butte
Here the creek enters the upper portions of the Vishnu schist, and will soon enter the top of the Box

109 Looking back up to Hillers Butte
This is the last large vista the hiker has before entering the narrow canyon of the Box

110 Entering the Box
The creek is not far below the Tapeats sandstone yet, but the gorge through the harder Vishnu schist is already narrow

111 Trail down through Box
The trail is now on a narrow shelf between cliff and creek

112 Looking back at creek and trail in the Box
The vertical foliation of the inner canyon is clearly visible beneath the cap of Tapeats sandstone

113 Wall of schist with Tapeats cap
The Great Unconformity is clearly visible

114 Jim approaching middle bridge in the Box
Considerable masonry work has been employed to protect the trail from flooding

115 Creek and trail winding through the Box.JPG
The rounded rocks are testimony to the strength of the flash floods

116 Bright Angel Creek bottom in the Box
The Redwall bluff of Johnson Point above above the inner gorge

117 The creek and trail descend through the Box
At this point, the Box is beginning to widen as the trail nears Phantom Ranch

118 Out of the Box and close to Phantom
We were both happy to be reaching the end of the day's hike

1 Lower trailhead of the Bright Angel trail
6:15 a.m., Tuesday morning, June 9

2 Departing Phantom Ranch
Heading up the Bright Angel trail, looking back towards the north

3 Vishnu schist rising above Phantom Creek
Inner canyon, across the Colorado from Phantom Ranch

4 Phantom in the morning
Looking back up Bright Angel Creek

5 Wall of the inner Canyon
Looking south to cliffs across the Colorado River from Phantom

6 Vishnu schist across the Colorado from Phantom Creek
Early morning lightens the dark reddish-gray, 1.7 billion year old rock

7 Silver Bridge, Tuesday morning
View to the south, from Phantom Ranch area

8 Looking downstream from Silver Bridge
The far bank is sandy with huge, rounded boulders deposited by the river

9 3284 Steve on Silver Bridge
The Silver Bridge is narrower than the Black Bridge upstream

10 Turbulence in the Colorado River
The Colorado is a very powerful river

11 Silver Bridge and Sumner Butte
View towards Phantom, to the east

12 Canyon and Colorado below Silver Springs
Note the rapids and powerful eddies

13 Silver Bridge viewed from downstream
The river trail is carved into the far cliff

14 Trail curving around a corner in the inner Canyon
The wall of Vishnu schist in the background is north of the Colorado River

15 Steve on river trail
Zoroaster Temple is in the distant background

16 Hikers on river trail, heading downriver
The river trail is the most level part of the Rim-to-Rim hike

17 Hikers watching rafts in rapids
The rafts are nearing the end of their journey at Pipe Creek beach

18 Colorado winding through inner Canyon
Looking west; note the raft in the river bend

19 Rafts at the Pipe Creek beach takeout
Hikers disembark to hike up the Bright Angel trail for the South Rim, often wearing sandals

20 River Rest House
Just up from the Colorado, at the mouth of the Pipe Creek Gorge; 7:30 a.m.

21 Trail ascending along Pipe Creek
The trail rises along Pipe Creek Gorge from Colorado into the Vishnu schist of the inner Canyon

22 Hikers ascending lower Pipe Creek canyon
Many of these hikers had disembarked from the rafts we had watched in the rapids

23 First view of South Rim
As the trail started to ascend Pipe Creek gorge, Yavapai Point came into view

24 Climbing through Pipe Creek Gorge
Trail winding along Pipe Creek through Vishnu schist with South Rim in the distance

25 Trail winding through upper Pipe Creek canyon
Tapeats Sandstone formations loom over the Vishnu schist of the lower canyon

26 Hiker ascending trail through Pipe Creek Gorge
At this point, the trail has reached the upper levels of the Vishnu schist

