5 Aug 2023 - Hermit's Rest and the Hermit's Road Overlooks

 

On the way in to the park this morning we stopped for the obligatory park sign photo.  There are usually lines of people waiting their turn to get their picture standing in front of these signs.  No line this morning!

We made our way to Maswik Lodge where there was ample parking for the big ol' brown truck and then walked through the pines and across the Grand Canyon Railway tracks to the Village Transfer Station where we would pick up the Red shuttle.  

Maswik Lodge

The Village Transfer Station

Even the view from the Village Transfer Station is incredible.  We did not have a lot of time to wait as a bus stops about every 10 minutes.  They are very efficient!

So awesome!

Here comes the Red shuttle

There are four shuttle bus services that run in different areas of the Grand Canyon South Rim:  Purple, Orange, Blue and Red.  The Red route goes west from the Grand Canyon Village area all the way to Hermit's Rest, the westernmost point on Hermit's Road on the South Rim.  If you want to see Hermit's Rest or any of the eight overlooks along the way during the summer months, you either have to walk, bike, or ride the Red shuttle - cars and trucks are not allowed.  We were supposed to take the Pink Jeep sunset tour to see Hermit's Rest and hike a trail there, but they cancelled out on us and we had to change to the ride we did last night.  The Red shuttle is a good alternative for us.

So there are eight overlooks on the way out:  Trailview Overlook, Maricopa Point, Powell Point, Hopi Point, Mohave Point, The Abyss, Monument Creek Vista, and Pima Point.  Hermit's Rest is at the end.  On the way back, the shuttle only stops at Pima Point, Mohave Point and Powell Point.

As we traveled west away from the Village towards Hermit's Rest, we could have disembarked the Red shuttle at any or all of the eight overlooks, but each stop would add about 15-20 minutes (10 minutes between buses and a few minutes at the overlook).  Instead we decided to ride the Red all the way to Hermit's Rest, look around there and hike a bit, and then work our way back, hiking 1.1 miles to Pima Point and then riding the shuttle and stopping at Powell Point and then back to the Village. 

Our first stop was Hermit's Rest.  Hermit's Rest was designed by Mary Coulter, who designed most of the other structures here including the stone tower we visited last night.  It was built in 1914 as a rest area for tourists traveling to the now-vanished Hermit Camp. The trail that leads to Hermit's Rest is named after a hermit camp built in 1914 by Louis Boucher, who lived as a hermit in the Grand Canyon for several years.

Today Hermit's Rest is a gift shop and snack bar.  It looks much like it did back in the day.  The huge fireplace is the centerpiece inside and the soot remains from days gone by.

  

We hiked west past Hermit's Rest building and found some nice views of the Canyon and other old structures in the area.  The trail is pretty rough compared to many of the others we have hiked here.  The scenery was incredible.

Other than some elk, we have seen little wildlife here.  A few birds, a squirrel or two but we have both been amazed at how few critters we've seen.  We did spot a raven perched in a tree as we walked by. 

 

We finished up at Hermit's Rest and then hit the trail back towards Pima Point where we would catch the shuttle back towards the Village.  The 1.1 mile trail was all asphalt and very wide with an overall climb of 4%.  

With the Utah Juniper trees that grow everywhere here, we had some shade along the way.  They are sure an interesting tree as they look dead except for the top.  The tree trunks look like drift wood!

Quite a few cactus along the trail.

After a nice hike we immerged at Pima Point.  Another beautiful overlook of the canyon and they even placed a nice bench for a rest here!

We boarded the shuttle after our visit to Pima Point and decided our next stop would be Powell Point.  Powell Point features a granite memorial to John Wesley Powell, a natural history professor who explored the Colorado River in 1869 and 1872. The memorial commemorates the 1869 Powell Expedition, the first known European American explorers to map the river's course by boat.

Just east of Powell Point is the remnants of a mining operation.  Both copper and uranium were mined here years ago.  

Evidence of the mining operation

No railing, no nothing!

We really enjoyed our visit to Hermit's Rest and the overlooks today.  Doreen has developed some hip soreness but she insisted on doing the hike today.  She has been a real trooper.  We rested this afternoon and watched the Cubs beat the Braves. I secured tickets for the Hoover Dam tour online.  Later we walked over to a local pizza and pasta restaurant for dinner.

Tomorrow, our last day here, we plan to head back to the Village area and explore the museum, Hopi House and other sites there.