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Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park became a national park in 1919. So
famous is this landmark to modern Americans that it seems
surprising that it took more than thirty years for it to become
a national park. President Theodore Roosevelt visited the rim in
1903 and exclaimed: "The Grand Canyon fills me with awe. It is
beyond comparison--beyond description; absolutely unparalleled
throughout the wide world .... Let this great wonder of nature
remain as it now is. Do nothing to mar its grandeur, sublimity
and loveliness. You cannot improve on it. But what you can do is
to keep it for your children, your children's children, and all
who come after you, as the one great sight which every American
should see."
Despite Roosevelt's enthusiasm and his strong interest in
preserving land for public use, the Grand Canyon was not
immediately designated as a national park. The first bill to
create Grand Canyon National Park had been introduced in 1882
and again in 1883 and 1886 by Senator Benjamin Harrison. As
President, Harrison established the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve
in 1893. Theodore Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon Game
Preserve by proclamation in 1906 and Grand Canyon National
Monument in 1908. Senate bills to establish a national park were
introduced and defeated in 1910 and 1911; the Grand Canyon
National Park Act was finally signed by President Woodrow Wilson
in 1919. The National Park Service, which had been established
in 1916, assumed administration of the park.
Grand
Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado
River in Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand
Canyon National Park, one of the first national parks in the
United States. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18
miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile. Nearly two
billion years of the 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 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 the point we see it at today.
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Grand Canyon Activites
Aside from casual sightseeing from the South Rim, rafting,
hiking, running and helicopter tours are especially popular.
In October 2010, the North Rim is the host to an
ultramarathon. The Grand Canyon Ultra Marathon is a
78-milerace over 24 hours. The floor of the valley is
accessible by foot, muleback, or by boat or raft from
upriver. Hiking down to the river and back up to the rim in
one day is discouraged by park officials because of the
distance, steep and rocky trails, change in elevation, and
danger of heat exhaustion from the much higher temperatures
at the bottom. Rescues are required annually of unsuccessful
rim-to-river-to-rim travelers. Nevertheless, hundreds of fit
and experienced hikers complete the trip every year.
Camping on the North and South Rims is generally restricted
to established campgrounds and reservations are highly
recommended, especially at the busier South Rim. There is at
large camping available along many parts of the North Rim
managed by Kaibab National Forest. Keep in mind North Rim
campsites are only open seasonally due to road closures from
weather and winter snowpack. All overnight camping below the
rim requires a backcountry permit from the Backcountry
Office. Each year Grand Canyon National Park receives
approximately 30,000 requests for backcountry permits. The
park issues 13,000 permits, and close to 40,000 people camp
overnight.The earliest a permit application is accepted is
the first of the month, four months before the proposed
start month. Applying as soon as allowed will improve your
chances of obtaining an overnight backcountry use permit for
the dates of your choice. If you are unable to secure a
permit from the Grand Canyon Backcountry Office, or you are
not comfortable hiking the Canyon on your own you can go
with a professional guide.
Tourists wishing for a more vertical perspective can board
helicopters and small airplanes in Las Vegas, Phoenix and
Grand Canyon National Park Airport for canyon flyovers.
Scenic flights are no longer allowed to fly within 1500 feet
of the rim within the national park because of a late 1990s
crash. Maverick Helicopter offers a tour that descends and
lands 3,500 feet into the Grand Canyon in Hualapai Indian
Territory. The last aerial video footage from below the rim
was filmed in 1984. However, some helicopter flights land on
the Havasupai and Hualapai Indian Reservations within Grand
Canyon. Recently, the Hualapai Tribe opened the
glass-bottomed Grand Canyon Skywalk on their property, Grand
Canyon West. The Skywalk has seen mixed reviews since the
site is only accessible by driving down a 10-mile dirt road,
costs a minimum of $85 in total for reservation fees, a tour
package and admission to the Skywalk itself and the fact
that cameras or other personal equipment are not permitted
on the Skywalk at any time due to the hazard of damaging the
glass if dropped. The Skywalk is some 24 miles west of Grand
Canyon Village at the South Rim. Some people mistake the
area of Hermit's Rest as the location of the Skywalk.
Grand Canyon National Park Website
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