One of my favorite things to do on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (I only do it every time I visit!) is to take the Hermit’s Rest (Red) Route Shuttle out to Hermit’s Rest and back, stopping at the viewpoints along the way. Usually, I’ll hike some of the Rim Trail between some of the viewpoints and take the shuttle between others. Last spring, I visited all of the different viewpoints (except for a few unofficial ones where I was on the shuttle bus), so I’ll list them all here and give you my rating about whether or not they’re worth visiting!

Need to Know: The shuttle is free (you do pay an entrance fee to the park, after all). No private vehicles are permitted on the Hermit’s Rest Road between March 1 and November 30, so to visit the viewpoints outlined here during most seasons, you’ll need to either take the shuttle or hike the Rim Trail. The transfer between the Blue Line (Village Route) and Red Line (Hermit’s Rest Route) can be very busy – walking to Trail View (about half a mile on a paved trail) will likely save time if the line is long to get on the shuttle bus. The shuttles typically run every 5-20 minutes from sometime in the morning (for example, 8am – the time varies by time of year) to about an hour after sunset. Read current information about the shuttle buses and schedules here.

Want to Skip Scrolling and Get to the Point? Go to Maricopa Point, Hopi Point (the best IMO), Mojave Point, and Pima Points, adding in Monument Creek Vista if you have time. Skip Hermit’s Rest unless you really like gift shops or want the snack bar.

And now, onto the viewpoints!

Hermit’s Rest Road Shuttle Stop (Grand Canyon Village)

GPS Coordinates: 36.0572356°, -112.1448015° (36°03.43414′, -112°08.68809′ / 36°03’26.0482″, -112°08’41.2853″)

View Rating: 2/5 stars

Best/Worst Rating: Pretty much worst. There’s just not much to see from here.

What you see: A covered area with a serpentine queue is where you transfer from the Village Route (Blue) to the Hermit’s Rest Route (Red). There’s not a lot to see, though with the beginning of the Bright Angel Trail nearby, you can walk over to the railing and see a little bit down the canyon.

Trail View Overlook

Trail View Shuttle Stop: 36.0619904°, -112.1471412° (36°03.71942′, -112°08.82847′ / 36°03’43.1653″, -112°08’49.7083″)

Trail View Overlook: 36.0621367°, -112.1463915° (36°03.72820′, -112°08.78349′ / 36°03’43.6922″, -112°08’47.0094″)

View Rating: 3/5 stars

Best/Worse Rating: Medium. There are better viewpoints, but this one is pretty good.

What you see: Great views down on the hikers sweating on the Bright Angel Trail as well as nice views out into the canyon (and across Plateau Point). The cliff blocks part of the view. I hear it’s fairly common to see bighorn sheep from the viewpoint.

Unnamed Viewpoint along the Rim Trail

GPS Coordinates: 36.0630400°, -112.1467760° (36°03.78240′, -112°08.80656′ / 36°03’46.9440″, -112°08’48.3936″) (6,969ft.)

View Rating: 3/5 stars

Best/Worst Rating: Medium. It’s a lot like other views along this part of the Rim Trail.

What you see: Canyon views, including over Plateau Point and further east than you could see from Trail View.

Unnamed Viewpoint with a Pulloff along the Rim Trail

GPS Coordinates: 36.0663170°, -112.1458410° (36°03.97902′, -112°08.75046′ / 36°03’58.7412″, -112°08’45.0276″) (6,987ft.)

View Rating: 3/5

Best/Worst Rating: Higher than Medium. This is one of the best views you’ve seen up to this point.

What you see: Lots of views across buttes and up a sidecanyon on the North Rim.

Maricopa Point Overlook

Maricopa Point Shuttle Stop: 36.0704287°, -112.1486366° (36°04.22572′, -112°08.91820′ / 36°04’13.5434″, -112°08’55.0918″)

Maricopa Point Overlook: 36.0721250°, -112.1482470° (36°04.32750′, -112°08.89482′ / 36°04’19.6500″, -112°08’53.6892″) (6,997ft.)

View Rating: 5/5

Best/Worst Rating: Pretty close to the best. These are some of the most expansive views up to this point.

What you see: Upcanyon and downcanyon, including many buttes, side canyons, and more. I saw only one very small glimpse of the river, but there will be better views of the Colorado later.

Powell Point

Powell Point Shuttle Stop: 36.0724915°, -112.1525602° (36°04.34949′, -112°09.15361′ / 36°04’20.9694″, -112°09’09.2168″)

Powell Point Overlook: 36.0733980°, -112.1510810° (36°04.40388′, -112°09.06486′ / 36°04’24.2328″, -112°09’03.8916″) (7,042ft.)

View Rating: 3/5

Best/Worst Rating: Medium. I wanted to rate it lower – you just can’t see as much from here as from other places – but I think it was because I was expecting something excellent and it’s only mediocre.

What you see: Views of the canyon, including many buttes, as well as a monument to the first Euro-American explorer of the Grand Canyon, John Wesley Powell. You also get to see a lot of trees.

Unnamed Viewpoint on the Rim Trail East of Hopi Point

GPS Coordinates: 36.0739090°, -112.1539320° (36°04.43454′, -112°09.23592′ / 36°04’26.0724″, -112°09’14.1552″) (7,030ft.)

View Rating: 5/5

Best/Worst Rating: One of the best. Well worth visiting if you’re at Hopi Point.

What you see: Expansive views up and down canyon with views to many buttes, side canyons, and more, including the Colorado River.

Hopi Point

Hopi Point Shuttle Stop (approximate): 36.0742923°, -112.1555971° (36°04.45754′, -112°09.33583′ / 36°04’27.4524″, -112°09’20.1497″)

Hopi Point Overlook: 36.0744700°, -112.1549000° (36°04.46820′, -112°09.29400′ / 36°04’28.0920″, -112°09’17.6400″) (7,031ft.) (Be sure to look at the view all around the parking area!)

