If your family is planning a vacation to Arizona, one of the most beautiful parks in our country is located in that state. The Colorado River carved out a canyon 277 miles long and 18 miles wide that is called Grand Canyon National Park.

When Theodore Roosevelt stood on the rim of the Grand Canyon in 1903, the sight filled him with awe. He said, “It is beyond comparison — beyond description; absolutely unparalleled throughout the wide world.”

The park was established in 1919 and 5,000,000 people visit it every year. It’s known as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Six Native American tribes live in or around Grand Canyon:  Hualapai, Havasupai, Navajo, Paiute, Hopi, and Zuni. This is a sacred place for them.

There are many ways to see the Grand Canyon. Some people take mule trips down into the canyon. Plan ahead to ride a mule because the trips fill up way in advance.

There are hour rides and half-day rides. An overnight ride includes a stay at the Phantom Ranch.

Plane and helicopter rides over the Grand Canyon give a birds-eye view of the park’s beauty.

Others take river trips. There are half-day and full-day water trips on the Colorado River or two to five-day trips. Whitewater rafting trips from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek are professionally guided but plan ahead—these are reserved a year or two in advance.

Tourists may spot mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, porcupines, bighorn sheep, mule deer, lizards, and frogs in the park. There are hawks, woodpeckers, owls, and the endangered California condor.

The view from the North Rim at Toroweap Overlook, with the Colorado River a 3,000-foot vertical drop away, is breathtaking. Look and listen for the Lava Falls Rapid.

Snap some photos while there. The beautiful photographs here are used courtesy of Photographer Keith Adams.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources:

Flynn, Sarah Wassner. National Geographic Kids: National Parks Guide U.S.A., National Geographic Society, 2012.

“Grand Canyon: Associated Tribes,” National Park Service, 2020/04/06 https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/historyculture/associated-tribes.htm.

“Grand Canyon: National Park, Arizona,” National Park Service, 2014/12/16 http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm.

“Grand Canyon: People,” National Park Service, 2020/04/06 https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/historyculture/people.htm.

“Grand Canyon Tribes,” Grand Canyon Guru, 2020/04/06 https://grandcanyonguru.com/grand-canyon-classroom/grand-canyon-tribes.

McHugh, Erin. National Parks: A Kid’s Guide to America’s Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 2012.