Hike Hermit Trail to Dripping Springs

6.8 miles - Hard Effort
4-5 Hours (Total)
2,600 Total Feet of Climbing
Max Elevation of 6,640 feet
No Dogs Allowed

Located far away from the South Rim crowds, this hike on the Hermit Trail to Dripping Springs is one of the great Grand Canyon hiking adventures. The Hermit Trail is an engineering marvel, once paved with sandstone slabs when it was built in 1911 for tourists. At the end of the hike you reach a unique hanging garden spring, tucked into a remote corner of the Canyon. It's not a very long hike but it's challenging, with steep climbs and narrow sections.

In this Guide:

Turn-by-Turn Hike Directions & Video
What to Expect on the Hermit Trail Hike to Dripping Springs
Tips on Weather, Parking, and Planning for the Hike

Quick Links:
Parks Pass - Park Website - NOAA Weather Report - My Apr 2024 Gear

Don't forget to check out my Grand Canyon hiking tips here!

How To Get to the Trailhead

The hike starts on the western end of the South Rim area of the Grand Canyon at Hermit's Rest. In the winter you can drive right to the trailhead, but in the other times of the year Hermit Road is closed to private vehicles, so you need to take a shuttle bus.

Shuttle Bus Parking

Except for the winter months when Hermit Road is open to private vehicles, you have to take a Hermit Road Shuttle Bus to the start of the hike at Hermit's Rest. You can get the Hermit Road shuttle at the Village Route Transfer station, where the blue Village Route intersects the red Hermit Road route. In the winter you can drive right to the Hermit's Rest area.

If you're driving to the shuttle bus, navigate to the Bright Angel area and then find a spot just past (to the west) of the lodges. There's parking on the street and in the lot by the Bright Angel Trailhead. You can park anywhere that you don't see a no-parking sign or staff parking sign. The parking lots are shared with visitors staying in accommodations such as Bright Angel Lodge.

Use this navigation address to park near the shuttle bus:
Bright Angel Lodge, 9 Village Loop Drive, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023

Rim Trail Village Transfer Parking — Once you past the Bright Angel Lodge (on the right), you can park in any of these lots or street-side parking spots.

Farther Parking Bright Angel Trail — If you do need to park farther out, here are your options, all within a short walk to the trailhead.

The blue Village Shuttle Bus is a good option to get to the trailhead if you're parked or staying somewhere else in the park. The bus runs year-round.

Trailhead From Hermit's Rest Bus Stop

Once you get to the shuttle stop at Hermit's Rest, walk along the right to reach the actual Hermit's Rest building.

Hermit Rest Hike Start

Hermit Rest Bathrooms — There are bathrooms and a water fill by the bus stop.

Hermit Rest Hearth — The Hermit's Rest building is pretty cool inside and worth a look. It houses another gift shop and a small snack bar.

Gear for the Hike

Even though this isn't a long hike, it's still a challenging one with some narrow and steep trails. You can get away with fitness clothing, but I recommend proper hiking gear. Trekking poles will be helpful on some of the narrow sections. And even though Dripping Spring generally drips all year, it is just a drip, so it's easier to take 3L of water with you. The water at Dripping Springs also needs to be treated, so bring a water filter if you plan on refilling there.

As is the case will all hikes in the Grand Canyon, conditions can be extreme. In the summer, it can be incredibly hot, and in the winter, the trail can be covered with snow and ice, so prepare accordingly.

Gear That I Love Right Now

Nothing is sponsored or promoted, just the actual gear that I use.

Garmin InReach Mini 2If you are out of cellphone range the Mini 2 will reliably allow you to hit SOS via satellite. You can see my review here.

HOKA Speedgoat 5These are a great balance of comfort and performance. The high stack height leaves my feet feeling great after a hike.

Check out the complete list here.

Hermit Trail Maps

Overall the trail is in great shape, but there is one section between the start of Dripping Springs Trail and the Boucher Trail that has narrow sections and has steep drop-offs. I've done this trail many times and I can confirm that it's easy to traverse, but I've also seen people turn around when they get to it. I'll show you some images in the turn by turn directions below. Having trekking poles will help fortify your footing here.

Use This Map:
View in CalTopo | PDF Map | GPX File

How Will You Navigate?

Using the Apple Watch for Hiking

Garmin Fenix 7 & Epix Review For Hikers

How To Read a Topographic Map

Garmin GPSMAP 67i Review

Hike Landmarks

Landmark	Distance	Elevation
Hermit's Rest Building	0	6640
Trailhead	0.2	6640
Waldron Trail	1.5	5400
Dripping Spring Trail Start	1.8	5270
Boucher Trail Junction	2.8	5270
Dripping Spring	3.4	5600

Elevation Profile

3D Map

Hike Brief

Horse On Hermit Trail — On the right you can see the Hermit Trail in this photo from 1913. It's still that steep. Photo Grand Canyon NP