27 Trail ascending Pipe Creek gorge
The inner canyon, or Granite gorge, is in the middle distance

28 Buttes and ramparts north of river
Cheops Pyramid to the left and Buddha Temple to the right tower over inner Canyon

29 Steve climbing out of Pipe Creek gorge
Trail is above confluence of Pipe and Garden Creeks; Buddha Temple in distance

30 Looking down at Devils Corkscrew
The trail climbs out of Pipe Creek gorge at this point, and leaves Pipe Creek behind

31 Top of Pipe Creek gorge
O'Neill Butte and Yaki Point visible beyond

32 1st mule drain going down corkscrew
The pack mules are carrying supplies for Phantom Ranch

33 Two mule trains head down Devils Corkscrew for Phantom
Phantom Ranch is one of only 2 hotels in U.S. supplied exclusively by pack animals

34 Steve ascending Devil's Corkscrew switchbacks
The trail is nearing to top of the Vishnu schist, here heavily eroded

35 Pipe Creek gorge
The North Rim is visible in the distance

36 Bright Angel trail ascending Devil's Corkscrew
Trail climbs through Vishnu schist towards Tapeats sandstone, with Bright Angel shale, Muav limestone and Redwall limest

37 Pipe Creek gorge from Plateau Point
The Bright Angel trail zig-zags up the Devil's Corkscrew as it leave Pipe Creek for the Garden Creek drainage

38 Garden Creek's slot canyon
Buddha Temple visible in distance, beyond Colorado River

39 Garden Creek disappearing into slot canyon
The slot canyon is very narrow, with almost vertical walls

40 Twisted strata of Unkar group rock
View from the top of Devil's Corkscrew looking into Pipe Creek gorge

41 Garden Creek falls in lower Tapeats gorge
Each fall is at least 6 to 10 tall

42 3403 Hikers ascending Tapeats gorge
Yavapai Point looms above

43 View down Tapeats gorge
Brahma Temple in distance, beyond the Colorado River

44 Trees against Tapeats gorge wall
The bottom of Tapeats gorge was quite verdant

45 Tapeats gorge
Brahma and Zoroaster Temples beyond loom in the distance

46 Trail through Tapeats gorge
The trail is nearing both the top of the Tapeats gorge, and the top of the Tapeats sandstone

47 Tapeats gorge, with South Rim far above
Eroded Bright Angel shale is visible above the Tapeats sandstone of the gorge

48 "The Battlesip" looming above upper Tapeats gorge
The junction with the Tonto trail and Indian Gardens are beyond the turn

49 Waterfall in Tapeats gorge
Note hikers on trail above

50 Trail near the top of Tapeats gorge
Yavapai Point looms over Canyon on the left

51 "The Battleshhip" rising above Tapeats gorge
"The Battleshhip" is a prominent formation of Hermit shale, the Supai group, and Redwall limestone beyond Maricopa Point

52 Buddha, Brahma and Zoroaster Temples
View north from Indian Gardens

53 Bright Angel Canyon and Brahma Temple
Garden Creek and the top of Tapeats canyon are in the foreground

54 Tapeats Canyon cuts through the Tonto Plateau
Brahma and Zoroaster Temples rise in the distance, on the far side of the Colorado River

55 Tapeats Canyon cuts through the Tonto Plateau
Howlands Butte with Angel's Gate beyond are to the east. Note the surprisingly lush vegetation on the Tonto Plateau

56 Jim entering Indian Garden
We arrived at 9:45 a.m.

57 Indian Garden
The Battleship is in the background

58 Looking up from Indian Garden to the trailhead
The last portion of the trail can bee seen just below the rim

59 Climbing the Muav limestone up from Indian Garden
Buddha and Manu Temples framed between Maricopa and Grandeur Points

60 Nearing the top of the Muav limestone
Buddha and Manu Temples and Bright Angel Canyon, from the Bright Angel trail

61 Bright Angel Canyon trail from the bottom of the Redwall
Note Bright Angel trail in the foreground, and the Plateau Point trail in the middle distance

