Grand Canyon, Hermits Rest - 9/14/14

Today we visited the western portion of the South Rim from Grand Canyon Village to Hermits Rest. Hermit Road is not accessible by private vehicle (except in the winter), therefore we took the shuttle bus. Due to limited parking (and over 5 million visitors a year), there are three bus routes throughout the park, Blue=Village Route; Orange=Kaibab/Rim Route; and Red=Hermits Rest Route. We drove to the Village and finally found a parking space relatively close to the Red route.

We stopped at five of the eight overlooks along Hermit Road. The buses were packed; standing room only for most of the drive (which is why John really dislikes the shuttle bus mode of travel in these national parks!)  Of course, you always have the option to hike the Rim Trail that is open all the way to Hermits Rest (about 7.5 miles one way).

Powell Point: This was our first stop. There is a monument that honors Major John Wesley Powell who led the first documented expedition through the Grand Canyon. Because his first expedition in 1869 was more of a survival trip, he led a second one in 1871-72 that provided the first geological information about the Canyon.

View from Powell Point.

View of Maricopa Point (east of Powell Point).

Hopi Point: We then hiked the short distance (.3 mi) on the Rim Trail to Hopi Point. This is a promontory jutting deep into the gorge providing beautiful panoramic views. You can see 45 miles in either direction from this location. Many come to this point to see the sunrise or sunset.

The large red rock formation in this photo (right, middle) is known as the Battleship. Condor nests are located in the formation. These amazing birds have a wing-span of 9-feet by the time they are 6-months old.

The Abyss: The cliff here plunges 3,000' to a plateau below.

Hermits Rest: The road on the South Rim ends at Hermits Rest. Legend says that a prospector, Louis Boucher, was the hermit for whom the area was named. In truth, he operated his own tourist cabins and was a popular canyon guide.

Mary Colter, the architect of the Desert View Watchtower, Hopi House, and Bright Angel Lodge, also designed the limestone building that is situated here.

How appropriate.!

Interior.

Amazing huge fireplace.

Pima Point:  We hiked east on the Rim Trail from Hermits Rest to Pima Point (1.1 mi).

I snapped a few pictures of some lovely wildflowers we saw along the trail.

From Pima Point, the Colorado River can be seen threading through the deep gorge a mile below.

Although it looks like a stream, the river is actually 300' wide here. The mighty Granite Rapids are located on this part of the river. The muddy brown color of the Colorado River is due to the recent rain in the area.

From Pima Point, we hitched a ride back to the Village on the shuttle bus. We walked through the Village to El Tovar to check on our dinner reservations for tomorrow night. There was a ceremonial Hopi dance going on in front of the Hopi House.

We were glad that we had the opportunity to explore this part of the South Rim as we had driven to all of the other overlooks west of the Village. The views into the Canyon were as stunning today as the first time we saw it!  We will be leaving this natural wonder in a couple of days. It has been amazing!

Admission to the Grand Canyon National Park is $25/vehicle for a 7-day pass. John's senior pass gets us in for free. All shuttle buses are free.

Website: www.nps.gov/grca