When the Hermit Trail was first built in 1911, it was the only trail built exclusively for tourism. Other trails like Bright Angel started as mining trails. The railroad built the Hermit Trail because other trails like Bright Angel and the Grandview were privately owned and charged a toll. The trail went down to Hermit Camp, then a luxury camp, and now a primitive camping site.
Hermit Trail is named after "the hermit," Louis Boucher, a Quebecois, miner, trail maker, and prominent character in Grand Canyon history. He lived in the area at the start of the hike and often camped down in the basin. He had a primitive camp at Dripping Springs called "Cozy Camp."
Tents at Dripping Springs, date unknown. Photo Grand Canyon NP
Most of the Hermit Trail was originally surfaced with big smooth slabs of rock. The builders wanted to make it as easy and inviting for tourists to use. The trail's wide walkway, switchbacks, and reinforced cribbing became a model for other National Park trails in the early 1900s. You can still see some slabs of the original walkway on the hike.
The Hermit Trail is a "threshold trail" which means it's for experienced hikers. It's listed as "not maintained" but the Parks Service does make sure it's passable and relatively safe. It just not as actively maintained as a corridor trail like South Kaibab.
Keep your eyes open for fossils. When they mined the stone for the trail slabs they uncovered many pieces with fossils. There's a famous one that you can see on the lower slopes of the climb, but there are also smaller random ones you can spot if you keep your eyes open.
Here's a fossil that I spotted on the trail near the top of the climb.

Hermit Trail to Dripping Springs Hike Directions

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 2 — Continue through the patio area of the Hermit's Rest building.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 3 — Keep heading on the path straight through the back of the Hermit's Rest area.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 4 — Eventually you'll see the trailhead in the distance.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 5 — The trail board marks the official start of the trail.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 6 — The beginning of the trail is a gradual path down.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 8 — But it soon gets steeper and rougher. You can see remnants of the old cobbles here that date back to 1911.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 9 — Keep hiking downhill. You'll enjoy some views into the western section of the Grand Canyon and down to the Hermit Basin below. This shot gives you an idea of how steep it is.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 10 — There's a section in the middle of the descent that mellows out.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 11 — And soon enough you'll be going down the steep cobbles again. In this shot you can see an example of a slab that used to cover all of the cobbles. It must have been like a sidewalk when all the slabs covered the trail.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 12 — There are some more great examples of the slabs on the lower slopes.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 13 — Almost to the bottom! The trail building here is almost as spectacular as the natural beauty.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 14 — When you reach the bottom the trail has some ups and downs and is still easy to follow.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 15 — Go straight at the Waldron Trail junction. The Waldron Trail climbs out of the canyon to the south and joins a dirt road.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 16 — Continue on the ups and downs of the trail. It looks flat on a map but is slower going than you'd think.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 17 — At this intersection you'll leave the Hermit Trail behind and continue to the left on the Dripping Springs Trail.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 18 — Okay, this is the part of the hike that some people have a problem with. You're going to be hiking around the cliff wall.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 19 — In most places the trail is a decent distance away from the edge. The views here are pretty incredible.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 20 — Here's a portion along the edge. There are a few trees below, and after that, about 1000 feet of drop.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 21 — This is the worst section in my opinion. The trail is loose and there's a drop on the side. Trekking poles and a slow, focused pace will get you through fine though. If there's snow and ice here, I'd turn around.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 22 — Toward the end, the trail is wider and not as sketchy. This section has great views down into Hermit Basin.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 23 — Once you are past the edge section the trail becomes more "normal" again.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 25 — And shortly after that you keep left toward Dripping Springs.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 26 — The trail is easy to follow and gently climbs up.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 27 — Be careful at this little switchback.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 28 — Dripping Springs is ahead in the corner of the cliffs.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 29 — And here you are, Dripping Springs. The area is shady and has some rocks where you can sit down for a rest. Dripping Springs is known as a hanging spring.

Hike Hermit Trail To Dripping Springs 1 — After that, you just head back the way you came. Like all hikes into the Grand Canyon, the tough part is at the end.

Need More Info?

Have a question about the guide or want to see what other people are saying/asking? View the Youtube comments for this video. Leave a comment and I will do my best to respond.
When planning, always check the park website and social media to make sure the trails are open. Similarly, check the weather and road conditions.

Related Guides

Grandview Trail To Horseshoe Mesa Hike

Hike Skeleton Point

Bright Angel Trail to Plateau Point Hike

Grand Canyon Hiking Tips

Hermit Trail to Santa Maria Spring

Grand Canyon Hikes

Popular Guides

Best Hiking Gear 2024

Hiking Boots or Shoes: Do I Really Need Hiking Boots?

When to Hit SOS on inReach

This Guide Was Written by Cris Hazzard

Cris Hazzard 4 Mile Trail Yosemite
Hi, I'm Cris Hazzard, aka Hiking Guy, a professional outdoors guide, hiking expert, and author based in Southern California. I created this website to share all the great hikes I do with everyone else out there. This site is different because it gives detailed directions that even the beginning hiker can follow. I also share what hiking gear works and doesn't so you don't waste money. I don't do sponsored or promoted content; I share only the gear recommendations, hikes, and tips that I would with my family and friends. If you like the website and YouTube channel, please support these free guides (I couldn't do it without folks like you!). You can stay up to date with my new guides by following me on YouTube, Instagram, or by subscribing to my monthly newsletter.