Grand Canyon Tourist News

Do you know these facts about the Grand Canyon? Test your knowledge about one of the United States' most popular natural attractions!

With about five million visitors every single year, the Grand Canyon is one of the United States' most popular naturally occurring tourist attractions, as there are many Grand Canyon tours, Grand Canyon hotels and sights to see for visitors. As such, there are a lot of facts that are commonly repeated on every website, brochure, or booklet about the Grand Canyon. If you are tired of hearing the same information over and over, here are 10 intriguing facts that you probably don't know about one of our most beautiful national landmarks.

1. The Grand Canyon was one of our very first national parks. President Theodore Roosevelt first made it a game preserve in 1906, and then redesignated it as a U.S. National Monument in 1908. It wasn't until 1919, 11 years later, that President Woodrow Wilson made it a national park -- one of our first.

2. There aren't any dinosaur fossils at the Grand Canyon! You'd think this would be the perfect place to find dinosaur fossils, but actually the rocks here are far older than the dinosaurs. The fossils you find are simple prehistoric creatures such as corals, sponges, and trilobites. You can also find fossilized reptile footprints, but there aren't any fossilized reptile skeletons.

3. The Grand Canyon is the second largest canyon in the world. Determining the largest canyon is difficult because there are so many measurements to take into account, but many consider the Grand Canyon to be the second largest canyon. The Tsangpo Canyon in Tibet is actually deeper and longer than the Grand Canyon.

4. The Spanish "discovered" the Grand Canyon in 1540 while searching for native riches. Francisco Vázquez de Coronado was looking for the mythological Seven Cities of Gold when his expedition encountered the Grand Canyon. They explored the canyon only briefly due to lack of water.

5. The widest point of the Grand Canyon is farther than the average American's commute to work. The average commute is only about 15 miles, and the widest part of the Grand Canyon is 18 miles!

6. The weather can vary dramatically between the North Rim and the South Rim. Just because it's all part of the same canyon doesn't mean the weather is the same. The North Rim is considerably higher in elevation, and as a result is quite a bit cooler and more unpredictable, with the possibility of snow almost year round. As a result, the North Rim is only open to visitors in the late spring, summer, and early fall.

7. People have been in the Grand Canyon for at least 3,000 years. Human artifacts discovered in the Grand Canyon date back to about 3 or 4 thousand years, so people have lived in and around the canyon for a very, very long time. In addition, not much has changed about the way it looks over that amount of time, so think about that when you're standing at the South Rim -- what you're seeing isn't much different than what people saw thousands of years ago!

8. The Grand Canyon was a holy site for the native peoples in the area. People have been making trips to the Grand Canyon long before it became a popular tourist destination. The canyon had important spiritual meaning for the Pueblo Indians, and therefore the focus of many pilgrimages.

9. The Havasupai Indians still live in the Grand Canyon. Supai Village is only accessible via helicopter or horse and mule trails that climb in and out of the canyon. Tourists can stay in the village and hike and camp in Havasu Canyon, which is part of the Grand Canyon.

10. Nature isn't the only attraction at the Grand Canyon! There are several historical buildings located in the canyon, from an 1890s cabin (now used as a guest house) to the Grand Canyon Railway Depot. The Desert View Watchtower, built in 1932, looks a lot older because it was designed to look like an Ancient Puebloan (Anasazi) watchtower.

The Grand Canyon is more than just a national park -- it has a rich geological and cultural history that we can be proud of. Visiting the canyon is sure to be the trip of a lifetime, but you'll appreciate it all that much more if you know something more about it than just how long or deep it is!

The Grand Canyon is referred to as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and rightfully so. Grand Canyon National Park is a sight to see, at is 18 miles wide and 1 mile deep, with more than 277 miles of river running through it. And with all that terrain at your disposal, there are many different ways to discover the sights of the Grand Canyon, depending on your interests. Here are ten different ways to explore the Grand Canyon, recommended by us!

