hermit trail

The hotel concierge gave us this recommendation to seek out this vantage point in the late afternoon soon! Excellent venue.

a rugged way to the bottom, but still see other people. no water sources. so narrow at times that I burshed against cactus

We highly recommend this trail as an easy and peaceful way to view the canyon from the south rim ... The stillness and ever changing light in the canyon is beyond awesome!

We loved hiking this trail in the winter; so easy as it was not crowded; and able to bring your car in (only handicapped or shuttle bus other seasons). We parked at the overlook with the bathroom, then headed out for hiking "back" to the previous two overlooks (one .3 miles, the next .8 I believe). Easy trails. Then we headed forward from the bathroom overlook; this was a dirt trail, very close to rim in some areas, and bit slick with mud. We came to a point about .5 miles out (whole trail is .8) where we had to turn back due to vertigo; there is a sheer very deep drop to the right, and a mountain wall on your left, and it's one-person wide, and a bit muddy. I've made this hike before in summer, but this time it was too much. Still, enjoyed going as far as I could.Then parked at next overlook and went back toward the bathroom overlook, but stopped again by vertigo and narrow trail. I think we'll skip this particular leg in the future.Hermit's Rest has bathrooms also, and picnic tables, but the store, snack bar and "house" itself is not open in winter.

If you go to the park, you have to take this road to see the Grand Canyon. It's beautiful. Take the shuttle if you can't drive it in the summer, but in the winter it is fine to drive yourself, thus allowing more or less time at each vantage point.

Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter designed many buildings along the south rim in the 1920's. Hermit's Rest is one of those places. Many photo ops. Take the shuttle bus.

Great hike if you are fit! 3 ½ hours to Santa Maria Springs and back with small backpack with water, snacks and camera. It was tiring with very little groomed trail. Would love to do it again. Saw fossils as the only time we could look up was when we stopped to look around. Lots of photo opps.

This trail is tough, even by Grand Canyon standards. I am a hiker & had a tough time with this trail. It is not maintained & there are rockslides that really can be challenging. It is well marked, but tough on your knees & ankles because of the size of rocks & steps. Be sure to allow for plenty of time. It was awesome & I would do it again, but definitely not for a novice to the Grand Canyon or anyone that is not in excellent physical condition.

This was a great trail experience, even in the July heat. The canyon is gorgeous and every trail offers a different perspective. Take in as many as you can. We spent 1 1/2 days here but could have spent several just hiking and enjoying the scenery!!!

We started off early Sun. 11/02 with Temps near 34, windy and light sleet. Weather improved as the day went along. We were warned this is a tough trail, it was and then some. We were 12 hours on the trail to Monument Creek Campsite, last two in the dark with All-Star Tours provided head lights. Traveled over many rock slide areas to make the terrain extremely difficult. This trail is not for everyone, but the work was worth the memories and photos. Monument Creek Campsite was exceptional site.

This is one of the toughest trails. It's steep, rocky, exhausting and not as well maintained as some of the others. it's worth the trip though so be sure to check it out-just don't hike far on this one unless you are physically fit and hike often.

Hermit Point/Trail was a rest stop for those on carriage back in the yesteryears. Hermit Point was where tired folks can warm up by the giant fireplace (still in existence in the giftshop) or have a cool drink of water before going about their way. Yeah, I read the info sheet. lolThere is a snack shop and public washrooms here and yes, they sell ice cream and cold soda, especially nice on a hot day.If you plan to hike down to the Santa Maria or Dipping Springs, I'd recommend you start off early to try and beat the hot midday sun as much as possible. A good pair of hiking shoes is recommended and hikers should be in good physical shape. It should take you just over 90mins to make it down to the spring and a bit longer to hike your way back out. It's a steep decent/incline over rocky terrain on unmaintained trails.There are NO water refill stations on this trail!! You should be carrying at least 3liters of water to begin your hike. The other option is to refill your water container from the springs BUT you MUST purify it prior to drinking ie water filtration system, iodine tablets (yuck!) or boiling it. Don't forget to pack some energy snacks to take along on your hike.If you hiked Bright Angel Trail and found it difficult, then this trail is probably not for you.The only fee for this attraction is your vehicle park pass.

I found this route in a book called Best Easy Day Hikes Grand Canyon. If you are used to walking five miles in a day, 2.5 miles of those uphill, with a 1600 foot height difference, that's a good starting point for a successful experience on this hike. Everyone is different though.... I set off at 10 a.m. on a Saturday in early November 14, with 3 litres water and some food. It took me 1.75 hours to walk to the Spring, where there is a little shack and a water trough, it was full when I went. The route down is easy enough to follow, clear in most places and signposted at junctions with other trails. Watch your feet in the red coloured rock and you'll see some fossil plant leaves. Do the same in the white coloured rock higher up and you can see some fossil reptile tracks. I took about 20 photos on the way down and didn't stop for more than half a minute for each.At 11.55, I started back up - it took me 3 hours 10 minutes to get back to the trailhead. You can see how you're doing by looking across the valley to the strata opposite. I had used up 1.5 litres of the water I took with me.I saw two folks only on the way down. On the way back about 20 other folk coming down/ going up. I think everyone I saw overtook me going up, but hey, they were all much younger than me....If you like a bit of solitude, you'll love this trail. I did a couple of hours on Bright Angel Trail six years ago and it was very busy with folks and folks on mules.So for me, a five hour round trip with lots of stops for rests on the way up. Magnificent scenery, a dry stream bed and fossils. It costs $20 for a seven day pass (this included our car) to enter the park. (you can use this same pass at other parks in Arizona we were told)Read up on, and take all the precautions the rangers suggest for hiking in GC. Hope you enjoy.

This is the end of the trail of the road on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. You will visit the man's former cave home that is now a gift shop.

We did the hermit trail to Santa Maria Spring today. What a wonderful hike! We parked in Grand Canyon Village then got the free shuttle bus (red route) to Hermits Rest (bus took 30 mins). From there the trail is easy to find, just past the shop. Although unmaintained it is in pretty good condition. It is tough though and in the sun too so quite hot - take lots of water and then some!Going down is rocky, with steep steps in places, lots of switchbacks, and quite hard on the knees. So worth it though as the canyon opens up around you. There really are several 'ooh, aah' moments!We headed to Santa Maria Spring, about a half hour before you arrive the view opens in front with two bluffs either side, awesome! The spring is a great lunch for lunch, then it's time to prepare for the climb back up. It took us 1.5 x the time it took to get down, great quads and calf work!As it is a bit further out this trail is very quiet and you really do feel like you have the canyon to yourself much of the time, a wonderful experience. Would heartily recommend.