Hermit Trail to Hermit Creek

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Features Commonly Backpacked · Geological Significance · Historical Significance · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

This is one variation of a backpacking trip you can take on the Hermit Trail (permit required). It goes down to Hermit Creek and Hermit Rapid, which is one of the larger rapids to be found on the Colorado River. Hermit is one of the primary trails on the Grand Canyon South Rim, but infrequent maintenance and its location all the way at the end of Hermit Road leaves it more rugged and much less traveled than some others. That's why it makes a fantastic backpacking trip for experienced desert hikers. If not backpacking, you might instead make a day hike to Dripping Springs or the lookout point about halfway down Hermit Trail.

Backcountry permits are required for any overnight use below the rim, and camping is only allowed in designated sites along these trails. The trailhead is located at the end of Hermit Road, which is not open to private cars from spring through fall, but a free shuttle bus runs regularly. Backpackers with a permit can drive the road and park at the trailhead.

Hermit Trail is a real gem that most Grand Canyon visitors never experience. This trail starts out quite steep, but levels out for a few miles in the broad side canyon known as Waldron Basin. it then makes a long traverse through the redrock Supai Formation layers with expanding views of the Inner Gorge unfolding ahead. The trail pitches very sharply downward at the Cathedral Stairs, a series of rocky switchbacks through the Redwall Limestone that drop to the Tonto Platform.

Hermit Trail then tees into West Tonto Trail, where a left turn leads toward Hermit Creek (A right turn goes to Monument Creek, where's another backcountry campsite that you could reserve a permit for instead). The mostly flat Tonto Trail winds around to the canyon of Hermit Creek, where the Lower Hermit Trail branches off near the Hermit Creek campsites. This is the typical location for backpackers to stay, but another zone is located farther down the creek at Hermit Rapid.

The trail to the rapid is essentially the creek bed, so it's rocky but not too steep. The small creek flows through pools, waterfalls, and enchanting narrows on its way to the river. Once at Hermit Rapid, hikers will find a cobbly sandbar and a view of the thundering Hermit Rapid. With luck, you may see a raft trip rolling through the huge waves.

Hermit Trail mileages (one-way):
Santa Maria Spring and resthouse - 2.2 miles.
Lookout Point - 5.5 miles.
Tonto Trail junction - 7 miles.
Hermit Creek Camp - 8.2 miles.
Colorado River at Hermit Rapid - 9.7 miles.

About 100 years ago, Hermit Trail was actually one of the main routes people used to get into the Grand Canyon. A lodge thrived at Hermit Creek before Phantom Ranch was built. Guests could hike the hermit trail, ride mules, or even take an aerial tramway that was engineered at some point to reach the lodge. The tramway and buildings have long since been dismantled, and some of the trail was reworked to make it more natural . In places the old cobbled trail still exists, and you can find evidence of century-old development near Hermit Creek.