Grand Canyon I am pretty sure that you have already heard about the Grand Canyon and might fancy a visit there too. But in case if you have not yet then I am here to introduce you to this splendid wonder of nature. Grand Canyon National Park is a natural wonder is surrounded by uttermost pleasure and calmness. The Great Grand Canyon is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This is not just but this place offers you the most spectacular views that you will never forget. you can also enjoy hiking and rafting here, it also offers your the experience that will make your holiday a picture-perfect vacation. This place is the gift of nature to us which means there is no doubt that by visiting this place your will enjoy and relax with nature at the same time. So, you should go through this guide it will definitely help you to know about this place.
Where is the Grand Canyon?
Blog Post Content
Grand Canyon National Park is located in the northwestern area of Arizona, northwest of the city of Flagstaff in the southwestern United States.
Who discovered the Grand Canyon?
At first, in 1540 Spanish explorers led by Hopi guides were the first Europeans to reach the Grand Canyon. In 1858, when there was U.S. botanist, who was also a soldier and explorer Joseph Christmas Ives entered the Grand Canyon on a mapping expedition of Colorado. The first geologist, an American geologist John Newberry who served as a naturalist on the expedition to study the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Then almost a decade later, John Wesley Powell and another U.S. soldier and explorer come to explore Grand Canyon. By his expedition, more details come across with the detailed maps of the Colorado River by the route of Canyon. Visiting Grand Canyon is a very overwhelming experience for all of us.
When was the Grand Canyon discovered?
In 1540 the Grand Canyon was first discovered when the group of 13 Spanish soldiers led by Garcia Lopez de traveled northwards from Mexico City they are Cardenas dispatched from the army of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado on its hunt to find the fabulous Seven Cities of Gold. It is also believed that the Colorado River began carving the Grand Canyon about 6 million years ago, but it became clear in the studies of 2012 which suggested that the process may be begun almost 70 million years ago. Rocks of the Grand Canyon record 1.9 billion years of Earth’s history. The Inner Gorge of the Grand Canyon is made up of a combination of some of the oldest rocks that are situated in North America.
Also, Read Does It Snow in California
How was the Grand Canyon formed?
By some studies, scientists came to a result that suggests that the process to form the Grand Canyon may be started around 5 to 6 million years ago when the Colorado River started to cut a channel through layers of rock. Since the last ice age when humans started to inhabit this area. In 1893, President Benjamin Harrison first protected the Grand Canyon as a forest reserve then it became an official United States National Park in 1919.
How old is the Grand Canyon?
It has been about 150 years, experts have been debating on the age of the Grand Canyon that how old is the Grand Canyon? But, the Grand Canyon is a merger of some old and new sections, as per the information published in the Nature Geo-science journal, by the researchers. On the other hand, some scientists believe that the Grand Canyon is about 70 million years old and some other scientists suggest that this is a natural wonder which is only 5 to 6 million years old. But if we consider they both are right. Researchers examined that rocks in Grand Canyon have high so-called thermochronology in them, by using this thermochronology the U.S. scientists were able to determine that when the Earth’s interior hot rocks came to the surface and then cooled here. According to the studies made by the scientists, two middle sections are the Hurricane segment and the other is the Eastern Grand Canyon segment, which was formed between 50 to 70 million and between 15 to 25 million years ago. However, there are two other sections are also present there which are much younger than those and they are craved out only five or six million years ago.
Also, Read Does It Snow in Australia
How big is the Grand Canyon?
Grand Canyon is the most iconic National Park in the world, it is amazingly big. Grand Canyon is overwhelming in its scale and humbling in its grandeur. The widest part of the Grand Canyon is at 18 miles of a stretch as the crow flies. It is the same length of 7 miles as stretching from the Lower Manhattan north into New Jersey. In contrast to this, the Grand Canyon is only 4 miles wide at its narrowest point. To put it as a perspective, the most famous slots of the Grand Canyon are just 5 feet wide at some of the places of Arizona and Utah like Spooky, Gluch, and Buckskin Gulch. The best way to enjoying and explore the place is hiking rim–to–rim, but trust me after doing this you will be left with more than a little to explore. You can also hike from Los Angeles to San Francisco in the same amount of mileage which is having over 400 miles of the most known trails in the Grand Canyon.
