Grand Canyon National Park in Coconino County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Hermit Camp

Grand Canyon

— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —

Hermit Camp Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 28, 2015

1. Hermit Camp Marker

Inscription. On the inner plateau, Hermit Camp has been built.... A skilled Chef is in charge of the dining room, where excellent meals are provided. It is camping out ‘deluxe.’
—1916 Hermit Camp postcard

Deep in the canyon are faint signs of Hermit Camp, a once upscale tourist destination built by the Santa Fe Railway in 1912. The Hermit Road, Rest, Trail, and Camp were all built to avoid tolls on Ralph Cameron’s Bright Angel Trail. The Fred Harvey Company managed the camp, bringing guests from Hermits Rest by mule down the 7.5-mile (12 km) trail to the camp. They departed at 11:00 a.m., ate a boxed lunch along the trail, and arrived in camp that afternoon.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Railroads & Streetcars • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.

Location. 36° 4.308′ N, 112° 12.003′ W. Marker is in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, in Coconino County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Hermit Road and West Rim Trail. Marker is located in Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim), along the West Rim Trail, at the Pima Point Overlook. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Grand Canyon AZ 86023, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. A Trail, a Camp, and a "Hermit" (a few steps from this marker); The Best Section (a few steps from this marker); Down Memory Lane (approx. 0.8 miles away); Hermit's Rest (approx. 0.9 miles away); Rest House (approx. 0.9 miles away); Colonel Claude Hale Birdseye (approx. 2½ miles away); Orphan Mine (approx. 2.7 miles away); Early Explorer (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grand Canyon National Park.

Also see . . .
1. Fred Harvey’s Hermit Camp. The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway reached the rim of the Grand Canyon around the turn of the century, and they desired to bring folks down into the Grand Canyon. Ralph Cameron controlled the Bright Angel Trail at the time and he was charging a toll for everyone who traversed the trail. So, the Railway went to the next best place to build a trail, which turned out to be the Hermit Trail. The Hermit Camp was operated by the Fred Harvey Company, a partner of the railroad. Plenty of time and money was put into the venture to provide first class accommodations. (Submitted on October 3, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Hermit Camp. The trip began with a 9-mile stage ride to the trailhead, where customers mounted mules and began their descent.

Marker detail: Hermit Camp image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: Hermit Camp

Guests, departing from the El Tovar Hotel, paid $18.25 (equal to about $350 today) for the guided trip and overnight stay at Hermit Camp. Hermit Camp featured 11 canvas-topped cabins with pine floors and sides, a central dining hall, telephones, restrooms, and showers.

After stopping for tea and a brief rest at the camp, they continued on mule or on foot on a relatively short trail to the river. Returning to camp in the early evening, guests enjoyed a hearty meal prepared by fine chefs. (Submitted on October 3, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Hermit Trail (Wikipedia). This trail was built in the last decade of the 19th century by horsetheives, but was improved by different prospectors of that era. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway improved the trail further around 1910. The railroad operated Hermit Camp about 7 trail miles below the rim until the 1930s when the National Park Service took over control of the Bright Angel Trail and officially rescinded its tolls. (Submitted on October 3, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marker detail: The Great Depression image. Click for full size.

3. Marker detail: The Great Depression

The fate of Hermit Camp was sealed in the 1930s by the Great Depression and the shift in inner canyon tourism to Phantom Ranch. Today you can discover remnants of the camp by hiking Hermit Trail to the site.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 28, 2015

4. Hermit Camp Marker

Grand Canyon & Colorado River image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 28, 2015

5. Grand Canyon & Colorado River

(view from marker • Pima Point Overlook)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 3, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 29, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 267 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 3, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.