Amazing 8,000-foot elevation view of the Grand Canyon from the North Rim’s Bright Angel Point

Bright Angel Point is one of the best accessible spots to view the Grand Canyon and stargaze! This popular viewpoint is located at the end of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and has an elevation of 8,161 feet.  The high altitude and remoteness allow for great opportunities for pictures with beautiful red rocks and a changing color sky.  After sunset, you can stargaze and witness the milky way in the sky along with thousands of stars from the galaxy.   

To get to Grand Canyon Bright Angel Point, take the entrance road to the North Rim (Highway 67) and follow it all the way to the end.  Grand Canyon Lodge and North Rim visitor center are located at the end of Highway 67.  Access to Bright Angel Point Trail is located there.  Along the side of Grand Canyon Lodge is a quarter-mile trail that leads to Bright Angel Point Trail.

• 30-60 minutes, half-mile round trip.
• Address: North Rim Dr. AZ State Route 67, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ 86022
• General Visitor Information for Grand Canyon call: (928) 638-7888.
• Not opened all time of the year: Bright Angel Point is accessible from 15 May to 15 October.  At this time all the visitor facilities are also open and available to you.  In winter months, Highway 67 to the North Rim often closes due to snow, but from 15 October until the snow comes, you may still access Bright Angel Point during the day.  Once Highway 67 closes at the first snowfall, it won’t open again until 15 May.
• Stay Overnight: Grand Canyon Lodge, The North Rim Campground.
• Bathrooms are located near the parking lot.
• Cell Phone: Coverage in the area may be limited.  This can be an issue for Wi-Fi selfie sticks.

History

Native Americans did journey through the area and today’s trails near Bright Angel Point toward the Colorado River.  Up until the 1880’s Native Americans lived in the area.  The Havasupai tribe is one of the last to live there.  Ancient Puebloans and Cohoninas made the Grand Canyon their home during the Formative Period (A.D. 300 – A.D. 1300), their traces left behind are still present today.

My Trip

My trip to Bright Angel Point was on 08/15/2020.  I walked the trail and checked out the amazing views.  Sticking around for the stars and the milky way is an experience I will never forget.  This was a fantastic looking sky with thousands of stars above me.

The Trail

The entire 0.5-mile round trip journey is paved.  There are many places along the trail where you can rest and enjoy the view.  The trail does have narrow spots with side drop-offs and portions that decline.  On the way back, the uphill walk may be challenging. 

There are some railings but not enough.  If you suffer from height phobias or anxiety this might not be a good idea for you!

The View

Bright Angel Trail is located where Transept Canyon and Roaring Springs Canyon open into Bright Angel Canyon, which connects with the Colorado River.  The North Rim of the Grand Canyon gives visitors a different perspective than the South rim.  The North Rim elevation in areas can be more than 2,000 feet higher than the South rim’s 7000-foot-high elevation.

Bright Angel Point does attract more visitors at sunrise and sunset.  This is due to the hot sun and photo quality opportunities.   As the sun sets, the trail attracts many visitors to prepare to stargaze.

Stargazing

Bright Angel Point offers perfect opportunities for stargazing.  Up in the sky above will appear thousands of stars and the milky way.  You are bound to see a few shooting stars.  While I was there, another visitor told me it was the 3^rd darkest spot in America.  I am not sure of his source, but it gives you an idea of how dark the area gets. 

Conclusion

I must say that I enjoyed Bright Angel Point more than I thought.  The walk is not too bad, but not as easy as mentioned by others.  The views give you a different look of the canyons compared to Grand Canyon South Rim.  This point and the Grand Canyon Lodge overlook does get crowded; however, we had no problem and shared an area with another couple.

If you are visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon this is a must.  You can have the option to stay at the lodge or the nearby campsite.  Another great aspect of the area is the great trails.  Some hikers will hike from this point to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, known as the Rim-to-Rim trial.