Hermit Trail

Last updated
Hermit Trail
Hermit-trail.jpg
Hermit Trail near Lookout Point
Length8.9 mi (14.3 km)
Location Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States
Trailheads Colorado River
Hermit's Rest, Grand Canyon South Rim
Use Hiking
Elevation
Elevation change 4,240 ft (1,290 m)
Highest pointSouth Rim, 6,640 ft (2,020 m)
Lowest point Colorado River, 2,400 ft (730 m)
Hiking details
Trail difficultyVery Strenuous
SeasonYear Round
Sights Grand Canyon
Colorado River
Hazards Severe Weather
Overexertion
Dehydration
Flash Flood

The Hermit Trail is a hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. This trail provides access to a historic area of Grand Canyon and offers a more challenging route to the Colorado River for more experienced canyon hikers.

Contents

Access and description

The trailhead is located 0.25 miles (0.40 km) southwest of Hermit's Rest on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The trailhead is accessible by shuttle bus from Grand Canyon Village, Arizona on the Hermit Road. The road is closed to private vehicles between April and October annually but is open to all traffic other months. Two exceptions are for vehicles with government issued handicap placards and backpackers with valid permits for overnight camping in the Hermit use area. Those users can obtain the gate code by visiting the Backcountry Information Center in the park. [1]

Mileages and features along the Hermit Trail [1] [2] [3]
Distance (mi)Elv (ft)LocationConnecting trailsToiletWater
06640Trailhead, Hermit's Rest Rim Trail Portable
1.25400Trail Junction Waldron Trail
1.65240Trail Junction Dripping Springs Trail
24900Santa Maria SpringEphemeral
44200Lookout Point
6.23120Trail Junction Tonto Trail East
7.83040Hermit Creek Campsite Tonto Trail WestCompostingHermit Creek, Perennial
8.92400Hermit Rapids, Colorado River Hermit Creek, Colorado River

Condition

Grand Canyon National Park categorizes the Hermit Trail as a threshold trail and does not officially maintain it. The trail is rutted in many places, and the once exquisite construction of placed stones on the upper half of the trail is now crumbling and rough. [1]

Numerous rockslides cut through the trail and require rock scrambling and route finding to pass. The most recent major rockslide occurred in the evening of 1 March 1983, when a large section of rock in the Supai Group broke away from a cliff face and scattered down Hermit Canyon, cutting the Hermit Trail in two places. A rockslide that took place in the early 1930s cuts through the trail in a third place. These breaks in the trail require scrambling to get over, but are well marked with cairns. [4]

Water availability

All water sources along this trail must be treated, filtered, or boiled before drinking. [5] [6]

Water is available year-round at Hermit Creek and the Colorado River. The trail between the Hermit Creek camping area and the Colorado River parallels Hermit Creek and provides additional water accessibility. Also, water flows periodically from Santa Maria Spring, located 2 trail miles in from the trailhead, but should not be counted on. [1]

Hermit Creek above the Hermit Creek campsite is dry except in time of flood or flash flood.

The park's Backcountry Information Center has current water conditions for all water sources along the Hermit Trail. [6]

Camping

There are two designated campsites in the Hermit Use Area. [7] The three letter code indicates the park's use area designation:

Use permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis from the park's Backcountry Information Center. Requests are taken beginning on the 1st day of the month, up to four months before the requested first night of camping. [8]

Hazards

Hazards hikers can encounter along the Hermit Trail include dehydration, sudden rainstorms, flash flooding, loose footing, rockfall, and extreme heat in the summer months. At the Colorado River, additional hazards include hypothermia (due to the river's consistently cold temperatures), trauma (due to collisions with boulders in rapids), and drowning. [9]

History

This trail was built in the last decade of the 19th century by horsetheives, but was improved by different prospectors of that era. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway improved the trail further around 1910 to compete with the Camerons' Bright Angel Trail which charged a toll at the time. The railroad operated Hermit Camp about 7 trail miles below the rim until the 1930s when the National Park Service took over control of the Bright Angel Trail and officially rescinded its tolls. [2]

Geology

Major rocks along this trail include limestone, sandstone, chalk, chert, and other sedimentary rocks, as well as obsidian and igneous rocks. Rocks by the Colorado River are often heavily weathered. Some of the limestone is fossiliferous, mostly representing bivalves.

See also

Related Research Articles

Rocky Mountain National Park National park in Colorado, United States

Rocky Mountain National Park is an American national park located approximately 76 mi (122 km) northwest of Denver International Airport in north-central Colorado, within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is situated between the towns of Estes Park to the east and Grand Lake to the west. The eastern and western slopes of the Continental Divide run directly through the center of the park with the headwaters of the Colorado River located in the park's northwestern region. The main features of the park include mountains, alpine lakes and a wide variety of wildlife within various climates and environments, from wooded forests to mountain tundra.

South Kaibab Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The South Kaibab Trail is a hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. Unlike the Bright Angel Trail which also begins at the south rim of the Grand Canyon and leads to the Colorado River, the South Kaibab Trail follows a ridge out to Skeleton Point allowing for 360-degree views of the canyon.

