Hopi Point

Hopi Point is a long, narrow South Rim overlook on Hermit Road. It projects farther into the canyon than the road’s other viewpoints, opening views up and down the western canyon, across side canyons and buttes, and onto five separate views of the Colorado River. I’d keep it near the top of a Hermit Road day; walk the point instead of stopping at the first rail.

A vault toilet is here, the only restroom along Hermit Road between Grand Canyon Village and Hermits Rest. The snack bar is farther west at Hermits Rest, so plan that as your food stop. Sunrise and sunset are the signature times, and sunset is especially popular. The regular daytime stop is for westbound buses toward Hermits Rest; after sunset, return buses load in the larger loop by the restroom, not at the regular stop. The return shuttle can queue, so leave some slack in your ride back. Follow the current park signs and schedule when you visit.

The point is long for a reason: the view changes as you walk, with the Colorado River appearing in several separate openings. For photos, keep going to the far end and look both ways instead of framing only the nearest canyon wall. Include the river when it comes into view; that bright thread helps show the size of the cliffs around it.

The overlook was first called Rowe’s Point for Sanford Rowe, who built a spur road to it in the 1890s near a camp he was developing. Rowe also ran early guided trips down the Bright Angel Trail. In 1914, William Wallace Bass advertised a covered-rig trip from the Village to Hopi Point for one dollar and narrated his own account of how the canyon formed. The point was part of the canyon’s early tourism, reached by guided trail trips and covered-rig tours before the modern rim drive.

A Forest Service crow’s-nest lookout was installed here by 1909. The agency later replaced it with a 40-foot steel tower in 1927, then lowered the tower to 24 feet in 1953. It was added to the National Historic Lookout Register in April 2009, for its role in the history of forest conservation at the canyon.

Crews finished the eastern section of West Rim Drive in 1935, with the alignment meeting at Hopi Point before continuing toward Hermits Rest. They built an elevated platform here during the work. It was the last major road project at the canyon.