Shiva Temple
A temple-shaped butte named for Shiva, seen from the South Rim
About
Shiva Temple is one of the great isolated buttes of the inner canyon, rising about 5,200 feet above the Colorado River to a summit elevation of 7,646 feet. It sits roughly six miles north of Hopi Point on the South Rim, its flat, forested top capped in Kaibab Limestone over pale Coconino Sandstone laid down as desert dunes some 265 million years ago. You don't hike to it — you view it from South Rim overlooks like Hopi Point, where its broad, temple-like profile stands apart from the surrounding buttes.
Why the name
Geologist Clarence Dutton named the formation for Shiva in the 1880s, part of his practice of giving Grand Canyon buttes names drawn from world mythology; the U.S. Board on Geographic Names made it official in 1906. Dutton considered it the grandest of the canyon's temples. In 1937 the American Museum of Natural History sent an expedition to its summit, curious whether the butte's isolation had produced new species — they found Ancestral Puebloan dwellings and old deer antlers instead, plus a film box left behind weeks earlier by canyon pioneer Emery Kolb.
Best Time to View It
Hopi Point is accessible via the seasonal Hermit Road shuttle or winter private-vehicle access — check current road status before planning your visit.
Good to Know
- Geologist Clarence Dutton named the formation for Shiva in the 1880s; the U.S. Board on Geographic Names made it official in 1906. Dutton considered it the grandest of the canyon's temples.
- In 1937 the American Museum of Natural History sent an expedition to its summit, curious whether the butte's isolation had produced new species — they found Ancestral Puebloan dwellings and old deer antlers instead, plus a film box left behind weeks earlier by canyon pioneer Emery Kolb.
- A genuinely good story to share with a group viewing it from Hopi Point.
Where to See Shiva Temple
You don't hike to it — you view it from South Rim overlooks like Hopi Point, where its broad, temple-like profile stands apart from the surrounding buttes.
What You're Looking At: Shiva Temple
Shiva Temple is one of the great isolated buttes of the inner canyon, rising about 5,200 feet above the Colorado River to a summit elevation of 7,646 feet. It sits roughly six miles north of Hopi Point on the South Rim, its flat, forested top capped in Kaibab Limestone over pale Coconino Sandstone laid down as desert dunes some 265 million years ago.
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