62 Bright Angel Canyon
View to south as Bright Angel trail starts to ascend the Redwall limestone formation

63 Trail up from Indian Garden
Grandeur and Yavapai Points are in the middle distance

64 Trail up from Indian Garden
The trail is about to start climbing the Redwall

65 View towards Indian Garden
Three Mile Resthouse is visible on the cliff at right

66 Switchbacks up collapsed Red Wall
The Red Wall is nearly inaccessible, but here it was collapsed by ancient earthquakes along the Bright Angle fault

67 Promontory on the Battleship
Eroding Hermit shale

68 View of Bright Angel trail
The trail visible here is slowly ascending the Bright Angel shale underlying the Tonto platform

69 Three Mile Resthouse in the Supai Group, just above the Redwall
Plateau Point Trail and Buddha Temple are beyond

70 Three Mile Resthouse
The thermometer reads just 76 degrees

71 Bright Angel trail ascending the Hermit formation
Bright Angel Canyon is in dappled sunlight beyond

72 Bright Angel Canyon and Indian Gardens
View from high on the Bright Angel Trail

73 3586 Puebloan pictographs from circa 1,000
These paintings are in the upper Redwall

74 Bright Angel Canyon and Indian Garden
Viewed from high on the Bright Angel Trail

75 Yavapai Point in dappled sunlight
Bright Angel Canyon is in the distance

76 Lower of two tunnels on Bright Angel trail
Cuts through the Kaibab limestone near the top of the trail

77 Fossilized sand dune cross beds
Coconino sandstone was formed from massive sand dune formations 275 million years ago

78 Grandeur and Yavapai Points
The sheer wall of Coconino is in the right foreground

79 Hikers ascending the top of the Hermit shale
Note the sharp boundary between the red Hermit shale and the blond Coconino wall

80 Looking down on the Battleship
Isis and Buddha Temples are in the sunlight beyone

81 View from near the top of the trail
Deva, Brahma and Zoroaster Temples are sunlit

82 Steve climbs through upper tunnel
Upper tunnel of the Bright Angel trail pierces Kaibab limestone tunnel near the trailhead

83 View from the last stretch of the trail
Maricopa Point is on the left

84 Friendly frequent hikers
We walked up the last of the trail with these two, who have frequently hiked the Canyon over the years

85 Rim to rim to rim hike as history
We finished our hike at 4:12 p.m., June 9, 2009

1 Plateau Point
Plateau was a 3.0 mile (round trip) side hike from Indian Garden to a point on the Tonto Platform overlooking the inner

2 Bluff below Yaki Point
10:05 a.m. Note the Tonto trail crossing the slope in the foreground

3 Tonto Trail leaves Indian Gardens
Buddha Temple and the bottom of Bright Angel Canyon are in the distance

4 Tonto trail northwest from Indian Garden
Horus and Isis Temples and Cheops Pyramid are in the background

5 Mules and muleskinners at Plateau Point
Cheops Pyramid behind the mules looms over the Pipe Creek beach landing used by rafters

6 Inner Canyon from Plateau Point
In the background is the opening of Bright Angel Canyon, while visible in the left foreground is the trail up Pipe Creek

7 Inner Canyon from Plateau Point
Notice in the foreground the serpentine path of the trail up Pipe Creek gorge

8 Inner Canyon from Plateau Point
The Colorado runs westward through the forbiddingly steep, grey walls of Vishnu schist. Notice the Tapeats sandstone cap

9 Plateau Point Panorama #1
This is the first of a series of panoramic photographs taken from the same point near Plateau Point. The view is to the

10 Plateau Point Panorama #2
View towards Bright Angel Canyon and the buttes overlooking its eastern rim

11 Plateau Point Panorama #3
View northeast towards Brahma and Zoroaster Temples, with Sumner Butte below Brahma Temple

12 Another view of Brahma and Zoroaster Temples
Note Sumner Butte below Brahma Temple, and the Plateau Point trail to the left

13 Another view of Brahma and Zoroaster Temples
Garden Creek flows through the trees and shrubs in the foreground into the top of Tapeats gorge visible just beyond. Not

