Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon has been occupied by humans for more than 25,000 years. Long before the arrival of European-Americans, the indigenous people of the canyon had established trails, farms, trade routes, and villages in this often harsh and unforgiving region. There are 11 Associated Tribes of the Grand Canyon and each of them hold this land to be sacred, including three whom their origin story is in the Canyon. These tribes continue to live in or use the canyon for trade and ceremonial purposes and to collect plants, minerals, and other traditional materials.
In 1857, the War Department sent Lt. Joseph Ives to explore the Colorado River through the canyon for the purpose of transporting troops and supplies to fight the Mormon War in Utah. Ives reported back to Washington that the river was unnavigable for military purposes and that the land was “valueless”. The next major exploration of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon was led by John Wesley Powell who was a one-armed Civil War veteran, geologist, and professor. His three-month navigation down the Green and Colorado Rivers in 1869 concluded with passage through the Grand Canyon and was the first complete survey of the canyon. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson established Grand Canyon National Park to protect this special place and the resources within it.
Geologists believe that the Grand Canyon is probably about 70 million years old. It most likely began as a series of smaller canyons until the river began carving the rock in more recent times. The width of the Grand Canyon varies from 6,000 feet at its narrowest point to 18 miles at its widest point near North Rim Village. At its deepest point, the Grand Canyon is just over a mile deep at 6,093 feet making it the second deepest canyon on Earth (Yarlung Tsangpo canyon in Tibet is two miles deeper).
The Grand Canyon is a laboratory for geologists from around the world for it allows the examination of some of the oldest exposed rocks on the planet. Grand Canyon exposes a beautiful, almost bewildering, panorama of rock. However, the many rock layers are easily grouped into three sets, with the youngest on top and the oldest on the bottom. On the top are the Paleozoic rocks which are sedimentary rocks that still retain their horizontal layering. In the middle are the Supergroup rocks which are tilted remnants of sedimentary and igneous rocks. And finally at the depths of the canyon are the Basement rocks which are contorted folds of metamorphic rocks and igneous intrusions which reflects the tortured past of the planet. Rocks in the canyon are dated with high accuracy using the scientific method known as radioactive dating. The oldest rocks in the Grand Canyon, the Vishnu Schist layer at the bottom along the Colorado River, are about 1.8 billion years old (two-fifths the age of Earth).
The Colorado River begins as a trickle of snowmelt high in Colorado’s Never Summer Mountains. Streams and tributary rivers increase its size and volume until it reaches Lake Powell which was created by the completion of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. The Colorado River continues below the dam and enters the Grand Canyon just southwest of Lees Ferry. The whitewater of the Colorado River flows 277 miles through the Grand Canyon and drops 2,000 feet over that distance creating numerous world-class rapids for adventure seekers. I had the adventure of a lifetime when I took a week-long whitewater rafting trip down the Colorado River through the canyon in 1999. On the western edge of the Grand Canyon, the river is dammed again where the Hoover Dam, completed in 1935, creates Lake Mead which is a valuable source of water for Arizona, California, and Neveda.
The canyon divides the national park into two distinct regions: North and South Rims. The less frequently visited North Rim sits at a higher elevation of 8,000-8,900 feet resulting in cooler temperatures, more precipitation, and thicker forests. The campgrounds and road accessing the North Rim are closed during the winter, while the South Rim located 210 miles away by car is open year-round. The South Rim, located just north of Flagstaff, Arizona and I-40, is where most people visit the park. Sitting at an elevation of 7,000 feet, the South Rim gets far less precipitation and the vegetation is more suited to an arid climate. The South Rim and Grand Canyon Village are heavily developed with lodges, campgrounds, shopping, visitor centers, and an extensive free shuttle system which is fantastic to get around. There is even a train station where you can arrive at the South Rim by rail from Williams, Arizona.
