Hermit Road

6 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

Hermit Road starts at the Village Route Transfer stop, at the western end of Grand Canyon Village, and follows the rim for 7 miles (11 km) to Hermits Rest. Along the way the National Park Service has marked nine overlooks. From 1 March to 30 November 2026 the road is closed to private vehicles; walkers, runners and cyclists can use it all year.

The shuttle while cars are banned

The Hermit Road (red) Route is free and included in your park entrance. In the autumn 2026 timetable, valid from 12 September to 30 November, the first bus leaves at 8 am, then one every 12 minutes until sunset, with the last bus an hour after sunset. A full round trip without getting off takes about 80 minutes. You can get on and off at every overlook, and since the Rim Trail can be reached from many of the stops, you can walk a stretch between two of them and catch the next bus. During summer thunderstorms and other bad weather the park suspends the service on Hermit Road.

All shuttle buses have a ramp for wheelchairs, though chairs larger than 30 by 48 inches (about 76 by 122 cm) and most mobility scooters do not fit. Visitors with limited mobility can ask for a Scenic Drive Accessibility Permit at the entrance stations and park visitor centres; the park says it allows access to some areas closed to public traffic.

In winter

In December, January and February Hermit Road opens to private vehicles under 22 feet (about 6.7 m) long, and snow can close it for a while. In past winters the park suspended the red shuttle while the road was open to cars. The winter timetable for 2026/27 had not been published by 11 November 2026, so check the shuttle page before you plan a winter visit around the bus.

The overlooks, from east to west

The distances below are each measured from the previous stop, as given by the National Park Service.

Hermits Rest

At the end of the road stands Hermits Rest, which Mary Colter built in 1914 to look like an old miner’s cabin. Today it houses a shop, a small snack stand and toilets. Since the flood of 29 August 2026 the South Rim has been under strict water restrictions, and the park asks visitors to bring their own water where they can; check the park’s operations update for what is open. The Hermit Trail starts 500 feet west of the building; the park describes it as steep and not maintained.

Walking and cycling

The Rim Trail runs alongside the road for its whole length. Between Powell Point and Monument Creek Vista it is a dirt path about three feet wide; from Monument Creek Vista to Pima Point it is paved and accessible, while the rest of the Rim Trail along Hermit Road is not. The Rim Trail page covers the whole route.

The park calls Hermit Road one of its best places for cycling. Cyclists share the road with the buses: pull over to the right in a safe place, get off and let the bus pass. The Hermit Road Greenway, from Monument Creek Vista back towards the junction with Hermit Road, is open to bicycles and to e-bikes of classes 1 and 3, and helmets are required. Each shuttle bus carries two or three bikes, but no trailers and no children’s bikes under 16 inches. Canyon Adventures, next to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, rents bikes, usually from mid-March to the end of October.

Sunset on Hermit Road

For sunset the National Park Service calls Hopi Point “unquestionably a desirable viewpoint” and names Mohave and Pima Points as alternatives. Arrive up to 90 minutes before sunset. With the last red bus leaving an hour after sunset, you can watch the light fade and still ride back to the Village. Our viewpoints page compares the sunrise and sunset spots along the whole rim.

With a guide

None of the guided South Rim tours we list names Hermit Road as a stop, so if Hopi Point or Hermits Rest is your aim, the free shuttle is the simplest way. A tour helps if you want a driver for the rest of the rim on the same day. One option with pickup in Grand Canyon Village spends four hours at viewpoints along the South Rim, with lunch.

The Hummer sunset tour from Tusayan visits several viewpoints in the late afternoon and chooses the last stop for the sunset. Park entry for US residents is included. Non-US residents aged 16 and older pay a 100-dollar nonresident fee on or before check-in, unless they hold the non-resident America the Beautiful pass; children aged 15 and younger pay neither the entrance fee nor the nonresident fee (National Park Service, as of November 2026). Our entrance fees page has the details.

Safety at the overlooks

Not every overlook has a railing. The National Park Service asks visitors to keep at least six feet (2 m) from the edge, stay on the paths and never climb over a barrier. From July to September thunderstorms are common. The park suspends the buses on Hermit Road during storms and warns that lightning has killed and injured visitors, so leave the open overlooks when a storm comes in.