14 Plateau Point Panorama #4
Angel's Gate Butte rises to the east beyond Howlands Butte, with the rim of Tapeats gorge visible in the foreground

15 Plateau Point Panroma #5
Skeleton Point lies at the end of Cedar Ridge. While lunching there on our hike down the South Kaibab, we watched two Ca

16 Plateau Point Panorama #6
View of Skeleton Point, O'Neil Butte, Cedar Ridge and Saki Point. The South Kaibab trailhead is in the upper right of th

17 Another view of Cedar Ridge and Yaki Point
Note the sheer wall of Redrock limestone beneath O'Neil Butte

18 Another view of Skeleton Point, O'Neil Butte, Cedar Ridge and Yaki Point
Note Pipe Creek gorge below the ridge

19 Plateua Point Panorama #7
View of Yaki and Mather Points on South Rim. The top of Pipe Creek gorge is visible in the foreground

20 Pipe Creek gorge from Plateau Point
Yaki Point looms above Pipe Creek. Note Devils Corkscrew ascending the gorge

21 Plateau Point Panorama #8
Yavapai Point on the South Rim

22 Plateau Point Panorama #9
Grandeur Point with Indian Garden below. Note the Tonto trail leaving the oasis on the right

23 Another view of Indian Garden
Note the Tonto trail heading west from Indian Garden

24 Plateau Point Panorama #10
The Battleship below Maricopa Point

25 The flank of the Battleship below Maricopa Point.JPG
Note the greenish cast of the Muav limestone, the reds of the Redwall limestone and Hermit formations of the Battleship

26 Plateau Point Panorama #11
Powell and Hopi Points

27 Plateau Point Panorama #12
Dana Butte. Note the Tapeats sandstone bluffs marking the top of the Inner gorge

28 Another view of Dana Butte
Dana Butte. Note the Muav limestone below the sheer Redwall limestone

29 Dana Butte in mottled sunlight
The inner gorge and the Colorado are just to the right of the pinacle

30 A wider view of Dana Butte
The Tower of Set is to the north, or to the right

31 Plateau Point Panorama #13
Dana Butte outlier to the left and the Tower of Set across the river to the right

32 Outliers of Dana Butte and Temple of Set
Outliers of Dana Butte and Temple of Set, with the inner gorge visible beneath them

33 Temple of Set in mottled sunlight
Again, a portion of the inner gorge is visible in the foreground

34 Another view Temple of Set under mottled sunlight
Note the abundant black bush in the foreground

35 Horus Temple
The low cliff in the foreground is the top of the inner gorge

36 Plateau Point Panorama #14
The Tower of Set and Horus Temple. The Great Unconformity, a 1.2 billion year gap in the geological record, is clearly v

37 Plateau Point Panorama #15
Isis Temple and Cheops Pyramid

38 Plateau Point Panorama #16
Isis Temple, with Cheops Pyramid looming over the inner Canyon

39 Plateau Point Panorama #17
Buddha Temple and Utah Flats, with Plateau Point trail in the foreground

1 Kaibab bluff above Hance creek on South Rim
Kaibab limestone was laid down in a shallow ancient sea about 270 million years ago

2 Kaibab limestone of Yavapai Point on south rim
This sea was formed was inhabited by sponges, bivalves, coral and other fairly primitive marine creatures

3 Massive block of fallen Kaibab limestone
This block, termed a Toreva block, was undermined by the softer Toroweap formation below sliding downhill beneath it

4 Chert nodules from the spicules of ancient sponges in Kaibab limestone
This boulder is beside the South Kaibab trail

5 Kaibab limestone near Yaki Point
Most Kaibab limestone we saw is a light grey rather than reddish

6 The Toroweap formation was formed about 273 million years ago
The Toroweap formation, next below the Kaibab limestone layer, was laid down in the intertidal region of a shallow sea a

