Historical Information About The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a "five-thousand-foot-deep gorge carved by the Colorado River in northwestern Arizona". It reaches 277 miles long, 18 miles wide and more than a mile deep. The Grand Canyon is a consequence of continual erosion due to the Colorado River throughout millions of years.

Where is the Grand Canyon located?

The Grand Canyon lies in the northwest corner of Arizona and it borders Utah and Nevada. It is accessible from neighboring areas like Phoenix, Flagstaff, Sedona, and Las Vegas. The vast majority of the Grand Canyon is located within Grand Canyon National Park and is overseen by the National Park Service (NPS), the Hualapai Tribal Nation and the Havasupai Tribe.

Additionally, the Colorado River passes through the enormous canyon. It touches seven states, but the Grand Canyon National Park is inside Arizona's state borders. Arizona is predominantly thought of as the Grand Canyon State. Apart from the Grand Canyon, the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is found in Utah and the Lake Mead National Recreation Area contacts the Grand Canyon in Nevada.
The Grand Canyon's climate is primarily semi-arid. Some segments of the upper plateau feature forests. Alternatively, the canyon's lower regions are a series of desert basins. According to the NPS, there more than 1,500 plants and 517 combined creatures found in the park. These creatures include several species of mammals, fish, reptiles and more.

The Grand Canyon is divided into two different zones. They are known as the North Rim and the South Rim. The South Rim is open all year and it experiences the bulk of the park's guests. In addition to the canyon, the South Rim has numerous services such as an air terminal and railroads. This area is a good location for transport services and is accessible from surrounding cities. Visitors will usually depart from these areas by utilizing a Grand Canyon Day Tour.

The North Rim lies closer to Nevada and Utah. This area is not nearly as accessible as the South Rim nevertheless it has amazing views and sights. Normally, hiking is the best way to gain access to it via the North and South Kaibab Trails. There are also roads to the North Canyon but the range is over 200 miles and due to factors like weather and conditions, they are not always proven to be safe to travel.

Grand Canyon Skywalk 

The Canyon's National Park is a great tourist location. Within the park is one of the more popular tourist attractions, the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The horseshoe shaped platform is made of glass and the rim of the Grand Canyon is 70 feet behind you. The opposite side of the canyon is 3 miles in front of you. It stands almost 4,000 feet above the floor of the canyon. The structure opened in March 2007 and over 300,000 people visit is every year.

How was the Grand Canyon formed?

Geologists dispute over the particulars of the formation of the Grand Canyon. Many argue the process and time it took to forge this incredible site. The overall consensus was updated at a 2010 conference. Its believed that the Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon over 6 million years ago.

Modern advancements in dating methods suggest a new theory and time of when the rocks where revealed by erosion. The theory conflicts with the conventional idea that the canyon was uniformly created and that there where actually two separate canyons initially. They are known as the East and West Canyons. The West Canyon could be as old as 70 million years according to recent studies.

The walls of the Grand Canyon are composed of almost fifty different rock layers. Since they run the length of the canyon, this provides scientists with the ability to study geologic progression.
Over century's time, indigenous people made the canyon their home and created settlements all throughout it. Many clues into their civilization have been discovered inside the canyon and it's caves. Furthermore, the Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon a religious site and made pilgrimages to it.

An explorer from Spain, García López de Cárdenas, was the 1st European recorded to have seen the Grand Canyon. Garcia was a member of the 1540 expedition of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado. He located the canyon when searching for a river he learned about from the Hopi people.

President Theodore Roosevelt, promoted the conservation of the Grand Canyon. When at the canyon, he spent time hunting and studying the terrain. Based off of his adventure their, he mentioned, "In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. I want to ask you to keep this great wonder of nature as it now is. I hope you will not have a building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel or anything else, to mar the wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon. Leave it as it is. You can not improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it". President Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon Game Preserve in 1906 and the Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908. Nearly 15 years later the Grand Canyon eventually became the fifteenth national park. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson authorized The Grand Canyon National Park Act and the NPS assumed administration duties of the park.

The Grand Canyon is an amazing sight to see. If you are interested in visiting the canyon make sure to arrange for your trip. Tourplicity offers tourists with a complete catalog of tour options. Call us to schedule your Grand Canyon Day Tour today!

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Planning To Visit The Grand Canyon?

Maximizing a Grand Canyon Day Tour or reserving 2 to 3 days at the canyon are the ideal ways to experience it. The canyon is one of the most impressive natural wonders on the planet. It attracts more than 4 million annual visitors and encompasses 1,904 square miles. Therefore, it is no surprise why it is one of the country's most treasured natural wonders! This spectacular landmark is a place that every person should make a point to experience. It would be virtually impossible to see all that it offers nonetheless; we can make some helpful recommendations so that your future trip will be an awesome experience!

