First Hike to Shoshone Point

Once upon a time it was a bit of a local secret, but Shoshone Point grows increasingly popular with each passing year.

The key difference between Shoshone and the other named overlooks on the South Rim is that you have to walk a full mile on a gated dirt road to reach it. Combine this factor with the small, undeveloped parking area, and you have a recipe for a less crowded experience.

The area is also used for weddings and special events, by permit only through the Park Service.

I’d heard a lot about Shoshone Point throughout my first season at the Canyon, and finally made it out there for the first time on September 22, 2008.

I’d return many times in the ensuing years, so many times that the 2-mile round is hardly worthy of its status here as a “hiking trip report” on this site.

Still, I thought I’d post this first visit’s photos for posterity. I did not have a vehicle at this time, which made access a little more difficult for me. On this day I took the shuttle bus to Yaki Point, and walked the rim from Yaki to Shoshone. Today there’s a mule trail that follows the rim through this section, but it wasn’t yet constructed at the time.

Upon reaching Shoshone Point, I then hiked the standard access trail (actually a dirt road) back to Desert View Drive. Finally, I hiked along the main road to the shuttle bus stop at Pipe Creek overlook.

I concluded the hike with the opportunity to grab a photo of this Mountain Lion Crossing sign.

I’d taken note of this unconventional sight numerous times, and was happy to finally document it. In later years when I worked as a tour guide I’d always point out this sign, and use it as conversation starter. Reportedly the cats were actually hit by motorists in a few instances, and I also heard tell of a mountain lion den in a drainage ditch below the roadway.

More recently in 2022 I noted that the sign was removed, though I don’t know if its absence is permanent or only temporary.

As a final note, I often recall how a local employee spotted (and photographed) a young mountain in a tree along the trail to Shoshone Point in 2013. You can see the photo here.