The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the state of Arizona in the United States. It is contained within and managed by Grand Canyon National Park, the Hualapai Tribal Nation, the Havasupai Tribe and the Navajo Nation. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.
The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet or 1,800 meters). Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While the specific geologic processes and timing that formed the Grand Canyon are the subject of debate by geologists, recent evidence suggests that the Colorado River established its course through the canyon at least 17 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River continued to erode and form the canyon to its present-day configuration. For thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon ("Ongtupqa" in the Hopi language) a holy site, and made pilgrimages to it. The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.
Grand Canyon National Park covers an area that's more than 1,900 square miles and is divided by a 277 mile-long, 6,000 feet-deep Colorado River gorge that separates the South Rim and the North Rim. The West Rim is somewhat of a misnomer; it is the popular name for an area of Hualapai Indian reservation located west of the South Rim, outside of the National Park boundaries along the south side of the Colorado River, not the western side of the chasm. The West Rim is also known as Grand Canyon West, a Hualapai-owned and operated destination where you'll find the cantilevered glass overlook known as the Grand Canyon Skywalk. So where do you want to go? No matter which area you decide to visit, you need to understand that the Grand Canyon is in an extremely remote part of northern Arizona. Each located 60 - 72 miles from any town of significant size, the South, North and West Rims require at least an hour to an hour and forty-five minutes of driving if you're traveling by car or tour van. It's likely your trip will originate from a major commercial airport, like Phoenix Sky Harbor or Las Vegas International - each is 5 hours from the South and West Rims, respectively.
In general, most visitors, especially those who start their trip from Phoenix, will choose the South Rim, as will visitors starting from Flagstaff, Williams or all points south and east. Visitors who start their trip from Las Vegas will often choose the West Rim - this is particularly true for those embarking on a helicopter or air tour, as all Las Vegas to Grand Canyon air tours are destined for Grand Canyon West - or the South Rim (if going by van, coach or car.) The North Rim is a destination for those committed to traveling long hours by car, so anyone willing to drive the extra (several hundred) miles can approach the North Rim from Phoenix, Flagstaff, or southern Utah.
The South Rim is most accessible and therefore the most popular destination at Grand Canyon, attracting 5 million visitors each year. With two entrances - one at the south side, called Grand Canyon Village, just north of the small town of Tusayan - and one at the east, called Desert View, near the Cameron Trading Post, the South Rim is where you'll find visitor's centers, several in-park lodging facilities, historical buildings, and over two dozen viewpoints and trailheads. Because of its popularity, visitors should expect crowds and vehicle congestion, particularly in the busiest seasons - spring, summer and fall. The South Rim is open year round, and while wintertime is a beautiful and less crowded time here, the South Rim's 6,000 foot elevation and high plateau climate make for snowy conditions November through April; weather should be a consideration when planning your visit.
When visiting the South Rim, look for lodging and additional things to do in areas like Tusayan, Williams, Flagstaff and Sedona - all of which are within 1 to 2 hours drive from the South Rim or Desert View. There are a few restaurants and hotels in Tusayan, just 8 miles outside the park's south entrance, but visitors may find greater accessibility to hotels, restaurants, bars, entertainment, and other attractions in Williams (60 miles south) and Flagstaff (78 miles southeast.)
And though the gorge only averages 10 miles across "as the Condor flies," from the South Rim to the North Rim, the only way to get from South to North is to a) hike rim-to-rim or b) drive or take the daily Transcanyon Shuttle 215 miles (5 hours) from the South Rim Village to the North Rim.
At the North Rim, which is open (with services) mid-May through mid-October, most visitors who make the journey to the more remote of the two National Park areas stay longer than the 1 - 2 days recommended for the South Rim. The primary activities at the North Rim are hiking and mule rides, but many river rafting trips begin further up the Colorado River at Lees Ferry near Glen Canyon Dam. During the open season, check out the visitor's center at the North Rim, enjoy ranger-led programs, scenic drives, and day hikes. Even truer than the South Rim, weather at the North Rim plays a significant role when making travel plans. Snowfall can restrict access to the highway at any time, and its the reason for the seasonal services at the North Rim. For information on visiting the North Rim in the off-season, visit the National Park Service site.
Due to the limited availability of North Rim lodging, many visitors camp overnight at the in-park North Rim Campground or one of several out-of-park campgrounds. If you'd rather sleep under a roof than the stars, look to these few but wonderful options: Grand Canyon Lodge is the only in-park lodge; there are a small handful of motels and lodging options in nearby Jacob Lake and Fredonia, AZ and Kanab, UT (1-2 hours away); or book a stay in the picturesque Page/Lake Powell, AZ or St. George, UT areas (each 3 hours away.)
The West Rim, which not only includes Grand Canyon West, home of the Grand Canyon Skywalk, but also encompasses two popular backpacking areas - Havasupai Falls and Mooney Falls - is a popular destination particularly for visitors originating from Las Vegas, NV. In addition to Las Vegas, the towns most closely associated with the West Rim are Meadview (a small unincorporated community just outside the rim where the daily park-and-ride shuttle stop is located), Peach Springs (where 1-day rafting trips depart and you'll find the Hualapai Lodge and the turn off Route 66 to Indian Road 18 toward Hualapai Hilltop, the Havasupai trail head) and Kingman (where you'll find greater lodging, restaurant and activity options.)
The star of the West Rim is Grand Canyon West, a Hualapai Indian-owned and managed attraction on reservation land outside the National Park boundaries. Here you'll find the glass-bottomed structure that's cantilevered to extend 70 feet over the rim's edge to the canyon floor 4,000 feet below, the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Grand Canyon West Airport is the destination for all helicopter, air and combination tours originating from Las Vegas and serves as the gateway to Grand Canyon West. Upon arrival at Grand Canyon West, all visitors are required to choose a visitor package to enter the area, so tours from Las Vegas often include these packages and the cost associated in their fares.
Lodging at Grand Canyon West is limited to just two options; Hualapai Ranch and Cabins, available as part of Grand Canyon West tour packages, and Grand Canyon Ranch, available as part of a tour package or a la carte. Visitors will find greater options in Kingman, Peach Springs and Las Vegas.
Activities at Grand Canyon West include the Grand Canyon Skywalk, hop-on-hop-off shuttle to several other viewpoints, horseback riding, helicopter tours with canyon floor landings, boat rides, campfires and cowboy gun fights and more. Grand Canyon West also serves as the take-out point for 1-day Colorado River rafting tours that originate 35 river miles east at Peach Springs. Peach Springs also offers visitors a spot to take a Jeep tour to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, tour underground caverns, or venture northeast to embark on an overnight backpacking trip to splash and play in the crystal-clear aquamarine pools at Havasupai and Mooney Falls. Further west, visitors passing through Kingman can also venture out to pan for gold, reenact Wild West shootouts and explore "living" ghost towns. And don't forget to drive yourself or take a tour of Hoover Dam, one of the world's greatest engineering wonders.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น