Hermit's Rest
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Built in 1914 and designed by architect Mary Colter for the Santa Fe Railway, Hermits Rest was created to resemble an isolated stone shelter perched at the canyon's edge. Colter used rough stonework, heavy timber beams, and an oversized fireplace to give the structure the appearance of an old frontier retreat shaped by years of exposure to the desert environment. Though rustic in appearance, the building originally served as a comfort stop for tourists traveling the rim by stagecoach.
Today, Hermits Rest contains a small snack bar and gift shop, while the surrounding area provides shaded seating, restrooms, and the only water bottle filling station along Hermit Road. Surrounded by pinyon and juniper trees, the area often serves as a resting point for hikers, cyclists, and shuttle passengers before they begin the return trip east.
The overlook near the building provides broad views into the western Grand Canyon, where side canyons and layered rock formations stretch toward the distant Colorado River corridor. Compared with overlooks closer to Grand Canyon Village, the atmosphere here is often quieter and less crowded, especially later in the afternoon.
Hermits Rest also marks the western end of the paved Canyon Rim Trail. Beyond this point, the landscape becomes more rugged and remote, leading toward older trails and backcountry routes descending into the canyon. For many visitors, reaching Hermits Rest feels less like arriving at a viewpoint and more like reaching the edge of the developed South Rim itself.