Bright Angel Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Bright Angel Trail is a hiking trail located in Grand Canyon National Park in the U.S. state of Arizona.

Curecanti National Recreation Area

Curecanti National Recreation Area(Pronounced or .) is a National Park Service unit located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Established in 1965, Curecanti National Recreation Area is responsible for developing and managing recreational facilities on three reservoirs, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Morrow Point Reservoir and Crystal Reservoir, constructed on the upper Gunnison River in the 1960s by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to better utilize the vital waters of the Colorado River and its major tributaries. A popular destination for boating and fishing, Curecanti offers visitors two marinas, traditional and group campgrounds, hiking trails, boat launches, and boat-in campsites. The state's premiere lake trout and Kokanee salmon fisheries, Curecanti is a popular destination for boating and fishing, and is also a popular area for ice-fishing in the winter months.

Golden Ears Provincial Park

Golden Ears Provincial Park is a Provincial park in British Columbia, Canada and is 555.9 square kilometres (214.6 sq mi). It is named after the prominent twin peaks which are commonly referred to as Golden Ears. The park's southern end is located on the northern edge of the district municipality of Maple Ridge on the north side of the Fraser River.

Blue Mesa Reservoir

Blue Mesa Reservoir is an artificial reservoir located on the upper reaches of the Gunnison River in Gunnison County, Colorado. The largest lake located entirely within the state, Blue Mesa Reservoir was created by the construction of Blue Mesa Dam, a 390-foot tall earthen fill dam constructed on the Gunnison by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1966 for the generation of hydroelectric power. Managed as part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service, Blue Mesa Reservoir is the largest lake trout and Kokanee salmon fishery in Colorado.

North Kaibab Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The North Kaibab Trail is a hiking trail in the North Rim side of the Grand Canyon, in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

Cape Final Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Cape Final Trail is a hiking trail on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

Tonto Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Tonto Trail is a hiking trail on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

River Trail (Arizona) Grand Canyon hiking trail

The River Trail is a hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. This trail connects the end of the Bright Angel Trail with Phantom Ranch and the South Kaibab Trail.

Boucher Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Boucher Trail is a hiking trail of the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

Clear Creek Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Clear Creek Trail is a hiking trail below the North Rim, from lower Bright Angel Canyon into lower Clear Creek Canyon of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

Grandview Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Grandview Trail is a hiking trail located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.It was built in 1893 by miners and is noted for its cobblestone and cribbing sections.

Tanner Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The Tanner Trail is a hiking trail located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. The trailhead is located at Lipan Point, a prominent lookout located to the east of the Grand Canyon Village, and the trail ends at the Colorado River at Tanner Rapids.

North Bass Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The North Bass Trail is a hiking trail located on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

South Bass Trail Grand Canyon hiking trail

The South Bass Trail is a hiking trail located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona.

The Grand Canyon National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the state of Arizona. The Park encompasses the Grand Canyon and the surrounding rim areas. The Park maintains an intricate trail system both above and below the rims of the canyon. To properly maintain and supervise the many trails and campgrounds in the backcountry of the Grand Canyon, Park implemented a system of zoning the different areas of the canyon and the surrounding rim area into backcountry "use areas," designated by a two-letter, one-number code system.

Morrow Point Reservoir Man-made reservoir in Colorado, United States

Morrow Point Reservoir is an 817-acre artificial reservoir on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Located in the upper Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the lake was created in 1968 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as part of a larger plan to impound the upper section of the Gunnison and create opportunities for hydroelectric power generation, water conservation, and recreation. Morrow Point Reservoir is managed by the National Park Service as a unit within the Curecanti National Recreation Area, and is the location of the Curecanti Needle, a striking 700 ft. granite spire on the reservoir's southern bank whose unique shape was for decades a recognized symbol of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.

Crystal Reservoir

Crystal Reservoir is a 340-acre artificial reservoir on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Located in the upper Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the lake was created in 1976 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as part of a larger plan to impound the upper section of the Gunnison for the generation of hydroelectric power, water storage, and public recreation. Crystal Reservoir is managed by the National Park Service as an element of the Curecanti National Recreation Area. Located at the far western end of Curecanti, Crystal Reservoir is the smallest, least developed, and least accessible of the three reservoirs within the park.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "National Park Service Trail Description".
  2. 1 2 "Trail Description : Hermit Trail". www.bobspixels.com.
  3. ↑ Hermit Trail Guide; Scott Thybony, Grand Canyon Natural History Association, p. 1 – ISBN   0-938216-31-7
  4. ↑ Hermit Trail Guide; Scott Thybony, Grand Canyon Natural History Association, pp. 4, 19 – ISBN   0-938216-31-7
  5. ↑ "Grand Canyon National Park Safe Drinking Water".
  6. 1 2 "Grand Canyon National Park Backcountry Information".
  7. ↑ "Backcountry Use Areas". www.bobspixels.com.
  8. ↑ "Grand Canyon National Park Backcountry Use Permit Procedure".
  9. ↑ "Grand Canyon National Park Summer Hiking".

Coordinates: 36°03′38″N112°12′44″W / 36.06046°N 112.2122°W / 36.06046; -112.2122

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.