Grand Canyon Moderate: Hermit's Rest to Dripping Springs


Just another day in the Canyon

I'm not calling this easy per se, but here's one of the Canyon's few moderates. A 6.5-mile round trip, this trail exchanges only 1700 feet of elevation (for this place that ain't much). There are few hikers tramping Hermit's for the relative ease of this intimate and lush trail. The destination is a little different, with a fern-filled cave trembling beneath a massive amphitheater. The drip drip drip of falling drops is music in the desert; it splashes into rock-lined wells.

Take the 8-mile shuttle from Grand Canyon Village to Hermit's Rest, the westernmost stop on the South Rim. The new shuttle buses are free and run quietly on natural gas. They purr along every fifteen minutes with quick stops from Yaki Point on the East Rim Drive, through the Village, and out to Hermit's.

Strike west into the junipers, following the well-marked and nicely-maintained trail. The views don't spread out immediately, as they do at the populous Bright Angel and South Kaibab Trailheads. Instead, the vista unfolds gradually. Switchbacking from 6640 feet into Hermit Canyon, the Grand Canyon reveals her two sides. To the right, the abyss, and a fine far-off appearance of Hermit Rapid. Under your left elbow a bowl-like side canyon - the Waldron Basin. And straight ahead you can barely catch a glimpse of the springs, three miles distant.

But first you descend the steep part. Cobbles - really limestone slabs painstakingly laid end to end - cover the most intense gradients. Attention to detail mark these rip-rapped improvements and make walking both down and up a far sight easier. Let's give a moment of silence for these unsung trail heroes.

My friend and I reached the head of Hermit Gorge after 45 minutes of tromping down the switchbacks, at a mellow pace with many stops for photography. Looking down into Waldron basin was a pleasant suprise: it looked more like a wooded pasture than the more usual steep talus-filled side canyon.

Suddenly the trail levels out: you're in Waldron Basin. The steep part is behind you, awaiting your return. This is a good place to stash a liter of water for your return trudge uphill.

The first signed crossroad leads you west to the next sign, a .3-mile distance through a tree-lined wash. Keep following the signs to Dripping Springs.

The trail hugs a steep slope with precipitous drops into the impressive Hermit Gorge. Watch your step! We decided to halt when we wanted to look around, because the price of a misstep would be severe.

The copyright of the article Grand Canyon Moderate: Hermit's Rest to Dripping Springs in Southwest Outdoors is owned by Jill Florio. Permission to republish Grand Canyon Moderate: Hermit's Rest to Dripping Springs in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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