• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Hit the Trail

Hit the Trail

Phantom Ranch, Grand Canyon, Sedona, & the Southwest

  • Home
  • Hikers Guide
    • Equipment
      • Backcountry Food
      • Backcountry Kitchen Gear
      • Backpacking Stoves
      • Backpacks
      • Boots & Footwear
      • Clothing
      • Equipment Guide
      • Equipment Rentals/Purchase
      • Flashlights and Lanterns
      • Seat Pads
      • Sleeping Bags
      • Sleeping Pads
      • Socks
      • Tents
      • The Wonder Bucket
      • Walking Sticks
      • Water Purification
    • Trails & Campgrounds
      • Bright Angel Campground
      • Cottonwood Camp
      • Desert View
      • Grand Canyon’s Corridor Trails
      • Grand Canyon Trail Descriptions
      • Havasu and Mooney Falls
      • Indian Garden Campground
      • North Rim Campgrounds
      • North Rim Day Hikes
      • North Rim Yurt
      • Pack Hauling Service
      • Phantom Ranch/BA Day Hikes
      • Phantom Ranch Area Map
      • Phantom Ranch FAQs
      • Phantom Ranch Lodging/Dining
      • South Rim Campgrounds
      • South Rim Day Hikes
      • Sedona/Verde Valley Trails
      • Toroweap & Tuweep
      • Trip Reports and Resources
      • Trip Reports – Baja
    • Safety, Resources & Training
      • Acrophobia/Fear of Heights
      • Arizona Hiking Clubs
      • Backcountry 911
      • Backcountry Etiquette
      • Backcountry Permits
      • Bubonic Plague
      • Heat Strain
      • Hiker FAQs
      • Hiker’s Links/Resources
      • Lightning Strikes/Safety Tips
      • Monsoon Facts
      • Rabies
      • Training/Physical Fitness
    • Tips & Tricks
      • Author’s Tips & Tricks
      • Boot Lacing Technique
      • Phantom Ranch Tips & Tricks
      • Readers’ Tips & Tricks
      • Rest Step for Uphill Hiking
      • Summertime Hiking Tips
      • Winter Hiking Tips
      • Women’s Tips & Tricks
  • Visitors Guide
    • General Information
      • Entrance Fees/Park Brochures
      • Events Calendar
      • Fishing Regulations
      • Fires/Smoke in Park
      • Fishing Regulations
      • Grand Canyon Distances
      • Grand Canyon Park Links
      • Grand Canyon Trivia/Facts
      • Grand Canyon Weather
      • Havasu and Mooney Falls
      • Hiking Guides
      • Indian Reservations
      • Photo Galleries
      • Ranger Programs
    • South Rim
      • Desert View
      • Havasu and Mooney Falls
      • South Rim Campgrounds
      • South Rim Day Hikes
      • South Rim Lodging
      • South Rim Mule Rides
      • South Rim Restaurants/Cafés
      • South Rim Services
      • South Rim Transportation
    • Phantom Ranch
      • Pack Hauling/Duffel Service
      • Phantom Ranch Area Map
      • Phantom Ranch/BA Day Hikes
      • Phantom Ranch FAQs
      • Phantom Ranch Human History
      • Phantom Ranch Lodging/Dining
      • Phantom Mule Ride Gallery
      • Phantom Ranch Mule Rides
      • Phantom Ranch Tips & Tricks
    • North Rim
      • North Rim Campgrounds
      • North Rim Day Hikes
      • North Rim Dining/Food Service
      • North Rim Lodging
      • North Rim Mule Rides
      • North Rim Services
      • North Rim Yurt
      • Toroweap & Tuweep
    • Sedona
      • Permitted Guide Services
      • Red Rock Pass
      • Sedona Geology
      • Sedona Information
      • Sedona Photography
      • Sedona/Verde Valley Area Trails
      • Visitor Centers
  • Mules, Guides & River Trips
    • Commercial River Trips
    • Hiking Guides
    • Horseback Rides
    • Mule Ride Gallery
    • North Rim Mule Rides
    • Pack Hauling/Duffel Service
    • Phantom Ranch Mule Rides
    • Private River Trips
    • River Trip Safety
    • South Rim Mule Rides
  • Explore
    • Natural History
      • Bats
      • Canyon Treefrogs
      • Condors at Grand Canyon
      • Ravens
      • Scorpions
      • Snakes
      • Squirrels & Rodents
      • Tarantulas/Other Spiders
    • Human History
      • Civilian Conservation Corps
      • Phantom Ranch History
      • Pre-Park Era
      • NPS Era
    • Grand Canyon Geology
      • Intro to Grand Canyon Geology
      • Kaibab Limestone to Supai Formation
      • Redwall Limestone to Tapeats Sandstone
      • The Supergroup
      • The Inner Gorge
    • Lake Powell Geology
      • Introduction
      • The Back Story
      • Rock Layers
      • Monoclines
      • Prominent Rock Units
      • Striking Landscape
      • Laccoliths
      • Future of Lake Powell
    • Sedona Geology
      • Introduction
      • Prelude to the Red Rocks
      • Sedona’s Red Rocks, Part 1
      • Sedona’s Red Rocks, Part 2
      • Deposition, Uplift, and Erosion
      • House Mountain Volcano
      • Verde Valley and Verde Lake
      • Carving Oak Creek Canyon
  • Books & Videos
    • Hiking Guides
      • Apps, Maps & Hiking DVDs
      • Arizona Hiking
      • Canyon Country Hiking
      • Grand Canyon Hiking
      • Utah Hiking
    • Hiker Safety/Skills
      • Backcountry Skills
      • Camper’s Cookbooks
      • Search and Rescue
      • Wilderness First Aid
    • Natural/Human History
      • Grand Canyon Human History
      • Grand Canyon Legends
      • Natural History & Geology Guides
    • Colorado Plateau
      • Exploring Arizona
      • Exploring Utah
      • Regional Guides
      • Scenic Photography Books
  • Blog
    • Canyon Posts
    • Canyon Archives
    • Trip Reports
    • Baja Trip Archive – Baja
    • Site Contributors
Home/Hikers Column/The Bright Angel Trail: Then and Now

