The railroad track to the canyon is remarkably smooth for a new line. It is built across a slightly rolling mesa, in places thickly wooded, in others open. The snow-covered San Francisco Peaks are on the eastern horizon. Kendricks, Sitgreaves, and Williams mountains are also visible. Red Butte, thirty miles distant, is a prominent local landmark. Before the terminus is reached the train climbs a long, high ridge and enters Coconino Forest, which resembles a natural park. The route here is amid fragrant pines, over low hills, and along occasional gulches and “washes.” Taken under the favorable conditions which generally prevail at this high altitude, the journey is a novelty and a delight. At Destination The hotel at head of Bright Angel Trail is reached early in the evening. The tourist then finds himself on the verge of a high precipice, from which is obtained by moonlight a magnificent view of the opposite wall and of the intervening crags, towers, and slopes. The suddenness, the surprise, the revelation come as a fitting climax to a unique trip. After nightfall the air becomes cold, for here you are 7,000 feet above the sea; yet the absence of humidity, peculiar to these high altitudes, makes the chill less penetrating than on lower levels. By day, in the sunshine, there is usually a genial warmth—then overcoats, gloves, and wraps are laid aside. Bright Angel Hotel The Bright Angel Hotel is managed by Mr. M. Buggeln, who also controls the stage line, trail stock, guides, etc. The hotel comprises a combination log and frame structure of eight rooms, with three frame annexes containing forty-six sleeping rooms, and (for summer use) several rows of tents, all clustered on the rim and surrounded by pines and spruces. Each room in the annexes has one or two beds, a stove, dressing table, and Navajo rugs. In the log-cabin part of the main edifice are two large rooms. One is used for reception purposes, being warmed by means of an old-fashioned fireplace and tastefully carpeted with Indian rugs, also furnished with capacious rocking chairs and a piano; the other of these two rooms is for the office. Good meals are prepared by expert cooks and served in a pleasant dining-room. In a word, the hotel facilities are good, far better than one might expect to find for the reasonable rate charged. There is no “roughing it”; everything is homelike and comfortable. One must not, however, expect all the city luxuries. A telephone and telegraph line directly connects the hotel with the outer world at Williams. Note.—A fine modern hotel of fifty rooms, with cottage annexes, to be known as Bright Angel Tavern, will be built in this vicinity during 1903 and managed by Mr. Fred Harvey. It will be a permanent affair and will provide all the latest conveniences.