Reasoning that I’m not getting any younger, I decided recently that the Grand Canyon was something I needed to do before I no longer could. Such a decision, by its very nature, triggers some urgency. And “doing the Grand Canyon” meant, for me, a rim-to-rim hike.

But as I began to navigate Grand Canyon National Park’s backcountry permit system, I realized that actually hiking the hike might not be the hardest part. Obtaining the necessary permit for camping within the canyon on a multi-night backpacking traverse of the gorge seemed at first to be hopelessly challenging. The park has a lottery system for handing out permits and, thanks to much greater demand for campsites than supply, many hopeful hikers face rejection. My first attempt involved an application to camp in the park’s most popular corridor campgrounds in the middle of May and was, not surprisingly, denied. But I learned from a friend that it’s wise to include in one’s application several of the canyon’s less-trafficked areas as itinerary possibilities, and I went about identifying options other than the popular North Kaibab to Bright Angel/South Kaibab route.

Moving away from the central corridor, I studied trails located a bit more on the edges. These are more challenging and less maintained, but a few seemed mild enough for a seasoned backpacker who just happened to be trodding the innards of the Grand Canyon for the first time. Among the ones I listed on my application for a September 2021 itinerary was the Hermit Trail, a rim-to-river route in a “threshold” zone, meaning it’s not the hardest, most remote trail in the canyon but it’s fairly rugged. Admittedly, it would lack the cachet of a rim-to-rim route but, lo and behold, it was the one for which I received a permit.

What joy ensued when I got the good news in May of 2021. In anticipation of an approval, I had recruited hiking companions on whom I could fully rely: my son, Mark Fields, and his wife, Jessica, and my friends and hiking buddies Mary and Kurt McDaniel. Together we planned the details of our adventure, which would involve a day and a half driving to the Grand Canyon from Oklahoma, a night camping on the South Rim, and two nights in the canyon, at the Hermit Creek campsite, 8.2 miles from the trailhead at Hermit’s Rest. On the second day of our hike, we would make a round trip from our campsite to the Colorado River, another mile and a half each way, and would climb out of the canyon on the third day.

A Grand Canyon Hike on the Hermit Trail Begins

Every detail sorted out and our bodies conditioned for the effort through an ambitious training program, we arrived at the south rim of the Grand Canyon on September 19, 2021 for a night at the Mather Campground. This experience turned out to be surprisingly pleasant and uncrowded, thanks no doubt to the weekday, late September timing. On the eve of our big adventure, however, I wondered…would this be an ordeal I was happy to get behind me, or an experience I would want to repeat?

The next morning, we were on the trail just before sunrise. The descent was expected to take about five hours, so we hoped to reach our campsite before the heat of the day. Each of us was carrying an extra two liters of water to cache on the way down, so our average pack weights were around 33 pounds at the start. We looked forward to dropping off the extra poundage somewhere between Lookout Point and the Cathedral Stairs.

The Hermit Trail was built in 1911-1912 by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway to bring tourists into the canyon. The path was named for Louis Boucher, a French-Canadian prospector who lived alone in the area. The railroad also built Hermit Camp near Hermit Creek on the Tonto Platform, allowing visitors to stay overnight in the canyon. Many of the original paving stones remain on the steep upper reaches of the trail, which comprise the most difficult section. While we anticipated it would be challenging to climb out of the canyon, we were surprised at how taxing it was to descend. Picking our way down the trail, we relied heavily on our trekking poles for support and stability. Soon a woman passed us, practically running down the rocky path. Before reaching the bottom we met her as she returned, explaining she had gone to the top of Cathedral Stairs to retrieve a backpack someone had abandoned. It was clearly not her first rodeo, and we admired her strength and agility.

From the trailhead, at an elevation of 6,640 feet, we dropped about 1,200 feet over 1.5 miles, encountering the junction with the Waldron Trail at 5,400 feet. In another quarter mile, we intersected the Dripping Spring/Boucher Trail. Two and a quarter miles down, Santa Maria Spring offered a welcome break, with its tiny oasis and rest house sheltered by an ancient grapevine. Our legs were trembling, unaccustomed to the down climbing and having descended nearly 2,000 feet. Thankfully, since the first miles of the Hermit Trail hug the eastern wall of the canyon we hiked in shade for several hours, falling into a rhythm with Mark as our hike leader.

About four miles from the start, we reached Lookout Point and cached our water amid some brush, and hoped it would remain there undisturbed for the return trip two days later. Thankful to be rid of the extra weight, we continued at a steady pace. Just before the Cathedral Stairs, a steep drop through a narrow chute within a turret-like formation, we lunched in the shade of an overhang. It was starting to get warm by this time, but the temperature felt mild by Grand Canyon standards, though none of us had a thermometer.

Once below the Cathedral Stairs, the trail looked easier and was indeed less vertical, but our depleted quadriceps felt every inch of what we named the Eternal Switchbacks of Hell. Finally, we reached the Tonto Platform and, at seven miles, the intersection with the lengthy east-west Tonto Trail. There the path leveled off, providing welcome relief. Soon we dropped into the Hermit Creek campsite, 8.2 miles and, at 2,900 feet, 3,740 feet from the top. We didn’t know it at the time, but the hardest part was over.