1. Helicopter tours. Enjoying the sights of the Grand Canyon on a helicopter ride is a great way to experience all the breathtaking views and true beauty of nature. Helicopter tours are a great option for exploring the Grand Canyon especially if you are in a time crunch but want to see all that Grand Canyon National Park has to offer. Papillon Grand Canyon Tours will pick you up and drop you off right at your hotel.

There are many options when it comes to helicopter rides around the canyon - from simple tours of the main sights to limousine pick up and a champagne lunch in the canyon. After your lunch you can even hike and raft down the Colorado River - and finish off the day with a sunset flight out of the canyon.

2. Camping. Camping overnight at the Grand Canyon is an exciting experience, but can be difficult. Some of the night hike and backpacking routes are the most challenging in North America. That being said, camping overnight will allow you to see the beauty of the inner canyon - and not everyone can say that!

For those people who are capable and skilled enough to make the trek to the inner trails, it will be a life changing experience. But if you are not equipped or able to camp in the Grand Canyon - don't fret! There are many other ways to explore the beautiful nature found at Grand Canyon National Park. And don't forget to get a permit if you plan on staying the night.

3. Day hiking. Hiking is a great way to get closer to the amazing sights and nature found at the Grand Canyon, though it is a difficult feat. Since the Grand Canyon is in the desert, you must be prepared for desert climate, where water is scarce and the weather is dry and hot. Grand Canyon National Park covers more than 1.2 million acres - though some areas are inaccessible because of cliffs and serve as a natural habitat for many plants and animals.

The most enjoyable seasons for hiking are spring and fall. You should plan your hike based on distance and skill level of all parties involved, as there are many treacherous trails that are not suited for the average hiker. If you want to get up close and personal with the Grand Canyon environment but are not advanced enough to camp overnight, day hiking is a great option.

4. Air tours. Another option for those with a small window of time to explore the Grand Canyon is an air tour. Air tours are less expensive than helicopter tours, but the sights are just as amazing! Small, lightweight planes take you through the canyon sites. If you can afford to splurge, you can even discover the Grand Canyon in a private plane, outfitted to seat up to 17 people. Plane tours are a magnificent way to end a company trip to Arizona - but also serve as a fantastic way to view the canyon with observations, history and nature along the ride!

5. Bus tours. If air travel or hiking aren't your thing, there are other options for Grand Canyon tours that may be more up your alley: bus tours. Bus tours get you "so-close-I-can-touch-it" to the amazing scenery and are very budget friendly. Bus tours leave from many different locations and will transport you and your group to hot canyon spots.

On bus tours every seat is a great one, and no one in your party will have to sacrifice seeing the sights in order to drive. Also, most bus tours allow for sightseeing stops along the ride, so you can capture the worthwhile views through your camera lens. Additionally, many bus tours offer package deals that include a rafting trip or helicopter ride!

6. Rafting. If you are more inclined to water adventures, rafting in the Grand Canyon is an alternative to hiking, flying or driving! Though the water can be rough, rafting through the Grand Canyon is surely an exciting way to explore. There are many guided tour options available to take you on an exhilarating river expedition throughout the Grand Canyon.

Since the extend of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon is said to be one of the wildest stretches of whitewater in the United States, a rafting trip is something to be taken seriously. But the benefits of a rafting trip are aplenty - with side hikes and exploration being an option.

7. Visit the skywalk. The Grand Canyon Skywalk, made public in March 2007, allows Grand Canyon visitors to observe the amazing spectacle that is the Grand Canyon while walking peacefully on their own two feet. The Skywalk, open 365 days a year from sunup to sundown, has a glass bottom that allows visitors to feel the depth of the canyon beneath them.
There are three other points of interest at Grand Canyon West (where the Skywalk is located) that include Eagle Point, Guano Point and Hualapai Ranch. Since there is so much to see - you'll want to dedicate a good amount of time for exploring!