View Rating: 5/5

Best/Worst Rating: One of the very Best. Incredible and far-ranging views both up and down canyon.

What you see: So many side canyons, buttes, the Colorado River, the western Grand Canyon, and so much more. The viewpoint is long and narrow, so be sure to walk its full length to get all the views.

Restrooms are located in the middle section of the parking area.

Three Unnamed Viewpoints & a Picnic Table on the Rim Trail between Hopi and Mojave Points

Unnamed Viewpoint: 36.0720740°, -112.1564160° (36°04.32444′, -112°09.38496′ / 36°04’19.4664″, -112°09’23.0976″) (7,027ft.)

Unnamed Viewpoint with wall: 36.0711900°, -112.1565460° (36°04.27140′, -112°09.39276′ / 36°04’16.2840″, -112°09’23.5656″) (7,014ft.)

Picnic Table along the rim: 36.0693290°, -112.1596890° (36°04.15974′, -112°09.58134′ / 36°04’09.5844″, -112°09’34.8804″) (6,969ft.)

Unnamed Viewpoint: 36.0696390°, -112.1619690° (36°04.17834′, -112°09.71814′ / 36°04’10.7004″, -112°09’43.0884″) (6,982ft.)

View Ratings: 3/5-4/5

Best/Worst Rating: Lower end of Best. Many of the views are slightly obscured, but what you can see is beautiful.

What you see: Views into the west part of the Grand Canyon, including the Colorado River, side canyons, and so many buttes.

Mojave Point

Mojave Point Shuttle Stop: 36.0717231°, -112.1663774° (36°04.30339′, -112°09.98264′ / 36°04’18.2031″, -112°09’58.9585″)

Mojave Point Viewpoint: 36.0725060°, -112.1661310° (36°04.35036′, -112°09.96786′ / 36°04’21.0216″, -112°09’58.0716″) (6,944ft.)

View Rating: 5/5 stars

Best/Worst Rating: One of the Best, though not quite as good as Hopi Point due to more limited views.

What you see: The Colorado River running in the bottom of the canyon between so many side canyons and buttes.

Great Mojave Wall Viewpoint

Pulloff: 36.0646306°, -112.1697623° (36°03.87783′, -112°10.18574′ / 36°03’52.6701″, -112°10’11.1443″)

I did not visit this viewpoint (it was getting late in the day, so we hopped on the shuttle bus instead of continuing on the Rim Trail, and the shuttle doesn’t stop here).

Unnamed Pulloff Viewpoint between Mojave Point and The Abyss

Unnamed Pulloff Viewpoint: 36.0612507°, -112.1683656° (36°03.67504′, -112°10.10194′ / 36°03’40.5024″, -112°10’06.1162″)

Again, I was on the shuttle by this point, so I didn’t visit the overlook.

The Abyss Overlook

The Abyss Shuttle Stop: 36.0581274°, -112.1692624° (36°03.48764′, -112°10.15575′ / 36°03’29.2585″, -112°10’09.3447″)

The overlook is near the shuttle stop

View Rating: 2/5

Best/Worst Rating: Medium. The views aren’t great, but it is interesting to see the nearby cliff – and look straight down about 3,000ft.!

What you see: A huge cliff across the canyon, limited views out into the canyon, the largest sheer drop on the south rim of the canyon (right below your feet!)

Unnamed Pulloff Overlook Between The Abyss and Monument Vista

Unnamed Pulloff Viewpoint: 36.0569859°, -112.1756652° (36°03.41915′, -112°10.53991′ / 36°03’25.1493″, -112°10’32.3946″)

Once again, I was on the shuttle bus by this point, so I can’t comment on the views.

Monument Creek Vista

Monument Vista Shuttle Stop: 36.0605702°, -112.1826749° (36°03.63421′, -112°10.96049′ / 36°03’38.0525″, -112°10’57.6295″)

Overlook is very small and just downhill from the shuttle stop

View Rating: 4/5

Best/Worst Rating: One of the Best. The only reason for the lower rating is because the views are slightly limited. But what you can see is fantastic!

What you see: Very limited view directly out into the canyon, including some beautiful buttes.

Pima Point

Pima Point Shuttle Stop: 36.0722833°, -112.2002816° (36°04.33700′, -112°12.01690′ / 36°04’20.2198″, -112°12’01.0139″)

Pima Point Overlook: 36.0730389°, -112.2000741° (36°04.38234′, -112°12.00445′ / 36°04’22.9401″, -112°12’00.2668″)

View Rating: 4/5 stars

Best/Worst Rating: Lower end of Best. I might have liked it better if the sun had been in a different position (morning).

What you see: So many buttes, a large section of the Colorado River, and many side canyons.

Hermit’s Rest

Hermit’s Rest Shuttle Stop: 36.0626025°, -112.2103133° (36°03.75615′, -112°12.61880′ / 36°03’45.3691″, -112°12’37.1279″)

Hermit’s Rest Gift Shop: 36.0623274°, -112.2111704° (36°03.73964′, -112°12.67023′ / 36°03’44.3786″, -112°12’40.2135″)

View Rating: 2/5

Best/Worst Rating: Pretty much Worst. It’s not that there’s no view, but there are so many trees that you can’t really see it, and compared to the other viewpoints, this one just doesn’t come close to measuring up.

What you see: There’s no view to speak about, but you do get to see the famous Hermit’s Rest archway with the bell. And the gift shop has some unique architecture.

Restrooms are located not at the gift shop but across the parking lot from the shuttle stop.

And that’s a wrap! Have a question about the Hermit’s Rest Road Viewpoints? Ask me in the comments below!

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