Eight-mile-long Hermit Road was once a stagecoach route linking the village with Hermits Rest, built in 1914 by the Santa Fe Railway and Fred Harvey Company as a tourist attraction. For $1.50, travelers could enjoy the dusty but scenic round-trip.

In later decades, the Fred Harvey Company’s fleet of Harveycars (open touring cars) traveled the old stage route. Today, depending on the season, you can explore sights along Hermit Road by car (winter), by free shuttle bus (spring, summer, and fall), by guided bus tour (year-round), or by hiking the Rim Trail.

Historic Hermit Road has seasonal restrictions on personal vehicles, but free shuttle buses on the Hermits Rest Route leave every 15–30 minutes and stop at all the West Rim overlooks. You can get out and snap photos, catching the next shuttle or taking the Rim Trail to the next shuttle stop.

You can also explore Hermit Road by Harveycar, one of the guided bus tours operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts. Either way, you can gawk at the views without worrying about the narrow, winding road; and if you’re sitting on the right-hand side of the bus, you’ll be able to gaze out at the canyon during much of the ride to Hermits Rest.

Repairs to Hermit Road are slated for completion in November 2008; check for closures, detours, and alternate shuttle routes during construction.

From December through February, Hermit Road is open to passenger cars (weather permitting). The drive begins just west of Bright Angel Lodge. At first, the road turns away from the canyon, heading deeper into the piñon-juniper woodland that characterizes much of the South Rim, shortly rejoining the rim at the first Trailview Overlook. From either of the two Trailview Overlooks, you’ll have outstanding views of the historic village and the historic Bright Angel Trail.

Continuing on Hermit Road, about 1.5 miles from the village, Maricopa Point is marked by the tram tower that once served the Lost Orphan Mine, which yielded copper and later uranium, ceasing operation in the 1960s. Far below, the Inner Gorge reveals the oldest rocks in Grand Canyon, Zoroaster granite (pink) and Vishnu schist (gray-black). The formation below the rim to the right is known as the Battleship.

The memorial at Powell Point, two miles from the village, honors John Wesley Powell, the one-armed Civil War veteran who led the first expeditions down the Colorado River through Grand Canyon in 1869 and 1872.

The views from Hopi Point, the northernmost point on the South Rim, encompass the Palisades of the Desert to the east all the way to Havasupai Point on the west. It’s a panorama nearly 100 miles wide, making this one of the most popular overlooks for viewing sunrise or sunset.

The Colorado River stretches in either direction far below Mohave Point, three miles west of the village. Three rapids—Hermit, Salt Creek, and Granite—are visible from this overlook. You might even be able to hear Hermit Rapid, the farthest west, formed by debris from Hermit Canyon.

A mile further down Hermit Road, the Abyss marks one of the steepest drops from the canyon rim. The Great Mohave Wall, a sheer cliff of sandstone and limestone, plunges nearly four thousand feet down to Monument Creek and Monument Canyon, named for the pillars found in its depth.

Pima Point is farther off the main road than the other overlooks, making it a good place to pause and enjoy the natural quiet. In addition to a sweeping panorama across the canyon, taking in the North Rim from Powell Plateau to Cape Royal, you can see the crumbling foundations of historic Hermit Camp below.

Built in 1914 as a rest stop for tourists traveling the West Rim stage, Hermits Rest was designed by architect Mary Colter. Inspired by Louis Boucher, a prospector who lived at Grand Canyon in the 1890s, Colter imagined the building as a cavernlike refuge carved out of the cliffs. The arched fireplace is 12 feet high and nearly 10 feet deep. It’s said that Colter—who had a reputation for being a stern taskmaster—liked to relax on a natural limestone seat below the building.

Just west of Hermits Rest, Hermit Trail begins its descent to the Colorado River, nearly 10 miles. You’ll find restrooms, a snack bar, and a gift shop at Hermits Rest, a National Historic Landmark.