8. Mule ride. If hiking seems appealing to you but you don't want to commit to as much physical activity, you may want to consider taking a mule ride into the canyon. There are many different options when it comes to mule rides depending on how much you really want to explore the great Grand Canyon. Mule rides range from one hour to overnight and can bring you to different points of interest depending on what you would like to see and experience. For day trips, mule rides are reasonably priced and can be a family event, as children ages ten and older can participate.

9. Jeep tours. Jeep tours are a way for the whole family for to experience the Grand Canyon, but also allow you to see sights that are only accessible by dirt road. There are a variety of tours available, including from sunset tours to Indian paintings tours, so it all really depends on what you want to get out of the exploration! In addition to the awe-inspiring views, you may see some animals on your jeep tour, so don't forget your camera!

10. Drive. If you want to be cost-effective and don't mind being your own tour guide, driving around the Grand Canyon may be your best bet. There are many scenic routes that include pull-off spots to take in the views - some with great views of the Colorado River. Be sure to check your gas gauge frequently, as there are many stretches of road without any service stations.

No name is more easily associated with The Grand Canyon than John Wesley Powell. Two trips through the Canyon by boat, one in 1869 the second in 1871 brought the world's attention to this magnificent geologic landmark and the forces of nature that formed it. As the leader of both expeditions and the scientist who brought the story of The Grand Canyon to the American public, Powell secured his connection to the place forever.

Born in Mount Morris, NY in 1834, John Wesley Powell showed an early interest in the natural world. As a young man he set off on his own to explore his surroundings collecting specimens and learning the basics of zoology, botany and geology on his own. He attended Wheaton, Illinois and Oberlin Colleges. At the age of 22 in 1856 he is purported to have traveled the Mississippi river all the way to its mouth by boat. In 1857 he rowed the length of the Ohio River. In 1859 he was elected to the Illinois Natural History Society.

When the Civil War began, Powell enlisted in the 20th Illinois as a second lieutenant. He fought at Shiloh but unfortunately lost his right arm at Pittsburg Landing. Limited as he was, he returned to the fighting as soon as he was healed with only one arm but this time with his wife Emma Dean to look after some of his needs. He was later made major.

When he left the army in 1865 he became a professor of geology at Illinois Wesleyan University, lectured at Illinois State Normal University and helped found and became curator of the Illinois Museum of Natural History.

By 1867 he was anxious to get back into the field. He explored some of the Rockies and the area of Wyoming around the Green River formulating a plan to explore the Grand Canyon by boat. In 1869 with funding from the Smithsonian Institution he gathered 9 men who would travel with him on this wild and unexplored river and provisioned the expedition for a 10 month trip. They left Green River, WY in May and ran heavy rapids full of spring runoff to the confluence with the Grand River (today called the Colorado). Filled with silt from gouging the gorge, the Grand was in those days described by some as "too thick to drink and too thin to plow".

One month into the trip they had lost one boat and most of their supplies in a series of over-turnings in the rapids. One member of the group, Frank Goodman, decided to leave the expedition and walk out at a settlement saying he had enough excitement for a lifetime. Three others left the expedition a short time later at Separation Canyon and were not heard from again. Many have speculated about their fate but no conclusive evidence has led to understanding of what happened to them. Only two days later the remaining party of five arrived at the Virgin River (now flooded by Lake Meade) and met settlers who fished there.

When Powell returned to Illinois, he went around the State lecturing on his journey and what they had discovered. He earned enough to fund a second expedition in 1871-72 bringing back photographs by John K. Hillers and producing a map of the route.

In 1881 Powell became the second director of the United States Geological Survey and also the director of the Bureau of Ethnology at the Smithsonian. He had become interested in North American Native Languages and published in this area until his retirement in 1894. He died in1902 at his summer home in Maine and is buried with honors in Arlington National Cemetery.

While the natural sites of Grand Canyon National Park are what draw most people, the man-made and historical attractions in the Park are often just as inviting once they are discovered and explored. Many of these sites have sprung from the vision of "the best unknown architect in America" Mary Jane Elizabeth Colter.

