My 6.2 mile round trip hike 1,963 feet below the rim. I started at 5:45am because the Grand Canyon had an excessive heat warning, and it was vital to be back on the rim before noon. The trail descends through a series of switchbacks in a sparsely populated pinyon pine forest. It took me 2 hours to reach the spring. At the spring I took a 40 minute break and then headed back to the trailhead. The return hike back to the trailhead also took me 2 hours. By the time I returned to Grand Canyon Village at 11:00am it was close to 90 degrees.
Dripping Spring is a small but quite reliable source of water, found in an overhanging alcove beneath tall Coconino sandstone cliffs. I took my shirt off and stuck my head under the dripping spring. It felt like droplets of ice, and sent a welcome chill through my body. I felt recharged for the steep hike back up to the rim.
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| The Hermit Trail |
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| The Hermit Trail |
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| The Hermit drainage. |
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| The Hermit Trail |
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| The Hermit Trail |
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| The Hermit drainage. |
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| The Hermit Trail |
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| Dripping Spring is beyond the drainage. |
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| Dripping Springs Trail |
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| Dripping Springs Trail |
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| Hermit Creek |
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| Looking back at Dripping Springs Trail. |
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| Looking back at Dripping Springs Trail. |
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| Looking back at Dripping Springs Trail. |
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| Dripping Springs straight ahead. |
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| Dripping Springs straight ahead. |
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| Dripping Springs is in the alcove. |
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| Photo of Dripping Springs using my phone camera. |
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| The Hermit drainage that I traversed. |
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| My 6.2 mile hike. |
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