• Blacktail Canyon
• Bridge Canyon
• Bright Angel Trail
• Clear Creek
• Deer Creek
• Elves Chasm
• Fossil Canyon
• Kanab Creek
• Little Colorado River
• Nankoweap Granaries
• Saddle Canyon
• Shinumo Creek
• Silver Grotto
• Soap Creek
• Stone Creek
• Surprise Valley

River Mile: 235.2-left

Time: 30 minutes to the bridge and back

Difficulty: Easy

Wet or Dry?: Wet

Ideal Weather: Any

Potential: There are numerous routes through the Tapeats in upper Bridge, offering extensive hiking options above the inner gorge.

There is something here for every Grand Canyon hiker. If you have an itch for exploration, Bridge Canyon leads to open country above the inner gorge perfect for a death march. On the other hand, if you want a simple 30-minute walk to a unique sight, Bridge has that, too. The most common hike here is upstream to the bridge that gives this canyon its name. There is a trail leading out the back of camp into the heavily vegetated creekbed of Bridge. Hiking here would be reduced to serious bushwhacking were it not for the trail, so it behooves you to stay on it. It leads across the stream a few times before arriving at the natural bridge about 0.4 miles from the river. In Harvey Butchart’s words, it is “rather unimpressive.” True, it’s nothing terribly dramatic, but it’s worth the 10 minute walk from camp. If you want dramatic scenery, continue hacking up Bridge until the vegetation and the water stop in another 0.3 miles, and then find a route up through the Tapeats Sandstone. There are burro trails traversing and desert slopes above the inner gorge that can provide some relatively easy walking, but watch out for the jumping cholla cactus. Ouch!

Bridge Canyon