Turn off at Yaki Point for a fine view of the darkly shining Granite Gorge, the innermost canyon. The imposing pyramid-shaped profile of Vishnu Temple, 7,829 feet [2,386.3 meters] high, dominates the eastern skyline. The practice of naming major park landforms after world deities began with Clarence Dutton, who published a classic report on the geology of the Grand Canyon in 1882.
On the way back to the main road you can park your car and hike the South Kaibab Trail, which switchbacks down the west side of Yaki Point. Allot a third of your time for going down and two-thirds for hiking back up. The trail eventually reaches the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon, but a strenuous 3-mile [4.8-kilometer], 2.5-hour round-trip takes you only partway down to Cedar Ridge. Even though you drop 1,460 vertical feet [445 meters], none of the major landforms of the canyon look any closer. Fossil ferns lie exposed in the bedrock on the west side of Cedar Ridge.
Return to your car and follow the main road as it climbs into a tall ponderosa forest. Take the turnoff to Grandview Point, one of the finest vistas on the South Rim. From the overlook, Grandview Trail drops a rugged 3 miles [4.8 kilometers] to Horseshoe Mesa, where miners once worked copper ore from the Last Chance Mine. John Hance, a prospector known for his tall tales and quick wit, led the first sightseeing parties into the canyon near here in the 1880s. On one trip a woman with a knowledge of botany described to him how trees breathe. “You know,” Hance said, “that explains something that has puzzled me a long time; I used to make camp under a big mesquite tree, and night after night that thing would keep me awake with its snoring.”
Drive farther east to Moran Point for the best view of one of the Colorado’s major rapids. Here you look directly down on Hance Rapids; its rocky 30-foot [9.4-meter] drop is considered by r iver guides to be among the most difficult to run. Continue on down the road, and if you need a change of pace, stop at the small Tusayan Museum. It displays well-designed exhibits of Indian cultures, and the nearby ruins offer a self-guided tour of an excavated ancestral Puebloan village from A.D. 1185.
Take your time when you reach Lipan Point, the finest view of the eastern canyon. Here the Colorado River makes a great bend to the west, where it has carved through the Kaibab Plateau to form the deepest portion of the Grand Canyon. Below, the river makes an S-curve around Unkar Delta, which prehistoric people extensively farmed.
Bypass Navajo Point and continue on to Desert View, where you mightstop at the snack bar and curio shop. While here, climb the stairs to the top of the 70-foot [21.3-meter] Watchtower, built in 1932. On the tower’s walls Indian artist Fred Kabotie painted murals depicting Hopi legends.