The Rim Trail is a mostly paved walking trail that traverses 12.8 miles of the South Rim and offers the hiker spectacular views of the one of the seven wonders of the world. Over my week-long stay at South Rim, I completed the entire Rim Trail and even repeated a large portion of it. After taking the Orange Line shuttle from the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, you arrive at the eastern edge of the Rim Trail and the South Kaibab Trailhead. The South Kaibab Trail is a 7.0 mile trail that drops 4,700 feet into the canyon before crossing the Colorado River and arriving at Bright Angel Camp. The trail crosses the river at the Kaibab Trail Suspension Bridge which spans 440 feet, carrying hikers and mules 70 feet above the Colorado River. The bridge was built in 1928 by a crew of 42 members of the Havasupai tribe who had to haul all the construction materials for miles down the twisting and tortuous South Kaibab Trail. For this remarkable achievement, the bridge is recognized as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The South Kaibab Trail follows an exposed ridgeline with no shade and a round-trip is a multi-day trip.
Further west along the Rim Trail is Mather Point which is directly behind the Visitor Center and the location of most tourists’ photographs. Another 0.7 miles west down the trail is the observatory at Yavapai Point which also houses a geological museum in its window-lined tower. About three miles west of Yavapai Point along the Rim Trail is Grand Canyon Village and along this stretch of the trail is a geological exhibit known as the “Trail of Time”. This exhibit is actually a walking time line that spans the two-billion-year geological history of the Grand Canyon. Along this exhibit, there are bronze markers in the pavement indicating the date along the time line and there are also displays of the rocks from that time period. It’s a pretty cool and unique exhibit that stretches 2.83 miles with each meter signifying one million years in Grand Canyon’s geological history.
Early visitors to the South Rim arrived via a spur on the Santa Fe Railway and slept in tents. The railway wanted a grand hotel to cater to wealthy clientele, so they built the El Tovar Hotel which opened on January 14, 1905. For $4.50 per night, guests were treated to finely decorated rooms with running water as well as amenities like a music room, a solarium, a billiard hall, an art room, barbershop, and two rooftop gardens. Guests from around the world still find lodging in the El Tovar Hotel today. Next door is the Hopi House which was built to resemble a traditional Hopi dwelling and houses a renowned Native American art gallery.
The most famous trail in Grand Canyon National Park is the Bright Angel Trail which has its trailhead located in Grand Canyon Village. This trail overs more protection from the elements than the South Kaibab Trail and has rest stations with water, but it is longer (9.5 miles) and due to its shade, it is often icy requiring hikers to wear cramp-on ice spikes. The Bright Angel Trail descends 4,340 feet into the canyon before arriving at the Bright Angel Camp along the Colorado River. During this visit to the Grand Canyon, I elected not to hike into the canyon due to my bad knees and fact that I’ve already seen the canyon from the bottom during my rafting trip.
In my opinion, the best views of the canyon along the South Rim can be found west of Grand Canyon Village along what is known as Hermits Road. This stretch of the Rim Trail is only accessible March through November via the Red Line of the shuttle system which has its transfer station right by the Bright Angel Trailhead. A large sandstone outcropping known as Maricopa Point offers spectacular views of the canyon. Further west along the Rim Trail you come to Powell Point which was named after explorer William Wesly Powell and there is a monument there remembering his 1869 survey of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon. Also visible from Powell Point along the canyon face is an old mining claim known as the Orphan Mine. Between 1956 to 1969, tons of uranium were extracted from this 20-acre claim. Today, the National Park Service has dismantled most of the evidence of the past mine, removed the radioactive mine tailings, and are trying to rehabilitate the area.
The western edge of the Rim Trail is what is known as Hermits Rest. Built as a rest station in 1914, the spot offered refreshments and entertainment for visitors touring the canyon via horse-drawn buggies. Today, Hermits Rest is still serving refreshments for guests and hikers alike.
I had a fantastic week visiting the Grand Canyon, but as it gets closer to the Thanksgiving holiday it is time to start working my way into California.
