Are the Grand Canyon mules treated well?

Most tourists headed to the Havasupai Falls in the Grand Canyon go there to hike, explore, and take in the beauty of the area. But for years, they have been reporting the beating and suffering of horses and mules used for packing along the trail—some even collapsing and dying, including two just this summer.



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At approximately 9:00 this morning the Grand Canyon Regional Dispatch Center received a radio call from a mule wrangler reporting that a mule had lost it's footing, fell, and then rolled over the passenger that it had been carrying. The accident occurred approximately 2 ½ miles below the rim on the Bright Angel Trail.

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Mule ride options include 1-3 hour rides along the rim of the canyon, 3-hour rides into the canyon, and multi-day trips to the bottom of the canyon. The cost ranges from $50 to $700. You cannot ride if you weigh more than 225 lbs. The rides vary between the South Rim and the North Rim, so keep reading for more details!

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The scenery of the Grand Canyon is phenomenal if all you do is stand on the edge and look. But to see it from the vantage points where we'd been is impossible to put into words. Riding the mules is scary, but it is also safe. Just trust your mule, and it will be worth every minute of terror.

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Amazing experience! this was a trip of a life time and we couldn't ask for better food or service or scenery. Rangers talks were very entertaining and educational.

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Jokes aside, let's take a look at what makes the Mule, the animal of choice on steep and winding Grand Canyon trails. Mules are steady and more surefooted than their equine counterparts. Mules are dainty steppers and take small, sure footed steps, a quality that is immensely useful in rough terrains.

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Mule deer are herbivores with a wide diet- they eat grasses, flowering plants, shrubs, nuts, and berries. They are the preferred prey of mountain lions.

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Be prepared- this is not a simple hop on and ride trip. This is a difficult ride and can test your nerves as your mule rounds the bend and tests your fear factor. We did the overnight to the Ranch and I can say it is a wonderful once in a lifetime trip that you will treasure.

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The Grand Canyon's Most Difficult Named Trail Much of the Nankoweap Trail skirts cliffs that are hundreds of feet high.

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Lava Falls is notorious for being the hardest rapid on the Grand Canyon, a class 9/10. It is river mile 179.2, one of the last big rapids. Luckily, it is possible to scout Lava Falls on either shore, depending on where you want to run the rapid and the flows.

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