When we reached Bright Angel trailhead, we were pleased to find that the snow had stopped falling. We were able to hike (slowly and carefully!) a short distance down the trail, with beautiful scenery. 
Bright Angel Trail had several switchbacks, but was generally a wide and easy trail. I loved the rock formations, such as this passageway!
Since we weren’t going too far down the trail, we spent more time photographing the scenery, and taking some silly pictures. 
As we descended further into the canyon, mud replaced the snow. We saw several backpackers returning from a night spent at the base, each one looking a little worse for wear. Courtney and I began talking about how we would enjoy backpacking down, and spending a night at the base, when we heard from below: “Don’t do it! It’s not worth it!” We couldn’t see the speaker at first, but about 5 minutes later, a girl about our age comes trudging through the snow/mud slush, dirty and tired. Her husband followed behind, sheepish as she called out to us. “Don’t do it,” she said again. “I just hiked for three hours in the snow. THREE HOURS IN SNOW.”
I think it’s safe to say that if I ever backpack into the Grand Canyon, I’ll make sure snow is NOT on the forecast! (I’m sure Cory will triple check – that girl was very unhappy!!)
Thanks for visiting us, Court & Chris! We had a blast!
When we ascended back to the rim, the snow started up again, and Cory found cell service.
If you enjoyed reading this post, please share it!
Hi, I was wondering if you could email and let me know which trail you liked better, the Kaibab or the Bright Angel. I originally planned to hike s. kaibab to skeleton point, but I am enjoying your Bright Angel Trail pics very much!
Hi Casey! While we enjoyed both trails very much, I would definitely suggest South Kaibab to Skeleton point! South Kaibab trail was recommended to us by a park ranger as offering some of the best “ridge” views of the canyon. We really found it to have fantastic views, and also loved the view of the river from Skeleton Point.
However, we didn’t hike as far down Bright Angel due to the snow – so it may offer some similar views.