Vast, magnificent, and unquestionably beautiful, the Grand Canyon is arguably Arizona’s most distinctive landmark. A natural wonder that must be seen to be believed!

It is one of the largest canyons in the world: 446 kilometers in length, width between 1.5 and 26 kilometers, and depth greater than 1.6 kilometers. The age of the rock layers is estimated to be 1.7 billion years.

The United States Congress established the Grand Canyon as a National Park in 1919, recognizing its beauty as well as its geological, ecological, and cultural richness. In 1979, the United Nations classified the canyon as a “World Heritage Site”.

The Grand Canyon National Park receives nearly 5 million visitors each year. Most visitors come to the South Rim, which is open year-round.

The tourist season peaks in the summer months (June to August), although spring (March to May) and fall (September to October) are becoming increasingly popular.

The North Rim, open from mid-May to mid-October, has fewer facilities and is also much less visited than the South Rim. It is located 4-hour drive north of the south shore.

There is a “third shore” named West Rim. This is where the Grand Canyon Skywalk is located. It is located a 4-hour drive west of the south shore.

It’s not the tallest canyon in the world (Barranca del Cobre in Mexico and Hells Canyon in Idaho are deeper), but the Grand Canyon is considered one of nature’s greatest works of art. It is also the most studied geological landscape.

At the Grand Canyon, everything is excessive and spectacular: the heights, the widths, and the colors – the cliffs display a palette of dazzling colors (white, beige, orange, red, etc.) which fuse with the green of the vegetation to form a spectacular view.

The canyon’s cross-section is generally made up of ten different rock layers from four geological eras. Each has its color and history. Some parts at the bottom of the gorge are said to be 2,000 million years old, which makes this site one of the oldest in the world.

In addition to the landscape, you will find fossils, amazing rock formations, caves, fauna (355 species of birds, 89 species of mammals, 47 species of reptiles, and 17 species of fish), and flora (1,500 species), all unique due to the presence of four different ecosystems.

General History Video

Geological History

The history of the Grand Canyon goes as back as approximately 1.7 billion years. During the late Precambrian (Proterozoic era). The sedimentary rocks that had slowly formed here were metamorphosed under the action of the high pressures and high temperatures of the magma. About 1.2 billion years ago, at the end of the Proterozoic, 4,000 meters of sediment and lava accumulated in a shallow sea.

Around 725 million years ago, these rocks were lifted and deformed to become a mountain range. A long process of erosion followed this period. Then the region was again invaded by the sea several times between 550 and 250 million years ago, giving rise to the formation of new strata of sandstone, limestone, and shale (Tonto and Supai groups).

Between 80 and 35 million years ago, the Laramian orogeny led to the formation of the Rocky Mountains, located further to the west, and deformations in the region of the current Grand Canyon. Intense volcanic activity began 6 million years ago, causing major lava flows.

A first hypothesis was that the Grand Canyon itself was formed from the end of the Cenozoic thanks to the erosive action of the Colorado River, reinforced by the opening of the Gulf of California downstream. New eruptions produced lava flows that formed several plugs in the gorge and formed lakes up to 600 meters deep.

According to more recent mineralogical data, it may be 17 million years older, or 11 million years older than previously thought (early 2008 estimate by the California Institute of Technology). Then the University of Colorado estimated that it existed 55 million years ago and that it could have started to deepen 65 million years ago, at the end of the age of the dinosaurs.

The Interior of the Gorges and Banks

The walls exposed to the north receive less sun than the others: they are colonized by plants that are usually found at higher altitudes or further north. The walls facing south have vegetation typical of the Sonoran Desert.

Over a hundred pairs of peregrine falcons live in the park. They feed on bats and small birds. Prairie falcons can also be observed. Eagles fish on the banks of the Colorado River and its tributaries. There are also various aquatic birds (ducks, etc.).