LOCATION

Decide on which side of The Grand Canyon you want to see. The South Rim will access the most park services available but remember that this section will have a large amount of vacationers. Alternatively, the North Rim offers a secluded environment at higher elevations. If you are interested in the North Rim, plan your trip between the middle of May to mid October. It will only be accessible at those times since snowfall starts earlier in the season compared to the South Rim.

PREPARING AHEAD

Figure out when and the length of time you will be visiting the Grand Canyon so that you can take advantage of its incredible sights. Generally, people devote a day to three days touring. The most popular times to visit the Grand Canyon are spring, summer, and fall. The South Rim is open year round and is generally busiest in the summer. If you are interested in embarking on an activity such as a Grand Canyon Day Tour, hiking trips, helicopter tours, or white water rafting. These tourist attractions are very popular and you will need to make reservations several months ahead of time. Between scheduled tours don't forget to visit of the local museums and picturesque roads and trails. Many visitors enjoy visiting The Grand CanyonVillage. This village offers great lodging and gives you access to Yavapai Point.

TRANSPORTATION

The Grand Canyon is accessible by driving or flying and there are many day tours offered leaving from neighboring areas. Most vacationers depart from Phoenix, AZ, Flagstaff, AZ, or Las Vegas, NV. Riding on a bus or driving yourself to South Rim will allow you to experience the terrain however, flying will offer a breathtaking view. It will take approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to reach the canyon if you plan on driving from Phoenix and 4 hours and 9 minutes from Las Vegas. The North Rim is typically accessed from the South Rim by car, bus, or flight.

ACCOMMODATIONS

The canyon has several lodging possibilities for its travelers. Everything from outdoor camping, lodges, RV parks, to hotels are available. If you plan on lodging at a campsite there is an average fee of $40 a night. Rooms at a local hotel or The El Tovar Hotel can range between $100 to $400 a night. In either case there are pros and cons to each option. Either way you can't go wrong!

The Grand Canyon should most certainly be on everyone's to do list. Properly planning your Grand Canyon Day Tour or multi-day visit is important if you would like to experience everything it offers. Tourplicity provides visitors with a terrific catalog of tours to enjoy. Have a look at our Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Las Vegas options if you are interested in visiting. Contact us today to set up your Grand Canyon experience!

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Discover the Best With Grand Canyon Tours from Phoenix

When your traveling schedule involves Phoenix, ensure to take in one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon, through the various choices offered with the Grand Canyon tours from Phoenix. With the Grand Canyon South Rim just 225 miles north of Phoenix, you're close to a wide range of tour choices, including day trips, hiking, raft floats, Jeep tours, helicopter rides, airplane tours and rail excursions. The scenery is terrific and the choices are endless.

The 277-mile long Grand Canyon exhibits nearly two billion years of the geological history with a 6,000-foot cut-- one mile equals 5,280 feet-- into the Colorado Plateau. President Teddy Roosevelt was a 1903 tourist to what was created as the Grand Canyon Game Preserve in 1906, which became a national monument in 1908, and then developed as the 17th national park in the U.S. with President Woodrow Wilson's signature in 1919.

If you can pinch just three hours away from your hectic lifestyle, the Grand Canyon air tour is the swiftest version of the Grand Canyon tours from Phoenix that is accessible to you. From the air, the geological panoramas of this amazing feature takes your breath away. You'll also take in the red rocks of Sedona, the volcanic San Francisco Peaks, the Tonto National Forest, which is the fifth largest in the U.S., and the magnitude of the Grand Canyon that spans up to 18 miles wide. You obtain 20 minutes of time above the mile-deep chasm with this aerial tour. After the panoramic canyon experience, you enjoy a one-hour ride back to Phoenix.

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Outstanding Grand Canyon Tours From Sedona

Among the very best aspects about picking this northern Arizona community as your starting point is that you get to select from numerous Grand Canyon tours from Sedona. Targeted as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, this astounding formation lays open over two billion years of the earth's geological history from its 6,000-foot depth. The Grand Canyon is certainly huge, measuring up to 18 miles wide and 277 miles long.

In the Airplane, Helicopter, Boat-- The Grand Canyon Extreme Tour!, you take in an air and water experience while sightseeing this astonishing chasm. You fly a short hop of 108 miles from Sedona to Grand Canyon West on a comfy aircraft. After a quick visit, a quick helicopter hop drops you into the floor of the Grand Canyon to the Colorado River. Then, you enjoy a pontoon boat float while looking up canyon walls that extend over a mile above your head.

You get another transfer up those same walls for lunch, presented by the Hualapai (pronounced wal-lah-pie), a recognized Native American tribe whose name means "people of the tall pines" in their language. An option concerning this tour is a stroll on a cantilever, U-shaped bridge that features a glass floor suspending you 4,000 feet above the floor of the canyon. The roundtrip airplane travel, chopper ride, pontoon boat trip and lunch are all included within this variety of the Grand Canyon tours from Sedona. A hotel pickup and Skywalk entry fees are not included.

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