Transept Trail and Bright Angel Point

The Transept Trail is an easy walk that takes hikers alongside the rim of the canyon, and eventually joins the Bright Angel Point Trail leading to a spectacular viewpoint.The trail begins from near the North Rim Backcountry Information Center. You'll pass alongside some of the employee housing areas before nearing the edge of the canyon, specifically Transept Canyon. The trail then passes near the North Rim Campground.Past the campground the trail spends much of the time in the forest, but there are still great views of the canyon just beyond. You'll even pass the ruins of a small 900 year old ancestral Puebloan dwelling.The trail then passes in front of the North Rim Lodge (well worth checking out on the way back) then joins with the paved, ADA accessible trail to Bright Angel Point. The viewpoint is named after Bright Angel Creek which flows out of sight far below.After enjoying the stunning views from Bright Angel Point return the way you came, or choose an alternate path back such as the Bridle Trail to see something new.

A timely example of Grand Canyons dynamic forces occurred on January 3, 1991, in The Transept, the large tributary canyon to the right if you are heading out to the Bright Angel Point. A massive section of Coconino Sandstone (the light-colored layer of rock near the top) succumbed to gravity and erosion, cascading into the canyon and trailing debris along thousands of feet of canyon wall. In 1992, similar landslides closed several major trails. The Grand Canyon area has been eroding since regional uplift began about 70 million years ago.