Pictograph Panel — Bright Angel Trail
in Arizona · centroid 66 mi from Flagstaff
A short walk down the Bright Angel Trail gives an excellent introduction to the rich human history that is visible from this path. Right after passing through the first, or upper tunnel, pause and look above the sloping cliff on your left. Far above, you can see pictographs painted in red onto a band of rock beneath an overhanging ledge.
These deer pictographs were left by ancestral canyon occupants to mark their path down into this side canyon. A variety of additional symbols and images can be seen through a pair of binoculars. The site, known as Mallery's Grotto, dates between 4000 years ago (2000 BCE) and 1950.
It contains Archaic period elements and Cohonina culture elements. Historic charcoal inscriptions are attributed to the Havasupai. This route into the canyon was used by the Havasupai people who lived and farmed at Havasupai Gradens (formerly know as Indian Garden), down in the relatively flat riparian area, you can see 3000 feet (914 m) below the canyon rim.
- States
- Arizona
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Flagstaff, AZ · 66 mi · ~1.9 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 36.0575°, -112.1442°
About Grand Canyon National Park
This trail is inside Grand Canyon National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $35 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/rock-art-panel.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Pictograph Panel — Bright Angel Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Rim Trail
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Trail of Time: The Main Trail of Time Portal
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Trail of Time: The Million Year Walk Portal
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Bright Angel Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Rim Trail - Mather Point
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Plateau Point Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.