7 Coconio sandstone is the most distinctive geological feature of the Canyon
Seen here in morning sunlight is the Coconino of Roaring Springs canyon with the prominent Coconino strata of Komo Point

8 275 million years ago, huge dunes extended from Arizona to Montana
The dunes became Coconino sandstone; seen here are the Coconino cliffs of Roaring Springs canyon in the morning sun

9 Cross beds of shifting sand dunes are preserved in the Cocoino sandstone
This sandstone is along Bright Angel trail

10 Bounding line between ancient sand dune cross beds
This example is on the South Kaibab trail

11 Boundary between Coconino sandstone and Hermit shale
The Hermit shale is about 5 million years older. Seen here is an example on the Bright Angel Trail

12 Boundary between Hermit shale and Coconino sandstone
Note how clearly the relative softness of the easily eroded Hermit shale is apparent. This helps explain why the Coconi

13 The slope below the Coconino wall is the easily eroded red Hermit shale
Hermit shale is a mudstone deposited by meandering rivers 280 million years ago. The cliff on the left is part of Marico

14 The Hermit shale slope blends into the Esplanade sandstone
However, the Hermit shale is much softer and more easily eroded than the red Esplanade sandstone cliffs beneath it. Not

15 Esplanade sandstone below the Coconino sandstone wall
A small section of Hermit shale slope is visible in between

16 The red Supai sandstones form these ridges below Yavapai and Maricopa Points
The red sandstones and mudstones of the Supai group form the bulk of the sloping, terraced small cliffs forming the of t

17 Red Esplanade sandstone is the top and visually dominant Supai component
The Supai group is between the vertical Coconino and Redwall cliffs, such as those of Komo Point in the distance and Unc

18 O'Neil Butte provides examples two Supai group topographies
The rocks of the Supai group form bold vertical cliffs as well as sloping assemblages of smaller, terraced cliffs. O'Ne

19 The Supai is the thickest strata of the Canyon, at about 1,000 feet
Both the sloping and vertical red rocks seen here, above the Redwall bridge, are of the Supai group

20 The Supai soils were deposited during alternating periods of glaciation
Weather patterns shifted dramatically while the super continent Gondwanaland occupied the South Pole

21 The Supai was deposited in a tropical sea from 310 and 285 million years ago
This section seen from the North Kaibab trail is an example of the Supai's Esplanade sandstone cliffs

22 As the Supai was deposited, conditions varied from shallow seas to deserts
The Supai group thus consists of a succession of limestones and sandstones. Supai tunnel, shown here, cuts through Espla

23 Esplanade sandstone wall below O'Neil Butte
This is on the South Kaibab trail, which Steve is descending

24 Crossbeds from shifting dunes characterize Esplanade sandstone
This pattern is also seen in the younger Coconino sandstone. The Esplanade sandstone seen here is below O'Neil Butte

25 Thief scampers down some Supai group mudstone
This is at Cedar Ridge, above O'Neil Butte

26 Breccia pipe below O'Neil Butte
The polygonal cracks seen here were formed when this area buckled into a collapsed limestone cave

27 Quartz intrusion in Esplanade sandstone
This sample is near O'Neil Butte

28 Supai group starta of Esplanade sandstone and mudstone atop Redwall cliff
View is to the north from near the Battleship formation below Maricopa Point

29 Sheer Redwall cliffs are one of the hallmarks of the Canyon
These cliffs are below Yavapai and Maricopa Points

30 Redwall limestone was formed between 340 and 325 million years ago
At the time, a Mississippian period ocean covered what are now the western states. The South Kaibab trail descends from

31 Redwall promontories such as Hillers Butte contrast with eroded slopes below
The softer Muav limestone below the Redwall and the Supai group rocks above have eroded to form a mixture of slopes and

32 Redwall limestone get its color from Supai and Hermits soils washing down
Here the North Kaibab trail approaches red tinted and untinted, naturally gray sections of Redwall limestone cliffs

