Hopi Point, Photo Credit:Tuxyso
The Grand Canyon National Park offers everything from hiking to kayaking to mule riding. It is a monument steeped in rich historical and cultural significance. It would be impossible to see and do everything in one trip, so here are a few lesser known spots in the Grand Canyon that are worth seeing when you visit.
#4 - Priceless Art
Petroglyphs along the Bright Angels Trail, Photo Credit: berezenko
The Grand Canyon has a history over a millennia long of humans building, living, and exploring throughout the ravine. From the Hopi and Havasupai to the Navajo and Paiute, so many people have called the Grand Canyon their home. While we may only be visitors to what others once called home, we can still see the mark that these ancient peoples left. Eagle-eyed hikers are actually able to find petroglyphs as they hike up the Bright Angel Trail.
These petroglyphs are known as “Rock Art” many of which has been dated to have been made around 2,000 B.C. While some were painted on through the use pigments gathered from plants, others were made by chipping away the surface of basalt rock to expose the lighter color underneath. These ancient works of art give us a glimpse into the culture of these early peoples that lived within this natural wonder. So, the next time you visit the Grand Canyon, stop, look around, and see if you can tell where the present ends, and the past begins.
These petroglyphs are known as “Rock Art” many of which has been dated to have been made around 2,000 B.C. While some were painted on through the use pigments gathered from plants, others were made by chipping away the surface of basalt rock to expose the lighter color underneath. These ancient works of art give us a glimpse into the culture of these early peoples that lived within this natural wonder. So, the next time you visit the Grand Canyon, stop, look around, and see if you can tell where the present ends, and the past begins.
#3 - A Legacy Preserved
Hermit's Rest, Photo Credit: Anita Waltz
Many of the trails found throughout the park are actually old Native American routes used for hunting and gathering. However, the Grand Canyon in the early 1900’s was very different from the one we know and love today. During the early days many private landowners owned pieces of the Canyon and used it for mining and resources and charged tourists to use their trails. When the railroads came through town, they were looking for a way to cash in on the rapidly growing tourism industry by buying up their own trails. As they were searching, they came across a route in an area used by Louis D. Boucher, a resident of the canyon and affectionately known as “The Hermit” for his reclusiveness. They quickly bought the land around the area and in 1911 started building luxury camp sites and other tourist accommodations that cost $100,000 (equal to about $2.7 million in 2020) to complete. This newly renovated trail was the first trail in the Grand Canyon to be used exclusively for tourists.
In 1914 Mary Colter designed what is now known as “Hermit’s Rest” as a mediary rest stop between the Grand Canyon Village, and the start of The Hermit Trail. It was Colter designed the building to look as if it were made by using hand tools by an early Euro-American settler. She wanted the building to look natural in the surrounding environment, as if it were carved out of a natural rock formation and had been there for decades. She even went so far as to personally rub soot above the large arched stone fireplace that makes up a significant part of the lodge so the it looked lived in and well-used. The design became so iconic that it spurred an entirely new genre now known as “National Park Rustic”. The lodge itself stands just a few feet back from the South Rim and overlooks some of the more majestic views of the Canyon. If you are interested in visiting Hermit’s Rest to see the rich history that it has to offer there is a free shuttle that takes you from the Grand Canyon Village to the Lodge. While the building itself is now used as a souvenir shop and restaurant, we still highly recommend visiting this place when you visit the Grand Canyon. If not for the views and fascinating history, then at least for the best fresh baked cookies in the Grand Canyon.
In 1914 Mary Colter designed what is now known as “Hermit’s Rest” as a mediary rest stop between the Grand Canyon Village, and the start of The Hermit Trail. It was Colter designed the building to look as if it were made by using hand tools by an early Euro-American settler. She wanted the building to look natural in the surrounding environment, as if it were carved out of a natural rock formation and had been there for decades. She even went so far as to personally rub soot above the large arched stone fireplace that makes up a significant part of the lodge so the it looked lived in and well-used. The design became so iconic that it spurred an entirely new genre now known as “National Park Rustic”. The lodge itself stands just a few feet back from the South Rim and overlooks some of the more majestic views of the Canyon. If you are interested in visiting Hermit’s Rest to see the rich history that it has to offer there is a free shuttle that takes you from the Grand Canyon Village to the Lodge. While the building itself is now used as a souvenir shop and restaurant, we still highly recommend visiting this place when you visit the Grand Canyon. If not for the views and fascinating history, then at least for the best fresh baked cookies in the Grand Canyon.
