Posted June 7, 2018 by travelaroundthegalaxy1 Comment united states

The Grand Canyon

There is something magical about visiting the Grand Canyon; it is one of the most impressive natural wonders I have ever seen with my own eyes. It will definitely leave a lasting impression on anyone who visits. Carved into the landscape by the Colorado River, this massive Canyon cuts across the otherwise arid desert, exposing billions of years of geological history visible along the canyon walls.

While not the deepest or the longest Canyon in the world, the Grand Canyon lives up to its name. The Canyon stretches across the Colorado Plateau for a length of 446-km (277-miles) and reaches a depth of over 1800-meters (6000-feet deep). It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States – over 6 million people visited the Grand Canyon National Park in 2017 alone. It is one of the seven natural Wonders of the World, and one of the most impressive natural sights in the United States.

There are several ways to experience the canyon, generally split into either the South or North Rim. In 2015, I was in Las Vegas for a friends wedding and made the decision to spend one of my free days exploring the Canyon. I was able to rent a car for 24 hours and made the 3-hour drive to the nearest entry point, and got to see the canyon from the Skywalk located in Peach Springs, Arizona. While you’re not allowed to bring your own camera onto the skywalk, there is more than enough natural beauty that can be seen from the surrounding vistas.

The Canyon itself is just indescribable; while I had seen pictures and read about the Canyon before visiting, you’re never really prepared for how massive it feels looking down into the Canyon and the Colorado River meandering through the valley below. The Colorado Plateau was once below sea level, and over time geology has pushed this piece of land to its current altitude. The many layers of rock that have been exposed over time as the river below carved itself deeper into the ground, revealing over 2 billion years of history.

This place is something everyone should experience with their own eyes. There are many different colours that reveal themselves in the changing light, pictures alone will never do it justice. There are so many different places to get a unique view of the Canyon that you could spend a week exploring this part of Arizona and never come close to seeing everything.