Grand Canyon National Park

The Grand Canyon National Park lies in northwestern Arizona, bounded on the west by Lake Mead National Recreation Area, where the Colorado River is dammed by the Hoover Dam, and on the northeast (following the course of the Colorado River) by Canyonlands National Park and the Glen Canyon. Although the North and South Rims are only 10mi/16km apart as the crow flies, the distance by road is 215mi/346km. During the main summer holiday season there are bus services between the two.

Topography

The Grand Canyon created by the Colorado River was described by the Scottish-born pioneer of conservation John Muir as the grandest place on God's earth. The breathtaking width and depth of this canyon, its beauty, its forms and colors, leave even the most traveled visitor lost in admiration. Here the river winds its way for a distance of 277mi/446km through the Kaibab plateau, into which it has cut a deep yawning gorge ranging in width between 4mi/6km and 18mi/29km. On the south side the rock face falls down 5,000ft/1,500m to the river below (alt. 2,400ft/730m), on the north side no less than 6,000ft/1,800m.

Origins

The history of the formation of the Grand Canyon has not been certainly established, but the general view is that the reduction in the height of the Colorado river-bed has been brought about mainly over the past 9 million years. The lowest level of erosional activity now runs through a narrow gorge cut out of Palaeozoic rocks up to 1,700 million years old. The canyon becomes wider towards the top, where younger, horizontally bedded sedimentary rocks of varying degrees of resistance have been eroded away. These layers of sandstone and limestone, in brilliant reddish, bluish-gray and yellowish tones, depending on light conditions, were laid down during the Cambrian, Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian periods, and the steep rock faces descending in steps to the bottom of the canyon display a complete stratigraphical sequence. Going down into the canyon, you pass 1,700 million years of the earth's history.

History

Much evidence has been found of Indian settlement in the Grand Canyon dating back more than 4,000 years. The most impressive remains are the 1,000 year old rock dwellings of the Anasazi Indians. When a member of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's expedition questing for gold became the first European to discover the Grand Canyon in 1540 these had probably long been abandoned. In 1869 Major John Wesley Powell, later director of the U.S. Geological Survey, traveled by boat through the inhospitable gorges of the Colorado and Green Rivers, starting from Wyoming. In the 1880s the tourist potential of the Grand Canyon began to be realized; the first hotel was built on Grand View Point in 1892, and ten years later visitors were able to visit the Grand Canyon by rail. Thereafter the numbers of visitors grew steadily, particularly after the establishment of the Grand Canyon National Park in 1919. In 1965 the number of visitors was over 1.6 million, and by 1992 the figure had risen to 4 million.

Reservations

Since the Grand Canyon is at times overrun by tourists it is advisable to book accommodation or a camping site and to apply for a "backcountry permit" (required for hiking in the National Park) in plenty of time - during the main holiday season months in advance.

Park ranger services

There are daily lectures and guided walks by well informed park rangers.

Sightseeing flights

There are sightseeing flights by helicopter and light aircraft from the Grand Canyon Airport at Tusayan (5mi/8km south of Grand Canyon Village) and from airfields at Flagstaff, Page, Phoenix and Williams.

Bus trips

On the South Rim there are bus trips (with commentary) along the Rim Drive, starting from Grand Canyon Village. On the North Rim there are buses between Grand Canyon Lodge and the Cape Royal viewpoint.

Mule treks

On both the North and South Rims there are half-day and whole-day trips into the Canyon on muleback; also two-day trips, spending the night in the Phantom Ranch.

Rafting

For the adventurous there are rafting trips in rubber dinghies (from 2 to 18 days) down the Colorado River. There are operators in Flagstaff, Page and Peach Springs (Arizona) and in Kanab, Orem and Salt Lake City (Utah).

Hiking

For hikers there are three dozen maintained trails with a total length of over 400mi/640km.

Warning

A descent into the Grand Canyon is an exceptionally strenuous undertaking, requiring both fitness and stamina. Essential items of equipment are stout footwear, protection against the sun and plenty of drinking water. Before setting out you must inform a park ranger of your intention. Bear in mind, too, that the Grand Canyon National Park is rattlesnake country, and keep a watchful eye for these venomous reptiles.