The Grand Canyon at the desert highlands of Arizona offers a stunning landscape
The
Grand Canyon, cut by the Colorado River, is one of the United State's
most famous landmarks and stretches an incredible 322 km (200 miles) across
the desert highlands of northern Arizona. Named as one of the seven
natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon was designated a National
Park in 1919.
Here you will find a breathtaking chasm of unimaginable scope in a
palette of crimson, gold and orange cliffs, purple abysses and clear
rushing waters, making it one of the most astonishing landscapes on
Earth. Upon seeing the drama of a Grand Canyon sunset, the poet Carl
Sandburg remarked, 'There goes God with an army of banners'.
The southern rim of the Grand Canyon is the most popular area because it
allows easy access from the main road that parallels the canyon edge for
a substantial distance and has many scenic overlooks as well as a
selection of hiking trails.
The north rim, higher in elevation, is less densely populated with
tourists because it is more remote. On this side of the canyon, the
remote Tuweep area can be reached by several dirt tracks with some
spectacular viewpoints, but much of this area is inaccessible by road.
The Grand Canyon contains a large variety of spectacular but largely
hidden and hard-to-reach places including waterfalls, pools, narrow
ravines and oases. Many of the vast side canyons require more than a
day's travel on foot from the canyon rim, or complicated journeys
involving boat trips down the Colorado River, to reach them.
After one trip here, pondering the vastness of this special place, you
will quickly understand its popularity and status as a natural wonder of
the world. Flagstaff and Page in Arizona, and Kanab in Utah, are the
closest cities to the Grand Canyon National park.