Hermit's Rest Fireplace, Photo Credit: Michael Quinn
#2 - A NAtional Tragedy
Desert View Watchtower, Photo Credit: Carol Highsmith
Upon entering the South Rim from the east side one of the first stops you’ll need to check out is the Desert View Watchtower. This structure, which has been standing since 1932 offers 180 degrees of picture-perfectviews of the Canyon. Adding to the experience is the ability to walk up the 70-foot tower to an observation deck which allows you to look over the vast expanse of the Canyon and makes you feel as if you are truly on top of the world. While the views alone are enough to make a stop here, there is also an added piece of history here that changed the history of the United States and the world.
During the early days of flight in the US there was not much oversight when it came to directing flight and flight paths. From 1940 to 1958 our airspace was controlled by the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) and the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) each with a different function in regulating air traffic in the US. These organizations at the time were woefully underprepared however with plenty of pockets of uncontrolled air space, no new radar technology, and outdated policies regarding how to notify pilots of potential traffic. So, on June 30th, 1956 a United Airlines DC-7 and a TWA Super Constellation trying to fly around storm clouds above the Grand Canyon crashed into each other above the Temple and Chuar buttes (which can be seen from the Desert View Watchtower). Not one of the 128 passengers or crew survived the crash. This was the first time in history that a plane crash caused the death of over a 100 people and was immediately declared a national tragedy.
Congress soon dissolved the CAA and CAB, and in their place created a consolidated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with more resources to prevent these types of accidents from happening again. There is now a plaque in front of the Desert View watchtower commemorating the tragedy, and on April 22nd, 2014, the site of the crash was declared a National Historic Landmark, making it the first landmark for an event that happened in the air.
During the early days of flight in the US there was not much oversight when it came to directing flight and flight paths. From 1940 to 1958 our airspace was controlled by the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) and the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) each with a different function in regulating air traffic in the US. These organizations at the time were woefully underprepared however with plenty of pockets of uncontrolled air space, no new radar technology, and outdated policies regarding how to notify pilots of potential traffic. So, on June 30th, 1956 a United Airlines DC-7 and a TWA Super Constellation trying to fly around storm clouds above the Grand Canyon crashed into each other above the Temple and Chuar buttes (which can be seen from the Desert View Watchtower). Not one of the 128 passengers or crew survived the crash. This was the first time in history that a plane crash caused the death of over a 100 people and was immediately declared a national tragedy.
Congress soon dissolved the CAA and CAB, and in their place created a consolidated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with more resources to prevent these types of accidents from happening again. There is now a plaque in front of the Desert View watchtower commemorating the tragedy, and on April 22nd, 2014, the site of the crash was declared a National Historic Landmark, making it the first landmark for an event that happened in the air.
Areas Where the Planes Crashed, Photo Credit: Alex Lep
#1 - History Uncovered
Tusayan Ruins, Photo Credit: Deacon Steve
According to the ancient traditions and legends that the Hopi tribe keep sacred, this world is the Fourth World created for the righteous after the Third World was destroyed. They believe that the Grand Canyon is the spot from which their ancestors entered this new world, from the Third World. This “portal” linking the two worlds is known as a “Sipapu” a Hopi word for “small hole or indentation in the floor”. Sipapus are most often found in traditional underground huts known as “Kivas” which were used for social and spiritual ceremonies. Throughout the Grand Canyon there are several of these early Kivas, now abandoned but still intact so that visitors are able to see.
These sites are amazing if not for the intriguing cultural history behind them, then most certainly for the fact that some have been standing for nearly 1000 years. One of the more accessible ways to view these old structures is by visiting the Tusayan Ruins found within the park about 3 miles west of the Desert View Watchtower. These ruins have been dated to around 1185 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is even possible to get a ranger guided tour to explore this important site. Although, if you do decide to check out these relics from a bygone era please be respectful of the cultural impact that they have and do not disrupt or take anything from these spots.
These sites are amazing if not for the intriguing cultural history behind them, then most certainly for the fact that some have been standing for nearly 1000 years. One of the more accessible ways to view these old structures is by visiting the Tusayan Ruins found within the park about 3 miles west of the Desert View Watchtower. These ruins have been dated to around 1185 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is even possible to get a ranger guided tour to explore this important site. Although, if you do decide to check out these relics from a bygone era please be respectful of the cultural impact that they have and do not disrupt or take anything from these spots.
