Kaibab Suspension Bridge

Best Time to Visit

Since reaching this bridge means completing most of a rim-to-river descent, the same seasonal considerations apply as any inner-canyon hike — cooler months are far more forgiving than summer heat at river level.

Good to Know

• The walking surface runs 440 feet across a 500-foot span, just 5 feet wide, engineered specifically for pack trains and mule strings rather than vehicle or heavy foot traffic.
• Deck is planked steel topped with asphaltic surfacing, unchanged in basic form since 1929.
• Leads directly into Bright Angel Campground and Phantom Ranch on the north side.

Getting to the Black Bridge

Reached only on foot or muleback, via the South Kaibab or Bright Angel corridor trails — no rim access. Hikers reach it through a short tunnel blasted through rock on the south approach before the bridge deck opens onto the river.

What to Expect at Kaibab Suspension Bridge

Also called the Black Bridge, this is the older of the two Colorado River crossings deep in the inner canyon, connecting the South Kaibab Trail to Bright Angel Campground and Phantom Ranch. Built between March 1928 and February 1929, it replaced an earlier 1921 span that swayed badly in canyon winds. Everything went in by mule and by hand: 67 tons of structural steel, 11,000 field rivets, and cables anchored into the canyon's Rose Granite bedrock.