Sight · Grand Canyon National Park
A canyon rest stop halfway through a strenuous Bright Angel hike.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grand Canyon Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Grand Canyon National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Grand Canyon audio tourRecorded for this place
Bright Angel Lodge and Lookout Studio“You're coming up on Bright Angel Lodge, a good stop for architecture as well as the canyon. Step into the Fred Harvey History Room for the ten-foot fireplace built to echo the canyon's rock layers.”
Plays as you drive up to Three-Mile Resthouse in the Parkwolf Grand Canyon Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Three-Mile Resthouse is an open stone shelter on Bright Angel Trail, about three trail miles below the South Rim. The usual out-and-back is six miles, with 2,120 feet of elevation change, and takes about four to six hours. It’s a useful turnaround if you’re ready for a steep canyon hike.
The descent is only half the work. Expect the climb out to take at least twice as long as the way down, and take breaks before you feel spent. The resthouse is a welcome place to pause and look into the inner canyon.
The trail runs through a side canyon beside a major fault, with switchbacks, two rock tunnels, and broad views of the canyon walls. This route has carried Indigenous travelers, miners, and early tourists. Restrooms are available here; water is normally seasonal and can be interrupted, so bring enough for the whole hike and check current service before setting out.
Wildlife
718 sightingsCalifornia CondorMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
533 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
169 sightingsAmerican BisonMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,891 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
59 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
27 sightingsGray FoxMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Grand Canyon. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingPlateau Point Trail12 mi · 10.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayA long descent earns a wide view of the Colorado River.
ChallengingBright Angel Trail7.8 mi · 4.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayCanyon layers, mule trains and a 4,400-foot descent to the river.
EasyThe Trail of Time3.3 mi · 2 hr · 1 mi awayA paved timeline where every meter spans a million years.
ChallengingSouth Kaibab Trail6.3 mi · 5 hr · 3.1 mi awayA steep ridge descent with a first river view at Skeleton Point.
ModerateRim Trail12.8 mi · 7 hr · 3.1 mi awayThe full 12.8-mile rim walk, easiest to sample by shuttle.
ChallengingRim-to-Rim: South Kaibab to North Kaibab21 mi · 16 hr · 3.1 mi awayA one-way canyon crossing from the South Rim to the North Rim.ChallengingSouth Kaibab–Bright Angel Loop15.8 mi · 14 hr · 3.1 mi awayA 15.8-mile canyon traverse from South Kaibab to the Bright Angel rim.
ChallengingMonument Creek Trail3.2 mi · 2 hr · 3.2 mi awayA steep backcountry descent from Monument Creek to Granite Rapids.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayMile-and-a-Half ResthouseA shaded rest stop, 1½ miles below the South Rim.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayHopi HouseA 1905 landmark where architecture and art share a complicated history.
Visitor center · 0.6 mi awayVerkamp’s Visitor CenterA walking timeline tells the story of a century-old canyon store.
Lodging · 0.6 mi awayEl Tovar HotelA storied 1905 hotel on the canyon's edge.
Restaurant · 0.6 mi awayEl Tovar Dining RoomA landmark room and canyon-view seats turn dinner into an occasion.
Lodging · 0.6 mi awayKachina LodgeA Mission 66 lodge right on the South Rim in the Village.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayGrand Canyon DepotA rare log station still in service after more than a century.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayLookout StudioA stone lookout where Mary Colter framed the rim in 1914.Parkwolf’s Grand Canyon ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
