The Battleship
A stone battleship anchored below the South Rim
About
The Battleship is the massive sandstone formation you can't miss on the upper stretch of the Bright Angel Trail, rising just west of the switchbacks below the South Rim. It's a long ridgeline capped by the Esplanade Sandstone of the Supai Group, with a squared-off prominence at its southwest end that early visitors likened to a ship's conning tower and a run of smaller rock towers behind it reading like smokestacks — hence the name, in use since at least the early 1900s. Below the sandstone deck, tall cliffs of Redwall Limestone drop away toward Garden Creek Canyon, which carries the Bright Angel Trail down toward the Colorado River and Phantom Ranch.
Where to see it
No separate trail leads here — you view it from the Bright Angel Trail itself, roughly the first mile or two below the rim, or from South Rim overlooks near Yavapai Point looking northwest. The formation sits about 1.5 miles north of Grand Canyon Village, close enough to dominate the skyline on any early-morning or sunset hike along the upper trail.
Best Time to View It
The formation dominates the skyline on any early-morning or sunset hike along the upper Bright Angel Trail, making either time a good choice for photos.
Good to Know
- Below the sandstone deck, tall cliffs of Redwall Limestone drop away toward Garden Creek Canyon, which carries the Bright Angel Trail down toward the Colorado River and Phantom Ranch.
- A run of smaller rock towers behind the main formation reads like smokestacks, completing the ship imagery.
- The formation sits about 1.5 miles north of Grand Canyon Village, close enough to see clearly even on a short upper-trail walk.
Where to See The Battleship
No separate trail leads here — you view it from the Bright Angel Trail itself, roughly the first mile or two below the rim, or from South Rim overlooks near Yavapai Point looking northwest.
What You're Looking At: The Battleship
The Battleship is the massive sandstone formation you can't miss on the upper stretch of the Bright Angel Trail, rising just west of the switchbacks below the South Rim. It's a long ridgeline capped by the Esplanade Sandstone of the Supai Group, with a squared-off prominence at its southwest end that early visitors likened to a ship's conning tower — hence the name, in use since at least the early 1900s.
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