Looking S.E. from Walhalla Overlook on the North Rim

The Grand Canyon. You would expect the name to say it all, but it doesn't. John Muir wrote,"It seems a gigantic statement for even nature to make all in one mighty stone word". But I wonder if it isn't the prose that overwhelms us, because the vastness of the Canyon leaves us speechless. The Spanish Conquistadors were the first Europeans to see the Canyon in 1540 when they explored the west. In 1858 the Geological Society of America sponsored field studies in the canyon. And in 1869, General John Wesley Powell explored the Colorado Plateau. From the Green River to the Colorado River and on down the Great Gorge of the Colorado River, The Grand Canyon.

The South Rim of the Canyon is where most of the visitors view the Canyon. Visiting the various viewpoints along the road allows people to see most of it's 1.2 million acres. When looking into the Canyon you are likely to catch only a glimpse of the Colorado River, even though you can hear it crash and wash through The Granite Gorge far below. When you look into the Canyon you are looking back through hundreds of millions of years.

Traditional view from South Rim looking North

There isn't much that can be seen of The Colorado River from the North Rim, as is evidenced by the first photo. It is only six miles from the South Rim to the North Rim. But there is a difference is the way the Canyon is viewed.

View is to the west Zoroaster Temple in foreground

The North Rim is another 1000 feet above the South Rim,three hours driving time and two complete ecosystems away. But the canyon views are always spectacular. They give a real understanding of the vertical area involved in canyon distances. You stand at Cape Royal and the Canyon is all around. And at sunrise the light washes the shadows from the depths.

South Rim of The Grand Canyon at sunrise

As with most National Parks, The Grand Canyon is remote. Approximately eighty miles north of Flagstaff, Arizona on U.S. Highway 180, and then another 215 miles around to the North Rim. I suppose that you could see it all at once. But, why bust your hump? You're on vacation. A convenient way to start your trip is to go to

The Grand Canyon.