The Bright Angel Trail: Then and Now

When I look at old canyon maps, one of the things that captivates me is the degree of difference between Grand Canyon’s historic and modern trail system. Study the maps long enough, and you’ll notice that some of the trail routings have changed over time. The Bright Angel Trail is one such trail.

Upper Cameron Trail Routing
Upper Cameron Trail Routing

Avid canyon hikers know that the Bright Angel Trail was not always the Bright Angel Trail. It began life as a Native American route, was developed as a private “toll road” by businessman Ralph Cameron, and was eventually taken over and improved by the National Park Service. Over the years, the trail has changed significantly.

Cameron Trail (circa 1903)
Cameron Trail (circa 1903)

The above photo was taken as part of the Matthes Survey in 1903, and it depicts the trail in the early days of Grand Canyon tourism. The Kolb brothers had yet to build their eponymous studio, and the El Tovar lodge wouldn’t be completed for another two years. At the time, the Bright Angel Trail was known as the Cameron Trail. Instead of beginning with a long, wide, switchback, the trail nosedives into the canyon. Compare that steep descent with today’s relatively tame routing.

Bright Angel Trail from Overlook
Bright Angel Trail from Overlook

After hiking the Bright Angel Trail last week and noticing degraded traces of the original, narrow, trailbed, I was inspired to trace the original route onto a modern photo. I grabbed a recent picture from the GCNP Flickr stream and set to work. The perspectives were slightly different, but not radically so. After tweaking the perspective, I aligned the photos and traced the 1903 route in red:

Old Cameron Trail overlay with current Bright Angel Trail
Old Cameron Trail overlay with current Bright Angel Trail

And here’s the 1903 route trace without the photo overlay:

Closeup of historic Cameron Trail vs. current Bright Angel Trail
Closeup of historic Cameron Trail vs. current Bright Angel Trail

Scars from the 1903 routing are still visible on the landscape today. The photos below show a wide view and a close-up on one of those scars. (Click for larger images.)

  • Cameron Trail scar
    Cameron Trail scar
  • Cameron Trail scar
    Cameron Trail scar

Of course, humans have been scarring the landscape since the dawn of civilization. (It’s only recently that there have been seven billion of us doing it.) But back in 1903, you’d be met with a blank stare if you mentioned Leave No Trace ethics. So perhaps it’s no surprise to see evidence of switchback cutting 111 years ago!

1903 Switchback Cutting
1903 Switchback Cutting

Some things never change.

Published on: September 24, 2014

Categories: Hikers ColumnTags: Cameron Trail, Historic Bright Angel Trail, Kolb brothers, Ralph Cameron, trail scars

About Mike Campbell

After leaving a decade-long career in computational chemistry, Mike Campbell founded Canyonology Treks in 2014. Although Canyonology Treks is a young company, it has a long backstory.

Before moving to northern Arizona, Mike and his wife Amanda were avid hikers living in Portland, Oregon. When they met, Mike and Amanda had already spent years living, hiking, and camping across the West.

When a job opportunity presented Amanda with the opportunity to return to the Grand Canyon area, they made the leap together.

Today, Amanda teaches in Arizona and Mike is a full-time guide.

https://www.canyonology.com/

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent News

Havasu Creek | Photo by Mike Buchheit

Important Updates – and Fascinating Stuff Too!

Fire Restrictions Going Into Effect Friday, May 14 The Kaibab National Forest (the national …

Continue Reading about Important Updates – and Fascinating Stuff Too!

Important Inner Canyon Closures and East Entrance Opening

Temporary Closures Along the Silver Bridge and Bright Angel Trail The Grand Canyon announced …

Continue Reading about Important Inner Canyon Closures and East Entrance Opening

Archives

  • Hit the Trail Returns with New Partnership
  • Hit the Trail Resumes with Limited Updates
  • Important Updates for Park

Newsletter

Sign up for email updates. You can stop at any time and your information will never be shared.

Footer

Copyright © 1998–2023 · Hit the Trail: Phantom Ranch, Grand Canyon, Sedona and the Southwest

All Rights Reserved · All photos credit NPS unless stated otherwise

Newsletter

Sign up for email updates. You can stop at any time and your information will never be shared.

  • Contact
  • About
  • Sitemap
  • Affiliate Disclaimer