33 "Redwall" means this stretch of the North Kaibab trail to many hikers
Here the trail is carved out of the sheer face of a Redwall cliff

34 In Roaring Springs canyon Redwall forms a narrow chasm
The canyon is wider in the softer strata above the Redwall, and also below where the erosion of softer rocks undercut a

35 Lens of Temple Butte formation between Redwall and Muav limestone layers
Temple Butte limestone was formed about 374 million years ago, but was largely eroded away before the Redwall limestone

36 Boundary between Muav and Redwall limestones
Between these two formations is an unconformity of 130 million years. Steve on the North Kaibab trail

37 Trail at boundary of Redwall and Muav limestones
The missing layer between the Redwall and Muav were the softer sediments of a shallow sea which eroded away when the sea

38 Muav limestone often erodes into gracefull, greenish slopes below the Redwall
Seen here are Bright Angel trail with Cheops Pyramid in the distance framed by the eroded Muav slopes

39 Eroded Muav limestone beneath Redwall promontory below Manu Temple
Note the eroded Bright Angel shale and the low Tapeats sandstone cliffs below the Muav layer

40 Eroded Muav limestone slopes of upper Bright Angel canyon
The redwall cliffs of Uncle Jim Point are in the upper left

41 Roaring Springs gushes from the Muav slopes below Uncle Jim Point
The springs form where groundwater reaches a relatively impermeable layer near the boundary between the Muav limestone a

42 Typical slopes and low cliffs of Muav limestone
Steve descending lower Roaring Springs Canyon on the North Kaibab trail

43 Muav strata opposite Roaring Springs
Notice the greenish tint to the soil, which is accentuated by the abundant vegetation found on the Muav and Bright Angel

44 Bright Angel shale is a soft mudstone beneath the sloping Muav limestone
View west across Tonto Platform

45 The low rolling hills of the Tonto platform are Bright Angel shale
The "Battleship" looms over Muav cliffs and the rolling, vegetation-covered Bright Angel hills in the foreground

46 Hortizontal strata of Tapeats underlies the Bright Angel shale of the Tonto
Angel's Gate and Wotans Throne tower in the background

47 Tapeats forms a cap over the much older Unkar group and Vishnu schist below
In some areas, such as the Cremation Grabben pictured here, elements of the Unkar group were protected from eroding away

48 The Great Unconformity divides the Tapeats sandstone and the Vishnu schist
This view includes the red wall limestone of Clement Powell Butte, the greenish Muav limestone below it, the Tapeats san

49 The characteristic thin layers of Tapeats standstone is readily apparent
The Bright Angel trail ascends through Tapeats gorge to the Tonto platform

50 Close-up of Tapeats sandstone
This rockface is on the North Kaibab trail at the top of "The Box"

51 Outcrops of the Dox formation tilt upwards beneath horizontal Tapeats stata
Dox was laid down about 1.1 billion years ago, just before the supercontinent Rodina was formed

52 Boundary between Tapeats and Dox formations
This is below the confluence of Bright Angel and Roaring Springs creeks

53 View of the inner gorge with red Hakatai shale near and far
Hakatai shale, part of the Grand Canyon supergroup along with the Dox formation, Shinumo quartzite and Bass limestone, i

54 Twisted strata of Unkar group rock in Pipe Creek gorge
View is from Pipe Creek gorge, looking back towards the river. Note the orange Hakatai shale on the opposite side of the

55 Below the Tapeats sandstone is the Great Unconformity
About 1.2 billion years of material above the Vishnu schist was eroded away before the Tapeats sandstone was deposited

56 The Great Unconformity is clearly visible here
The horizontal Tapeats sandstone sits atop the vertical strata of the Vishnu schist. Bright Angel creek enters the narro

57 Close-up of the Great Unconformity, in the Box
The rock above the divide is 1.2 billion years younger than the rock below.

