Cope Butte

Best Time to View It

Hermit Road's shuttle route runs seasonally, so check current shuttle status before planning a Mohave Point or Abyss overlook visit built around this formation.

Tips for Viewing Cope Butte

• It's not a hike-to destination on its own — it's one of the inner-canyon landmarks you pick out from the rim once you know its name.
• The Tonto Trail wraps around the butte on the Tonto Platform if you're hiking through rather than viewing from above.
• Pair a Mohave Point stop with the Abyss overlook nearby for two angles on the same formation.

Where to See Cope Butte

Best seen from Mohave Point and the nearby Abyss overlook on Hermit Road, both on the South Rim's Hermits Rest shuttle route. It's also visible from below the rim along the Hermit Trail near Cathedral Stairs and from the Boucher Trail, both of which pass near its base.

What You're Looking At: Cope Butte

Cope Butte is a narrow, triangular spire of rock rising from the south side of Granite Gorge, about 4.5 miles northwest of Grand Canyon Village. It tops out around 4,528 feet, roughly 388 feet above the surrounding terrain, and its pale cap is Surprise Canyon Formation sitting over darker Shinumo Quartzite, Bass Formation, and Vishnu Basement Rocks near the gorge floor — some of the oldest exposed rock in the canyon. It's named for Edward Drinker Cope, the 19th-century American paleontologist known for his fossil work.