How long is the Grand Canyon?
The great Grand Canyon has a length of about 277 miles from the end of Marble Canyon to Pearce Ferry and the Grand Wash Cliffs which is located just east of Las Vegas. Hoover Dam is the official modern end of the Grand Canyon that came into existence in 1933, nearly after the 6 million years when the Grand Canyon began to be craved by the Colorado River. In case to are amazed at the spectacular view of the Grand Canyon and you wanted to jump in the car and drive 227 miles then it will get you to the north of New York City from Washington, D.C.
How deep is the Grand Canyon?
As we all know that size is a thing that we have to measure in three dimensions such as length, width, and also depth. So in addition to the length and width of the Grand Canyon, it also has depth. Grand Canyon has one mile of depth. It has 5280 feet or 1610 meters metrically inclined folks. For instance, the depth measurement of the Grand Canyon can be done if you could stack 4 Empire State Buildings, both Petronas Tower, or 22 Statues of Liberty on each other to reach its depth. If 5000 individual canyons combined then it comes to make a Grand Canyon.
Also, Read Does It Snow in Georgia
Which river flows through the Grand Canyon?
The Colorado River flows within the boundaries of the Great Grand Canyon National Park. The Colorado River sweeps an area of approximately 41070 square miles. Some major streams feed the Colorado River such as Kanab, Havasu creeks, and Paria river these are some of the major and large spring systems on both the sides of the Canyon that is north and south. These water sources are intermittent or ephemeral. The geologic structure, seasonality, and annual precipitation are the key factors that determined the water level and availability of the water in these sources of water. Although, the knowledge of all water sources within the Grand Canyon is incomplete yet. Only a partial inventory was made in 1979, 1881 square mile area of the park which was founded as 57 water sources out of which 21 are streams and 36 are seeps. There are also some specific geologic layers, such as the Muav limestone, that are the most common sources for these water sources.
How far is the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas?
Distance from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon
If you are in Las Vegas then it is not worth it that you should miss the opportunity to visit one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World; the Grand Canyon. There are three main diverse rims of the Grand Canyon that are available for touring or explore. The rims are the West Rim, the South Rim, and the North Rim. The distance from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon entirely depends on which rim of the Grand Canyon you want to reach.
- The North Rim and the South Rim both are located at a distance of 270 miles from the strip of Las Vegas, which takes about 4 to 5 hours to be covered.
- The West Rim of the Grand Canyon is located at a distance of about 130 miles from Las Vegas, on average it takes 2 to 3 hours to be covered.
But why you have to drive when there are several options available there to reach Grand Canyon from Las Vegas that are buses, airplanes and adventure tours that run from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon.
Now the question comes that which part of the Grand Canyon is closest to Las Vegas and is the Grand Canyon a day trip from Las Vegas? The answer is that the West Rim of the Grand Canyon is the closest point to reach from Las Vegas, which is located at about a distance of 130 miles from the heart of Las Vegas. On average it takes 2 to 3 hours to be covered. And it can be a day trip from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon because the all rims of the Grand Canyon are within a few hours of distance from Las Vegas.
Also, Read Does It Snow in Texas
Best time to visit the Grand Canyon
The best time to visit the Grand Canyon is from March to May and from September to November. In these months the day temperature is quite cool and also not that much crowd at these time of the year. And in case you have decided that you are visiting during the summer season then you have to be prepared for a horde of tourists and a few options to stay there. But in the winter season, you can find special discounts and many options available for hotels to stay. But almost all parts of the Grand Canyon like the North Rim closes after the first snowfall of the season. On the other hand, the South Rim remains open throughout the year.
