Trail Bridges in the Grand Canyon

Two trail bridges across the Colorado at the bottom of Grand Canyon join the five highway bridges to complete the seven land crossings quoted from NPS on the Colorado River Bridges page.  Kaibab Trail Bridge, commonly known as the black bridge, was finished in 1928, and Bright Angel Trail Bridge, commonly known as the siver bridge, was built in the mid-1960s.

Starting from the South Rim (the usual cross-canyon route), the South Kaibab Trail is 7 miles (11.3 km) long and drops 4,780 feet (1,457 m) in elevation.  The North Kaibab Trail is 14 miles (22.5 km) long and climbs over 1 mile (5,761 feet, 1,756 m) to an elevation of 8,000+ feet (2,438+ m).  The South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails are connected on the south side by the 1.7 mile (2.7 km) River Trail, and South and North Kaibab Trails meet on the north side of the Colorado inside Bright Angel Canyon.  Mules, and probably some humans, refuse to cross silver bridge because of its open grate floor.

The Arizona National Scenic Trail is an 800+ mile (1,287+ km) non-motorized path/trail across Arizona from Mexico to Utah.  It crosses the Grand Canyon on the South Kaibab and North Kaibab Trails across the black bridge.  The trail's elevation varies from 100' to 11,500' (30.5 m to 3,505 m).

View Photos is an auto-show of five photos:  an aerial view of the River Trail overlook, both bridges, and Bright Angel Canyon, two views of both bridges, one of each bridge, and finishes with a map of Phantom Ranch on the floor of Grand Canyon.

Map of the Trails is a South Rim view of the North and South Kaibab Trails and Bright Angel Trail to the bridges.

Arizona Trail map shows the trail route across Arizona from Mexico to Utah.

Arizona Trail info is a link to the US Forest Service for information about the trail links for more details on the trail.

Select menu option Canyon Hike for our Hike Through Grand Canyon article of a 3-day hiking adventure in the Grand Canyon,  The hike goes down the South Kaibab Trail from Grand Canyon Village to Phantom Ranch, crossing the Colorado on the black bridge, and up the North Kaibab Trail to the North Rim Village.  The article contains photos of the trail and scenic views from the trail that were taken during the hike.