Description: It was best that we hiked Hermit’s Trail on the first day of our trip. It made everything else feel like a breeze.
Hermit’s Trail is a 17-mile round trip trail from the canyon rim to the Colorado River, beginning at Hermit's Rest. It is rocky, steep, slippery and if you choose the 1.5 mile trail variation to Dripping Springs, you’ll be clinging to narrow dirt paths along the edge of the cliff with a drop of 4,000 feet to your right and nothing to grab onto on your left.
Hermit’s Trail was carved by Louis Boucher, a miner who lived in the South Rim of the canyon for over 20 years. I imagine him exploring these ridges on his own, crawling at times to discover Dripping Springs, where we have lunch, or some other side cave, never knowing what dangers or wonders lie around the corner.
Do this trail.
It was the only one where you could sit on a rock and not see another person for at least a half hour. What you would see are baby rattlesnakes, dragonflies, lizards, Indian paintbrush and sage. You’d hear the wind traveling the canyons, feel the sun wrap around you.
Close