Our Hermit Road adventure in Grand Canyon National Park began at 8:00 am, and by the early afternoon, we had walked the Canyon Rim Trail from scenic viewpoint to scenic viewpoint for hours, visiting the Trailview Overlook, Maricopa Point, Powell Point, Hopi Point, Mohave Point, and finally The Abyss.
After peering down the nearly vertical drop at The Abyss, our feet were tired and the kids needed a break. So we hopped on the free park shuttle for a ride to Monument Creek Vista.
At the small Monument Creek Vista, you can look over the edge of the canyon to see Monument Creek traveling to the Colorado River to create some pretty violent rapids. Monument Creek Vista also marks the start of the Greenway Trail.
From this viewpoint, the dirt Canyon Rim Trail turns into the nine foot wide, paved, accessible Greenway Trail that travels three miles to Hermit’s Rest at the end of Hermit Road. Open to hikers, bikers, and visitors using wheelchairs and strollers, the Greenway Trail follows the 1912 alignment of Hermit Road and has six overlooks and multiple rest areas.
For a quick second, we considered walking the 1.75 miles to Pima Point and another 1.25 miles to Hermit’s Rest on the trail, but all of us were a little tired, it was really cold, darker clouds were moving in, and the snow flurries were getting stronger. So, after a snack break, instead of walking all three miles, we hopped on the shuttle to Pima Point and planned to walk the rest of the way to Hermit’s Rest from there.
Know Before You Go
- Monument Creek Vista is located on Hermit Road west of Grand Canyon Village, Arizona 86023 in Grand Canyon National Park, Coconino County.
- Hermit Road follows the South Rim for 7.0 miles from Grand Canyon Village to Hermit’s Rest. The Canyon Rim Trail also travels from Grand Canyon Village to Hermit’s Rest, but over 7.8 miles because it hugs the edge of the canyon rim and runs between Hermit Road and Grand Canyon.
- Don’t want to hike the entire Canyon Rim Trail? No problem? You can walk/hike between scenic overlooks or take the shuttle and mix it up, so you could walk the shorter distances and ride the shuttle for the longer distances.
- In the winter, you can drive your own vehicle from scenic viewpoint to scenic viewpoint, but the rest of the year, you need to ride the free shuttle bus.
- Traveling from Grand Canyon Village, the Hermit Road (Red) Shuttle Route stops at nine overlooks — Trailview Overlook, Maricopa Point, Powell Point, Hopi Point, Mohave Point, The Abyss, Monument Creek Vista, Pima Point, and Hermit’s Rest. Traveling from Hermit’s Rest to Grand Canyon Village, the shuttle stops at only four overlooks — Hermits Rest, Pima, Mohave, and Powell Points.
- You can also travel to Hermit’s Rest by bike. If you didn’t bring a bike, you can rent a bike at Bright Angel Bicycles near the South Rim Visitor Center.
- The nearest restrooms are at Hermit’s Rest.
