American culture has gone around the world hand in hand with its powerful culture industry. There is no doubt, we know places, corners, destinations, within the United States, that we have never set foot on or we dream of visiting: will it be the Grand Canyon of the Colorado one of them?
Without a doubt, it is a landscape worth seeing. They overwhelm its size, its majesty, its hidden beauties. That is why today we will focus on this natural accident formed millions of years ago that is waiting for us in North America.
Grand Canyon
It is a steep canyon that has formed the Colorado River in Arizona. Measure 446 kilometers long and 29 kilometers wide. At its deepest part it is just over 1800 meters.
Today the entire area is part of the Grand Canyon National Park and a couple of indigenous reservations, the Hualapai and the Navajo, specifically. The canyon has been formed around two billion years ago and today geologists agree that some five or six million years ago the Colorado River definitively established its course, shaping it and constantly deepening and widening the fissure.
While it is a deep canyon by no means is it the deepest canyon in the world, that one is in Nepal, but it's really huge and its intricate layout makes it beautiful.
Grand Canyon tourism
Attracts five million visitors year and more than 80% are US citizens while the rest come from Europe. It has to be said that there are two sectors: South Rim and North Rim. Bill South Rim is open all year And it is during the summer months, between June and August, that there are more people but during the spring it is also quite popular and the same in autumn, from September to October.
Obviously, in winter the number of visitors drops a lot because it is cold. In fact, the North Rim closes in winter and it opens between mid-May and mid-October if the weather is good. It is a sector that naturally receives fewer visits so does not have so many facilities like his brother from the south. Between them there are 350 kilometers, about five hours drive.
The South Rim or Extreme South is at about 2300 meters of altitude and the North Rim at about 2700 meters. It is a lot of height so one can easily get exhausted. The Colorado River passes 1500 meters below the South Rim, well below, so it is only visible from a few strategically placed vantage points.
If you really want to see it then you have to take a jeep and do two and a half hours from the South Rim to Lees Ferry. Here is Lees Ferry the river "officially" begins and it is only a few meters deep. The South Rim is 100 miles from Williams, Arizona and 130 from Flagstaff, the city served by Amtrak trains. From here you can catch buses to the Grand Canyon.
The Far North is a less populated and more remote area. There is no airport or train station nearby so you can only get there by car. You can fly to Las Vegas, 420 kilometers to the west, but there is no public transport to this sector of the park, only seasonal buses that connect the south with the north in season. Like we said, the South Rim is open year round 24 hours.
Shuttle buses are free in the populated area of the Grand Canyon. Remember that joining both ends by car involves a five-hour drive. For its part, the Far North is only open from May to October, which is the accommodation and the camping area. It is always advisable to make reservations. Do not dare to drive because there is snow, so it must be said that it is not advisable to do anything adventurous around here.
Well basically the best activities are concentrated in the so-called Extreme South But what we do will depend on the time we have. With a couple of hours we can walk through the panoramic points from Mather, Yaki or Yavapai, with half a day available we can learn a little about the geological history of the canyon in one of the visitor centers, go by bike or on foot the Greenway trail to Paraje Pima or take the Hemrit Airway ferry.
You can also sign up in the ranger programs, but you have to know English, of course. If you have a whole day there is more long trails to do, for example the South Kaibab or the Bright Angel, or by car do the Desert View Route. And if you have a couple of days, ideally because we are not going to go that far to walk a couple of hours, obviously, we can already plan different activities through the canyon.
Even, having come from afar, we cannot just stay with the extreme south, we must visit the extreme north. In this case it is always advisable to hire a tour but you can choose to walk, ride a jeep, ride a mule, or go backpacking to experience the beauties of the canyon.
Does the Grand Canyon National Park have a paid entrance? Yes, the entrance includes both ends and is valid for one week, seven days, so you have time to organize the trip. If you go by car you must process a permit for $ 30. If you go by motorcycle it is a little cheaper and costs 25 dollars. An adult person on foot or by bike or as a member of a group pays 15 dollars.
If you decide camping inside the park you must also pay, per night. You have to book and these types of tickets sell out quickly so don't fall asleep. And if you don't want to camp then there are hotels and lodges. The only lodging at the base of the canyon is the Phantom Ranch with cabins that are reserved up to 13 months in advance.
And finally, we can't help but remember that the Grand Canyon is not in New York or Orlando but in a fairly distant corner of the United States. This means that you do not have the comforts that big cities offer, neither in terms of car workshops, hospital services or gas stations. It is an adventure from beginning to end so you have to be in all the details if we go on our own, that is, renting a car or a caravan. If you do not want to suffer any difficulties, then there are always the tours.