58 In some areas, Unkar group rocks were preserved
Tectonic activity which lowered some of the Vishnu schist in this area protected the higher Unkar group formations from

59 The hard Vishnu schist resists erosion more than sandstones and shales
As a result, the inner canyon of the Colorado and its tributaries are relatively narrow, as in this example of Bright An

60 Even among the precambrian rock, some forms resist erosion more than others
This formation has withstood flooding of the Colorado through the Granite gorge below Phantom Ranch

61 The Cremation Grabben was formed when the supercontinent Rodina broke up
The Grabben was formed along when tectonic activity along the Cremation fault offset adjoining formations, preserving so

62 The Vishnu schist is a tortured landscape
Devil's Corkscrew ascends through Vishnu schist as it climbs out of Pipe Creek gorge

63 The Vishnu schist was twisted by tectonic process into vertical foliations
This wall of the Granite gorge is between the black and silver bridges; note the mule train on the River trail

64 Zoroaster granite intruded into the Vishnu schist
Note the vertical foliation of the schist and granite. This is at the lower end of the Box, just upstream from Phantom R

65 Zoroaster grantie intrusion into Vishnu shcist
This is in the Box, the narrow canyon formed as Bright Angel creek cut through the Vishnu schist

66 Close-up of Zooaster granite and Vishnu schist
This is in the Box

67 Detail of Zoroaster granite intrusion into Vishnu schist
This 1.8 billion year old rock face is in the Box, on the North Kaibab trail not far from Phantom Ranch

68 Of course, plant life was most obvious near water courses
Bright Angel Creek flowing down through Tapeats sandstone

69 We saw a lot more vegetation than we had anticipated
View up Bright Angel canyon

70 But it was true throughout the Canyon
Near the north rim, vegetation was often dense, and included large trees such as Douglas and white fir, ponderosa pine,

71 The dryer soils below the South Rim also support a lot of vegetation
View of Bright Angel trail leading up to up to 3 Mile Resthouse

72 Even the arid Tonto platform is covered with plants
Jim on south Kaibab trail, with Skeleton Point in the background

73 Similarly, even the parched mesas and ridges are fairly lush
Viewed here are the red soils of Supai group formations at the lower end of Cedar Ridge

74 A Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) holding on to a esplanade boulder
This tree is on Cedar ridge along the South Kaibab trail

75 We found Utah juniper in many areas of the Canyon
However, it seemed most picturesque on the misnamed Cedar Ridge

76 The other iconic tree of the Canyon is the cottonwood.JPG
Steve is seen here photographing a mule train on the River trail, opposite the confluence of Bright Angel Creek and the

77 Cottonwood was most prevalent at three locations we saw
The three were Indian Garden, shown here, as well as Phantom Ranch and the aptly named Cottonwood campground on the Nort

78 The pinon pine is another common tree in the Canyon .JPG
This tree is near the confluence of Bright Angel and Roaring Springs creeks; the west side of upper Bright Angel canyon

79 The slopes just below the North Rim are fairly heavily wooded
Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, white fir and aspen are common here

80 Call it prickly pear, beavertail or Opuntia, it was everywhere we hiked
Prickly pear and Muav limestone along the North Kaibab trail

81 And it was in bloom, both on the South Rim and at the Canyon's bottom
These are along the South Kaibab trail near the Coconino sandstone

82 Most prickly pear we saw was green but on the Tonto platform it was purple
These were near Plateau Point

83 Most of the prickly pear blooms we saw were yellow
These were in Bright Angel Canyon near Roaring Springs

84 The yellow contrasted beautifully with the reds of the Canyon walls
View of prickly pear at bottom of Roaring Springs canyon

85 Some were yellow with orange centers, and very pretty
These beavertail blooms are near Desert View on the South Rim

86 And some was bright pink
these were on the South Rim near Yavapai Point

87 Kaibab century plant (Agave utahensis) is another iconic plant of the Canyon
This agave is near a Redwall cliff on the North Kaibab trail

88 The flower stalks of Kaibab century plant can be as much as 30 feet tall
This agave is on Cedar Ridge below O'Neil Butte