It was about 1 p.m. when we arrived in camp, having taken six and a half hours to descend. Deep in the canyon, it was getting warm. Most of the day, there was shade in Hermit Creek Canyon, but mid- to late afternoon, when the sun was directly overhead, it was hard to escape. A few steps below the campground, however, Hermit Creek offered cold, fast-flowing water, a good source for filtering, and the bonus of a small waterfall and pool for soaking. In the heat of the day, it was just the thing. We had the entire campground to ourselves at this point and whiled away the afternoon. About 4 p.m. the sun dropped behind the canyon wall and the air began to cool. As the hours of darkness approached, boredom began to creep into our technology-attuned brains. We had all been together for several days by this time, and none of us had brought a book or a deck of cards, since our goal was to carry as little weight as possible. Yes, we had electronic devices but their batteries were in preservation mode. We did, however, have something to celebrate that evening, Jessica’s birthday. Mary had brought a birthday card and my contribution was a Blueberry Crunch Clif Bar and candle. We sang happy birthday to Jessica as daylight waned, deep in the shadows of the Grand Canyon.

Three other groups eventually showed up at the campground, one of them after dark. My sleep was fitful, ultralight backpacking not being the most comfortable sort, and the long hours of darkness with no entertainment made it something of an ordeal. At Jessica’s insistence, we made ourselves stay up until 8 p.m., hoping to avoid waking up at midnight thinking it was time to get up. The nighttime temperature was comfortable, almost too warm for my very light sleeping bag, but not quite.

We awoke the next day ready to be moving again, planning to hike down Hermit Creek to Hermit Rapids on the Colorado River. The other campers had left and again we had the campground to ourselves. As we began the mile-and-a-half hike, we were delighted with the beauty of the narrow gorge, walking sometimes at creek level and sometimes above, sometimes back and forth across the narrow stream. Then we emerged onto the sandy beach of Hermit Rapids on the mighty Colorado. Seeing it up close was momentous and required that everyone take a dip, just to say we’d done it.

A Final Evening and the Hike Out

Hiking back to the campground was equally glorious and the rest of the afternoon was whiled away in the same manner as before, this time punctuating the day with a birthday party for Mark, whose special day followed Jessica’s by only one, and a be-candled Peanut Butter Banana Clif Bar as a backpacking substitute for a birthday cake.

Again, we forced ourselves to stay up until 8 p.m. but I was awake the next morning before 4 a.m., managing to stay in bed until close to 4:30, by which time I thought the noise of my rustling around and unzipping things was justified. We were on the trail about 6 a.m., the Eternal Switchbacks of Hell feeling much less hellish going up. Soon we were past the Cathedral Stairs and would reach our cache in short order. At Lookout Point we found our water supply intact, and were glad to have it. By this time we were hiking in full sun and found the fluid useful not only for hydration but also for pouring over our bodies to cool down for the remainder of the hike. Another mile and a half or so found us back at Santa Maria Spring with the steepest part of the trail ahead. After lunch in the rest house, we continued on at a steady pace. It was slow going but not as hard as the descent. Soon the top was in sight and I heard Mark and Jessica, who were in the lead, exclaim that they’d reached it. A few yards behind them, I realized I was ready to end the climb, but not the experience.

What a thrill to be back at the trailhead with my family and friends. It was not just an accomplishment, but something I am eager to repeat. Being deep in the canyon was like being on another planet, separate from all the noise and hubbub and strife of the outer world. Its beauty was mesmerizing and its draw magnetic. As a result, I’ve become fixated on the Grand Canyon and have two trips scheduled for the future…depending, of course, on the success of my permit applications.

Need to Know

Information

The Grand Canyon, located in northern Arizona, is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Grand Canyon National Park occupies 1.2 million acres and nearly 2,000 square miles and was established as a national monument in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt, then designated a national park in 1919.The Colorado River runs 277 miles through the great gorge, which averages 10 miles in width and one mile in depth. The park averages 6 million visitors a year and was the second most visited national park in 2019. Camping in the inner canyon is controlled by a backcountry permit system. Find more information on obtaining a backcountry permit here. See TrailGroove's Grand Canyon Hiking and Backpacking Logistics article for more on trip planning in the Grand Canyon.

Best Time to Go

For inner canyon hiking, it's usually suggested that the summer months be avoided because of very high temperatures. Spring and fall are typically good times to go, although between October 15 and May 15 the North Rim is closed, so the canyon must be accessed via the South Rim during that time.

Getting There

From Flagstaff, Arizona, take Interstate 40 west to Exit 165, AZ-64 N, in Williams. Take AZ-64 north about 55 miles to Grand Canyon Village. The trailhead is located at Hermit’s Rest, at the end of Hermit’s Road, which is accessed from Grand Canyon Village. Access to Hermit’s Road is restricted from March 1 through November 30 but backpackers with a valid backcountry permit for the Hermit or Boucher Trails are allowed access during this time. Drive eight miles west along Hermit Road to Hermit’s Rest then continue on the dirt road one-quarter mile to the trailhead. From December 1st through the end of February the Hermit Road is open to all traffic.

Books and Maps

Hiking Grand Canyon National Park by Ron Adkison, National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map, Grand Canyon North and South Rims.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue 52 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.