HERMIT ROAD

The Santa Fe Railroad constructed this eight-mile-long road from Grand Canyon Village west to Hermits Rest in 1912. Stops along the way allow you to walk to the rim and enjoy the views. Highlights include a superb overlook of the Bright Angel Trail from Trailview, the copper and uranium Orphan Mine from Maricopa Point, great views and a historic marker at Powell Memorial, the Colorado River from Hopi and Mohave Points, the 3,000-foot sheer drop of the Abyss, and from Pima Point, views of Granite Rapid and the foundations of an old hotel below. Your map will help identify Canyon features: Bright Angel Trail switchbacking down to the grove of trees at Indian Garden, Plateau Point at the end of a short trail from Indian Garden, Bright Angel Canyon on the far side of the river, the many majestic temples rising out of the depths, and the rapids of the Colorado River.

Hermits Rest

The imaginative stone building here marks the westernmost viewpoint and end of the drive. Mary Colter designed the structure and its Great Fireplace according to what she thought a hermit might like. Hermits Rest offers a snack bar, gift shop, drinking water, and restrooms. A free shuttle bus runs the length of the drive except in winter, when you can take your own vehicle. Bicyclists enjoy this ride too, and they aren’t affected by the shuttle-season ban on cars. Because Hermit Road is so narrow, cyclists need to pull off and dismount when large vehicles wish to pass.

If you’ve walked to Hermits Rest on the Rim Trail, you’ll probably want to rest too. Louis Boucher, the Hermit, came to the Canyon in 1891 and stayed 21 years; he lived at Dripping Springs and constructed the Boucher Trail to his mining claims in Boucher Canyon.