25 Places to visit before you die: No.3 The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon, Arizona USA., is awe inspiring; a great wonder of the natural world is a must for inclusion on afterabc's list of; 25 Places to see before you die.

 The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge; the chasm was formed by the eroding effects of the Colorado River and geological uplifting of the Colorado Plateau over a period of nearly two billion years. Today the Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, and ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles (6.4 to 29 km), and attains a depth of over a mile (1.83 km) (6000 feet). The area is Federally protected as the Grand Canyon National Park.  (A little quiz knowledge; the Kali Gandaki Gorge in Nepal is the deepest and the Capertee Valley in Australia is about 1 km wider and longer than Grand Canyon). 

The Grand Canyon real claim to fame, as a must see for the estimated five million annual visitors, is the visually overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape, the constantly changing pastel hues and unpredictable play of light and shadow. 

 

 

 

Prior to European immigration the Grand Canyon was inhabited by Native Americans who considered the Canyon to be a holy site. It is believed that in 1540, the Spaniard, García López de Cárdenas, was the first European to see the Grand Canyon when looking for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola. The next visitors from Europe arrived more than two hundred years later.

The El Tovar Hotel is the best place to stay. Built in 1905 from stone and ponderosa pine logs, it is considered the crown jewel of all the US national park hotels. It is normally booked for a year in advance so plan early. Mule trips leave from the South Rim for one-day trips down to Plateau Point, about halfway to the canyon floor; overnight mule-riders and hikers can check into the Phantom Ranch a rustic, bare bones former working ranch from the early 1900's and the only accommodation below the canyon's rim.

 

 

 

 From the South Rim it's a scenic 235 mile drive through mighty impressive country to the more tranquil remote North Rim.  At an elevation of 8,000 feet, it is only open mid May through to October.  One of the most poetic ways to experience the canyon is to see it from the bottom up, white water rafting the Colorado River, whether in kayaks, rafts or motor driven pontoon boats.

 

The Grand Canyon is great if you what to relax and see the incredible scenery or can be a great adventure, hiking or white water rafting.

Have a good day!

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