HERMIT LOOP

This deservedly very popular, point-to-point Grand Canyon hike off the South Rim is excellent for guests looking for a more remote, diverse and absolutely stunning tour of the Canyon. It features fantastic views, historic ruins, a canyon narrows section, and time at one (on the 4-day itinerary) or two (on the 5-day itinerary) of the more spectacular and more photographed rapids on the Colorado River. This is probably the most scenic hike in the Grand Canyon and offers tremendous natural and cultural diversity.

The first day takes us down the famous Bright Angel Trail past Indian Garden. We'll take a side trip out to Plateau Point, one of the most scenic viewpoints in all of Grand Canyon, before hiking to our first camp. From here we'll hike west across the Tonto Trail, paralleling the Colorado River a thousand feet above it. The breathtaking views on this trip are punctuated by side hikes down narrow canyons to two impressive rapids on the river. We'll enjoy majestic creek-side camps, desert wildlife-viewing opportunities, ancient fossils, and some of the best hiking the Grand Canyon has to offer!

Day 1

Shuttle to the South Rim: 1.5-hour drive from Flagstaff
Hiking Mileage: 6.9 miles (+ optional 2-mile side hike to Plateau Point)
Elevation Loss: 3,060 feet

This memorable Grand Canyon backpacking tour begins with a 4.9-mile downhill hike on the Bright Angel Trail to Indian Garden, a Havasupai spring site that watered seasonal garden plots for centuries. At Indian Garden we'll relax in the shade of the Cottonwood trees, dip our feet in the ice cold spring water of Garden Creek, and enjoy a peaceful picnic lunch. If time and conditions allow, we'll add a side hike to Plateau Point - one of the most stunning views in all of Grand Canyon - before continuing to our first night's camp at Horn Creek. Horn Creek is a beautiful creek-side camp with wonderful solitude, where we're guaranteed to be the only group since only one group is allowed per night.

Day 2

Hiking Mileage: 8.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 800 feet

We’ll get an early start and begin our westward trek along the Tonto Plateau to Monument Creek. This is a long hike of almost 9 miles, but most of the route is on a well-groomed, relatively flat trail. Our hike takes us around the head of two large drainages: Salt and Horn Creek, and offers an abundance of classic, expansive views of the Grand Canyon, inner gorge, and Colorado River. Our destination for the night is Monument Creek, a cozy camp nestled beneath towering Redwall Limestone cliffs next to a trickling, spring-fed creek.

Day 3 (on 5-day itinerary only)

Day Hike Hiking Mileage: 3 miles
Day Hike Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,000 feet

Layover day (if a 5 day trip) to sleep in, relax, read, bathe, hike and explore, or do nothing at all. For the willing, we’ll hike down Monument Creek to the Colorado River and Granite Rapids. This is a great day hike, and we often see bighorn sheep as a small population inhabits the area. At our leisure, we’ll eventually hike back to camp to enjoy a quiet evening.

Day 4

Hiking Mileage: 3.5 miles (plus an optional 3-mile day hike)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,200 feet (includes day hiking)

We’ll get up reasonably early, eat and pack up. We'll hike west past the fascinating Hermit Resort ruins, which were constructed by the Santa Fe Railroad Company in the early 1900's, to our camp on Hermit Creek. We’ll set up camp and have lunch, then hike approximately 1.5 miles one-way to Hermit Rapids, where we’ll take a few hours to explore this breathtaking section of the Colorado River. If we're lucky we'll get to watch a rafting party brave these impressive rapids! We'll return to camp and enjoy a tasty dinner beneath one of the clearest night skies you've ever seen before turning in for the night.

Day 5

Hiking Mileage: 8 miles
Elevation Gain: 3400 feet
Shuttle to Flagstaff: 1.5 hours

The first mile of hiking takes us back past the Hermit Resort ruins on the Tonto Trail to the junction with the Hermit Trail. At the junction we begin our ascent out of the Grand Canyon on the Hermit Trail. We'll switchback throught the immense Redwall, then contour a series of shelves high above Hermit Creek. This section of hiking features increasingly stunning views of the Grand Canyon behind us. The last bit of hiking is on beautifully constructed, hand-fitted rock slabs - a true work of masonry art - and takes us past 250+ million year old footprint fossils that are some of the best in the Canyon. Once we reach the South Rim, we'll shuttle back to the South Rim Village where our shuttle awaits us.