“Where’s the Colorado River?” That is a common question you’ll hear around Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim. Like a publicity-shy artist, the creator of the most wondrous sight in America remains hidden from those who look down from above.
The Colorado River makes its first appearance to most visitors at Hopi Point, west of Grand Canyon Village and located along the eight-mile Hermit Road. For nine months out of the year Hermit Road is closed to private vehicles and the only way to get to those views of the river are to hike out there for many miles on the Rim Trail, on bicycle (a dicey way to get around the congested Village) or by free park-provided shuttle buses. While the shuttle buses relieve you of the hassle of driving they do lock you into the park’s schedule and not yours – if there is room to board on the next shuttle at all. You will be visiting any of the nine overlooks along Hermit Road with a busload of others.
The gate to Hermit Road goes down in the winter
One of the perks of visiting the Grand Canyon in the winter is the ability to take your vehicle on Hermit Road from November 1 until February 28 – and the driving is easy. The road was constructed back in the Great Depression of the 1930s as a Works Project Administration project. While wonderfully rustic and scenic along the edge of the canyon the roadway was eventually inadequate for modern transportation. That was solved with a complete overhaul in 2008 that widened the road to a full 24 feet with new resurfacing.
Highlights among those nine overlooks – which are popular sunset viewing spots – include Powell Point and Hermits Rest near the end of the road. Powell Point boasts a stone memorial to the one-armed Civil War veteran Major John Powell who made the first exploration of the Grand Canyon down the Colorado River in 1869. Hermits Rest is a gift shop and tourist services facility but architect Mary Colter crafted it in 1914 to resemble a dilapidated stone miner’s cabin complete with a massive fireplace and a front porch overlooking the canyon. At Maricopa Point are the ruins of the Orphan Lode Mine where copper and uranium were pulled from the Grand Canyon until 1967.
What does the Colorado River look like from the rim?
And about that Colorado River? Don’t expect to see an entire ribbon of water coursing through the bottom of the mile-deep canyon. At Pimi Point, where you can actually hear the rush of water echoing from the Granite Rapid on a quiet winter day, the river resembles a rectangular lake. At Monument Creek Vista you can begin to see points where the tributary slices down to join the Colorado River.
Winter travelers should note that the Hermit Road can close on short notice, especially at night when snow that has melted during the day refreezes to form black ice. Also keep an eye out for deer and other animals on the roadway – but you won’t be in a hurry driving along the spectacular Hermit Road anyway.