While Colter was born in the East in Pittsburgh, PA in 1869, she saw the West while she was still quite young traveling with her family through areas such as Texas and Colorado. At a time when there were no women architects Colter was accepted to the California School of Design in 1886 and trained in both architecture and interior design.

At the turn of the 20th century railroads were carrying people West for many reasons and hotels and restaurants were needed to serve them along the way. Fred Harvey formed a company that built a series of hotels and restaurants called Harvey houses. These were staffed by specially trained women in high-necked collars known as Harvey Girls. They set a high standard for comfort and service as people traveled west. Mary Colter was hired to decorate the Alvarado Harvey Hotel in Albuquerque, NM in 1901. By 1910 she was working for the company full time and setting her sights on architectural design rather than interior design.

She remained with the Harvey Company for over thirty years and designed over twenty hotels for them in that time throughout the West including La Posada Hotel in Santa Fe which has been restored and remains her masterpiece.

The Harvey Company became a partner with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad when it began taking tourists to the Grand Canyon. That provided Mary Colter with the opportunity to work with the National Park Service as well designing buildings within the Park. Between 1905 and 1932 this chain smoking woman in bright pink designed eight buildings at the Grand Canyon for the Park Service four of which are Nation Historic Landmarks today.

A hallmark of Colter architecture in the Park is the look of antiquity she gave newly constructed buildings. The day they were completed they appeared as if they had been there for centuries. Her style became known as National Park Service Rustic and was employed in other parks and by the CCC in the mid 20th century. Colter's buildings in the Grand Canyon were made of local stone, much of it uncut, and built by local, often Native American craftsmen. She designed several buildings after Hopi structures. Hopi House and the Watchtower are examples drawn from her research and travels among that tribe. The Watchtower became the Park's signature building. Colter had the interior painted by local a local Hopi artist and the Hopis oversaw the opening of that building.

She built Hermit House to look like it was cobbled together by a mountain man with no thought to permanence. It does have some wonderful views of the canyon from its windows, however. She was instrumental in changing the name of the group of buildings known as Roosevelt Ranch to Phantom Ranch in order to make it sound more intriguing to tourists.

The Bright Angel Lodge is a prime example of the use of local materials reflecting the region in the construction. The "geological fireplace" in the lodge was built by layering the rocks in the fireplace in the same order as the geologic structure of the canyon walls with the oldest rock forming the base of the structure.

After many more years of designing buildings around the West, Colter retired in 1948. Some believe that she is not better known as an architect even though it is likely that more people have seen her buildings than have seen those of Frank Lloyd Wright, because she only built in the West. Mary Colter died in 1958.

Fifty botanical illustrations depicting Grand Canyon National Park's interesting, rare, and sensitive plant species are on display at Kolb Studio on the South Rim starting Friday, July 2, 2010. The exhibition Grand Canyon's Green Heart: The Unsung Legacy of Plants brings to light the park's incredibly diverse plant communities and the National Park Service's efforts to preserve and protect them.

Artists and botanists have used pen-and-ink and full-color botanical illustrations for centuries to help identify and describe plants. Those on display at Kolb Studio were created by volunteer artists with the Desert Botanical Garden's Art and Illustration Program, under the direction of curator Wendy Hodgson.

The illustrations will be included in the revised edition of Nancy J. Brian's book, A Field Guide to the Special Status Plants of Grand Canyon National Park, so it was crucial for the drawings to be accurate and as detailed as possible. Grand Canyon vegetation program manager Lori Makarick explains the importance of botanical illustrations: "Because many of these plants are so rare, very few photographs or herbarium specimens exist to help identify them. Because we first need to know what plants are out there in order to properly preserve and protect them for future generations, these illustrations help park biologists distinguish rare plants from other closely related species and then monitor the health of the populations in the park."

Curator Hodgson hopes that visitors will also find inspiration in the beauty of the illustrations. "The volunteer [artists] have donated months of their time to hone their craft," she says.

