The
Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the state
of Arizona in the United States. It is contained within and managed by Grand
Canyon National Park, the Kaibab National Forest, Grand Canyon-Parashant
National Monument, the Hualapai Tribal Nation, the Havasupai people and the
Navajo Nation. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation
of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and
enjoy the scenery.
The
Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and
attains a depth of over a mile (6,093 feet or 1,857 meters). Nearly two billion
years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and
its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the
Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While some aspects about the history of incision
of the canyon are debated by geologists, several recent studies support the
hypothesis that the Colorado River established its course through the area
about 5 or 6 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River has driven
the down-cutting of the tributaries and retreat of the cliffs, simultaneously
deepening and widening the canyon.
For
thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native
Americans, who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The
Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon a holy site, and made pilgrimages to
it. The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López
de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.
The
Grand Canyon Skywalk
The Skywalk, managed by the
Hualapai Tribe and located on tribal lands, consists of a horseshoe shaped
steel frame with glass floor and sides that projects about 70 feet (21 m) from
the canyon rim. While the Skywalk is the most famous attraction at Grand Canyon
West, tours also include other points of interest and unique canyon views. The
Hualapai Tribe collects fees to enter any part of the reservation as certain
parts of the reservation are restricted to the general public. All fees are
subject to change at any time.
Weather
Weather in the Grand Canyon
varies according to elevation. The forested rims are high enough to receive
winter snowfall, but along the Colorado River in the Inner Gorge, temperatures
are similar to those found in Tucson and other low elevation desert locations
in Arizona. Conditions in the Grand Canyon region are generally dry, but
substantial precipitation occurs twice annually, during seasonal pattern shifts
in winter (when Pacific storms usually deliver widespread, moderate rain and
high-elevation snow to the region from the west) and in late summer (due to the
North American Monsoon, which delivers waves of moisture from the southeast,
causing dramatic, localized thunderstorms fueled by the heat of the day). Average
annual precipitation on the South Rim is less than 16 inches (41 cm), with 60
inches (150 cm) of snow; the higher North Rim usually receives 27 inches (69
cm) of moisture, with a typical snowfall of 144 inches (370 cm); and Phantom
Ranch, far below the Canyon's rims along the Colorado River at 2,500 feet (762
m) gets just 8 inches (20 cm) of rain, and snow is a rarity.
Grand
Canyon tourism
Grand Canyon National Park is one
of the world's premier natural attractions, attracting about five million
visitors per year. Overall, 83% were from the United States: California
(12.2%), Arizona (8.9%), Texas (4.8%), Florida (3.4%) and New York (3.2%)
represented the top domestic visitors. Seventeen percent of visitors were from
outside the United States; the most prominently represented nations were the
United Kingdom (3.8%), Canada (3.5%), Japan (2.1%), Germany (1.9%) and The
Netherlands (1.2%). The South Rim is open all year round weather permitting.
The North Rim is generally open mid-May to mid-October.
