Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
536
Because you probably won't want to stop at every viewpoint along this route, here are
some tips to help you get the most out of an excursion along Hermit Road. First of all,
keep in mind that the earlier you catch a shuttle bus, the more likely you are to avoid the
crowds (buses start 1 hr. before sunrise, so photographers can get good shots of the can-
yon in dawn light). Second, remember that the closer you are to Grand Canyon Village,
the larger the crowds will be. So, I recommend heading out early and getting a couple of
miles between you and the village before getting off the shuttle bus.
The first two stops are
Trailview Overlook
and
Maricopa Point,
both on the paved
section of the Rim Trail and within 1
1
/
2
miles of the village, and thus usually pretty
crowded. If you just want to do a short, easy walk on pavement, get out at Maricopa
Point and walk back to the village. From either overlook, you have a view of the Bright
Angel Trail winding down into the canyon from Grand Canyon Village. The trail, which
leads to the bottom of the canyon, crosses the Tonto Plateau about 3,000 feet below the
rim. This plateau is the site of Indian Garden, where there's a campground in a grove of
cottonwood trees. Because the views from these two overlooks are not significantly dif-
ferent from those in the village, I suggest skipping these stops if you've already spent time
gazing into the canyon from the village.
Powell Point,
the third stop, is the site of a memorial to John Wesley Powell, who, in
1869 with a party of nine men, became the first person to navigate the Colorado River
through the Grand Canyon. Visible at Powell Point are the remains of the Orphan Mine,
a copper mine that began operation in 1893. The mine went out of business because
transporting the copper to a city where it could be sold was too expensive. Uranium was
discovered here in 1951, but, in 1969, the mine was shut down; in 1987 the land became
part of Grand Canyon National Park. Again, I recommend continuing on to the more
spectacular vistas that lie ahead.
The next stop is
Hopi Point,
which is one of the three best stops along this route.
From here you can see a long section of the Colorado River far below you. Because of
the great distance, the river seems to be a tiny, quiet stream, but in reality the section you
see is more than 100 yards wide and races through Granite Rapids. Because Hopi Point
juts into the canyon, it is one of the best spots in the park for taking sunrise and sunset
photos (remember, shuttle buses operate from 1 hr. before sunrise to 1 hr. after sunset).
The view is even more spectacular at the next stop,
Mohave Point.
Here you can see
the river in two directions. Three rapids are visible from this overlook, and on a quiet
day, you can sometimes even hear Hermit Rapids. As with almost all rapids in the can-
yon, Hermit Rapids are at the mouth of a side canyon where boulders loosened by storms
and carried by flooded streams are deposited in the Colorado River. Don't miss this stop;
it's got the best view on Hermit Road.
Next you come to the
Abyss,
the appropriately named 3,000-foot drop created by the
Great Mojave Wall. This vertiginous view is one of the most awe-inspiring in the park.
The walls of the Abyss are red sandstone that's more resistant to erosion than the softer
shale in the layer below. Other layers of erosion-resistant sandstone have formed the free-
standing pillars that are visible from here. The largest of these pillars is called the Monu-
ment. If you're looking for a good hike along this road, get out here and walk westward
to either Pima Point (3 miles distant) or Hermit's Rest (4 miles away).
The
Pima Point
overlook, because it is set back from the road, is another good place
to get off the bus. From here, the Rim Trail leads through the forest near the canyon rim,
providing good views undisturbed by traffic on Hermit Road. From this overlook, it's
also possible to see the remains of Hermit Camp on the Tonto Plateau. Built by the Santa
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