89 The Kaibab century plant was an important food source for the Havasupai
This agave is in upper Bright Angel Canyon

90 The dead flower stalks visible here shows how common agave is in the Canyon
The view is from the Tonto platform near Skeleton Point, with Brahma and Zoroaster Temples beyond

91 Sacred Datura (Datura meteloides) in The Box upstream from Phantom Ranch
Of all the flowers we saw, I was least prepared for these, beautiful big blooms in a narrow canyon of dark, tortured roc

92 We found Sacred Datura in several places along our hike
However, it was most prevalent in the dark and moist inner canyon of Bright Angel creek

93 Datura blooms open before dawn, and close well before noon
By afternoon, the blooms are all shriveled

94 Sacred Datura is highly toxic, although insects seem to feed on its pollen
Its hallucinogenic properties have been used in the rituals of several Native American peoples

95 Silver leaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) at Cottonwood
There was a field of this flower about an acre in size, just north of the buildings at Cottonwood

96 We also saw silver leaf nightshade in Hatakai shale of the Cremation Grabben
These plants, however, are at Cottonwood

97 Flowers beside the South Kaibab trail
These were in Coconino sandstone

98 We found this flowering bush on Cedar Ridge
This is below Oh-Ah Point on the South Kaibab trail

99 Hoary-aster (Machaeranthera canescens) on Cedar Ridge
This wre just below O'Neill Butte

100 More hoary-aster, on the North Kaibab trail
These were on the floor of Bright Angel canyon below Cottonwood

101 3000 Columbine (Aquilegia) growing in fissure in Redwall limestone
This improbable splash of color adorned the most forbidding portion of the hike, the North Kaibab trail along the sheer

102 Flower on Redwall
After the North Kaibab trail ascended past the sheer Redwall cliff, it encountered a far more lush and varied flora than

103 Flowers near the top of the North Kaibab trail
These are possibly a form of aster

104 Southern mountain phlox (Phlox austromontana) on North Rim
These were in the Kaibab limestone near the top of the Canyon

105 I don't know what these are, but they're very pretty
These two were growing along the North Kaibab trail as it ascended through the Kaibab limestone

106 These ranged in color from white to lavender
These were also along the upper portion of the North Kaibab trail

107 These flowering bushes were in the upper reaches of Roaring Springs Canyon
They grew along side of Douglas and white fir, aspen and other upland trees just below the North Rim

108 Some hikers called them wisteria, but I think that's incorrect
These were also in upper Roaring Springs canyon

109 Flower near Esplanade sandstone
These were also along the North Kaibab trail

110 Parking lot traffic
We saw several elk, all in areas of the South Rim frequented by humans

112 Thief
Every squirrel we met was a thief, aggressively accosting hikers at every opportunity, chewing through gear, carrying of

111 Mule deer at Phantom Ranch
We saw evidence of deer in many places, but actually saw them only at Phantom

114 Sonoran collared lizard near Ribbon Falls
We saw a lot of Sonoran collared lizards (Crotaphytus nebrius), all on or below the Tonto Platform

113 Whiptail lizard in lower Bright Angel canyon
We saw a number of whiptail lizards (Aspidoscelis) but rarely got close enough to photograph them. They were found in t

115 Sonoran collared lizard
This one was at Plateau Point

116 Close-up of the same Sonoran collared lizard
These were probably the most common lizard we saw

117 Lizard on the rock wall of the Box
I don't know what this one is, and didn't see any others of the species

118 Desert spiny lizard near Ribbon Falls
We saw a lot of sesert spiny lizards (Sceloporus magister) along the lower portion of Bright Angel canyon

119 Desert spiny lizard in The Box
Like most of the lizards we saw, this one was basking in the sun of a relatively cool day

120 Raven at Plateau Point
Unlike crows, ravens can soar, and are actually rather beautiful in the context of the Canyon

121 Not my photo, but the most awesome animal we saw in the Canyon
Two California condor flew over us while we were lunching above Skeleton Point; they were this close to us as they passe