• North Shore: The north shore is wetter and colder than the south shore. Altitudes reach 2,800 meters. There are 2 coniferous forests: ponderosa pine, and blue spruce. Specific fauna: squirrel (black belly, whitetail) is an endemic species of the Kaibab plateau, puma, goshawk, and Spotted owl. Ponds attract many amphibians too.
• South Shore: The south shore is more arid than the north shore. The vegetation is adapted to the lack of water and the altitude: cactus, Utah juniper, umbrella pine, etc. Specific fauna: Abert’s squirrel, gray fox, hemione deer, Canadian mouflon, rock squirrel, etc.
• In the west of the park: The west of the park is part of the Mojave Desert with shrubs (Atriplex canescens, Larrea tridentata), and plants adapted to aridity (Utah Agave, Ratanhia, Acacia greggii, cactus, etc.)

General Flora 

At the bottom of the gorges, life depends on the waterways.

Expect cacti and hardy short bushes in desert environments.

Between 1,300 and 1,900 meters above sea level are forests of umbrella pine and Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma). Other species such as Artemisia tridentata, Ephedra, Yucca baccata, Oryzopsis hymenoides, and Sporobolus also grow at this altitude.

Between 1,900 meters and 2,500 meters in altitude: ponderosa pine, Quercus gambelii (Gabel oak), Robinia neomexicana, Cercocarpus, elderberry, Berberis repens, fescue, etc.

Above 2,500 meters: spruces and firs: – Picea engelmannii, blue spruce, Douglas fir, Colorado fir. Hardwoods such as aspen can also be found here. Other plants: Yarrow, Lupine, Cinquefoil, Cyperaceae, Aster.

Discovery, exploration, and Development

The Spanish explorers were the first white men to reach the region. In 1540, the viceroy of New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza, sent an expedition from present-day Mexico to the north, to discover the golden cities of Cibola. Captain Don García López de Cárdenas then discovered the Grand Canyon but gave up crossing it because he had not found a passage between the two shores. Missionaries were subsequently sent to evangelize to the indigenous populations.

The region remained largely unexplored until the middle of the 19th century. But the conquest of the West and population growth pushed the Americans to explore the area. In 1869, John Wesley Powell, a veteran of the Civil War, descended the Colorado River by boat: his expedition cost the lives of three of the nine men. But his story aroused the interest of geologists and nature lovers.

Mary Colter: Other than the spectacular natural landforms that the Grand Canyon offers, you also get to appreciate some of the most iconic structures established in this area. One of the earliest female architects that helped shape the Grand Canyon is Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter.

Mary Colter was born in Pittsburgh in 1869 and grew up in Texas, Colorado, and St. Paul, Minnesota. Colter was an interior designer, and later chief architect for the Fred Harvey Co. Some of her most creative works of art remain standing today in the Grand Canyon. Her creations were meant to blend in with or enhance their surroundings.

Some of her most outstanding creations include Hopi House, which was opened in 1905, and designed based on the traditional terraced Hopi dwelling. Others include Hermit’s Rest, Phantom Ranch, Desert View Watchtower, and Bright Angel Lodge & Cabins.

Theodore Roosevelt: Roosevelt Point was named in honor of the 26th President of the United States courtesy of his efforts to preserve the Grand Canyon. He was a staunch conservative and hunter who cared about natural resources and had a special interest in the Grand Canyon.

When he visited the Grand Canyon in May 1903, Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed, “Leave it as it is. You cannot improve upon it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.” In 1906, he signed the Antiquities Act into legislation, which enabled him to declare the historic landmarks, prehistoric structures, and other structures of scientific interest under government to be national monuments. Roosevelt also officially designated the Grand Canyon a national park in 1916.

Conclusion

The Colorado River carves its way through a mile-deep chasm in north-western Arizona. Its erosive action has exposed 40 different sedimentary layers, including rocks that are mind-bending 1.8 billion years old. Gazing upon this natural marvel as the purple shadows of twilight descend and a fiery sun melts into a starry night is nothing short of spectacular. If you get a chance, do visit this place, it has been preserved for your generation, and hundreds of generations to come.