Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

 

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona [britannica.com]

An out-and-back hike on the South Rim's Hermit Trail delivers the visceral impact of Arizona's Grand Canyon rim-to-rim epic without having to share it with hordes of fellow pilgrims. This lesser used trail provides awesome canyon views as it switchbacks down towering red-wall faces. Start at Hermits Rest off West Rim Drive and descend gradually through stands of pi?on and juniper into a red-rock abyss as far as the heart desires. Backpackers can plunge 3,800 feet amid shale slopes and sandstone cliffs to lovely, cool Hermit Creek and a trail camp. Along the way stands evidence of this route's origins— a long-abandoned train track that served a tourist camp built by the Santa Fe Railroad. Set up camp and take a day hike down to Hermit Rapids on the Colorado River or on nearby portions of the Tonto Trail, which has superb river and canyon views. To simply make a day of it, follow the Hermit Trail to the Boucher Trail to Dripping Springs, hiking beneath sheer 1,200-foot cliffs to a lovely spring nestled within an alcove of Coconino sandstone. The seven-mile round-trip drops "only" 1,700 feet and represents a grand cross section of canyon formations.