The exhibition also includes large-scale photographs by Gary Ladd and interpretive text to help tell the story of the plant life throughout the canyon. It's a history that begins in the last ice age and continues through today's plant communities, even looking at how those communities might change in the future. Gardening buffs and visitors interested in geology, biology, and botany will also enjoy learning about the history of botanical research in Grand Canyon, from the first herbarium sample ever collected in the park to the current comprehensive vegetation-mapping project. Other sections explore the life zones found in the park and how different types of soils, isolation, and elevation impact plant diversity.

According to Grand Canyon Association director Susan Schroeder, the exhibit covers an often forgotten aspect of the canyon. "The beautiful illustrations truly blend art and science," she says. Park superintendent Steve Martin is excited to share the exhibit's message about the conservation work done by the National Park Service. "Many people are unaware that Grand Canyon National Park has the greatest plant diversity of any national park," he says.

The National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Reclamation are working together to save an endangered freshwater fish, the humpback chub. The latest effort was the June 23, 2010, translocation of 300 young fish from the Colorado River to Shinumo Creek, near the Kaibab Plateau on Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim.

The first group of humpback chub (Gila cypha) to be successfully relocated to Shinumo Creek arrived in 2009 as part of a multi-year experiment. The hope is that this Grand Canyon tributary of the Colorado River can become the home to a new spawning aggregation--an area where many fish come together to reproduce. Currently, the humpback chub only spawn and reach adulthood in a tributary of the Little Colorado River.

If this experiment works, it will provide researchers with significant data on the effectiveness of translocation as a way to protect this endangered species. Fish and Wildlife Service researchers will monitor the humpback chub population before planning any additional releases.

Although the humpback chub is well suited to the high velocity, seasonal variability, and high turbidity (or murkiness) of the Colorado River basin, human-caused changes to the river's flow and ecosystem have devastated the population. The largest remaining habitat for the fish is near the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers in Grand Canyon.

Studies of the water quality, water temperature, and available food in Shinumo Creek suggest that it could be an ideal place to establish a new spawning ground. The barrier falls just above where Shinumo joins the Colorado River keeps invasive, predatory fish from accessing the creek, which is located approximately at River Mile 109.

The translocated fish were captured in their native habitat near the mouth of the Little Colorado River in 2009. They were treated to kill any parasites they might bring with them to Shinumo, kept over the winter, and then implanted with passive-integrated transponders, or PIT tags. PIT tags are glass-enclosed tracking devices that are surgically implanted under an animal's skin to let wildlife researchers remotely monitor an their movement and health. Specialists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Dexter National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center in southeastern New Mexico will track the humpback chub populations. It was researchers at the Center who were able to confirm that fish from the first translocation were feeding and behaving normally almost immediately after being released.

Monitoring trips planned for June and again in September, combined with data from the PIT tag antenna, will allow biologists to assess the health and growth of the 2009 group of humpback chub. One element that will be closely studied is whether humpback chub will be able to withstand monsoonal flooding as a result of heavy rains or snowmelt. Shinumo Creek didn't flood last year after the first translocation, so researchers are seeking more data.

While this program is still experimental, if it proves successful, the NPS may plan more translocation efforts as a way to restore native fish populations in the park. Juvenile humpback chub may have a greater chance of survival in the slightly calmer, warmer waters of Shinumo; larger fish may do better if they move to the Colorado River, which could lead to increased populations there. Grand Canyon National Park superintendent Steve Martin is looking forward to the results of the experiment. "I'm excited about the upcoming humpback chub translocation," he says. "This conservation tool may become an important part of the recovery efforts for this Colorado River native fish."

The National Park Service has no closures planned because of the translocation experiment, but they ask anglers in Shinumo Creek to immediately release any humpback chub they may accidentally catch. The fish can be identified by their silver color, small eyes, and large fins. Juvenile fish will not yet have the pronounced hump behind their head that gives the species its name.