Featured last year in Global magazine.
It's one of the Earth's greatest natural wonders, and a must see destination for all of us. Steve Thomas drops in on the Grand Canyon;
For as long as I could remember the Grand Canyon had
been on my hit list of places to visit. No matter how many times I'd visited
the US before the greatest canyon of all had still managed to evade me. I
mean, a huge gaping crack in the planet which stretches some 270 odd miles
through one single country really shouldn't be that hard to miss, should it?
Firstly you need to just get a grip of the scale of the United States; it's
damn huge - like Europe size! Then look for the Grand Canyon, it's scribed
across the countries deep south west, in other words it's in the middle of
a huge and fairly desolate desert, not exactly that close to the countries
usual tourist attractions and commercial centres. Needless to say this means,
for most of us at least, a dedicated trip or a special excursion to visit
it.
The line ruling state divide system that is used in the States means that
the whole of the canyon is in the state of Arizona (the Grand Canyon State).
It stretches from the north west state border, near to Nevada and Las Vegas,
right along the Utah state border before braking out in to the magnificent
lake Powel. At a whopping great ten miles wide, and a mile deep, the canyon
has been a major headache for road builders. This means that it's not exactly
easy to visit both the north and south rims in one trip, and most visitors
(90%) tend to make the pilgrimage to the more accessible and better developed
south rim. Heading in from the Arizona desert towards the canyon is a slow
transitional journey. You gradually start to notice the change in vegetation,
which is not surprising when you consider that the south rim is some 7000
feet high (over 8000 feet on the north rim). Making our way towards the canyon
was a strange experience; of course we really wanted to see this amazing flaw
in the landscape. But having read so much and seen so many stunning images
of it over the years, and with its whole sense of importance, well, what if
it turned out to be an anti climax?
We'd allowed three days at the canyon campground, time enough to hike in to
the canyons floor, and to bike the south rim. Grand Canyon village had bobbed
up as the most approachable and feasible base for a brief visit. Not only
did it promise the best viewpoints on the south rim; it also had the best
facilities. As a kind of intro to the canyon we decided to check out the Grand
Canyon iMax on the way in. This was also my first iMax experience, and what
a film! The canyons history and assets all exposed in a half-hour blast; it
really sets the stage and winds up your imagination for your first glimpse
of the canyon.
Tent pitched and showered we decided to take an early evening hike along the
rim trail, a footpath leading along away from the visitor centre/ The canyon
is shrouded by buildings and shrubbery right up until the last minute. There's
no free peep show on the way; you get the full monty all at once! Rounding
the corner the bushes dropped away and there it was, the Grand Canyon. Despite
the crowds sat watching the sun set over the canyon the silence was the first
thing to strike me. Strangely it wasn't that quiet, but somehow that first
humbling sight of the canyon creates your own personal and mesmerising sense
of silence. All at once you know that this place could definitely not be a
disappointment, it truly is quite unimaginable. Your mind runs in to overdrive
trying to take it all in, the whole scale of things simply blows you away.
The other side is a whole ten-crow fly miles way, and what lies in between
is an awesome sight indeed. A huge great contoured canyon, with a colour fest
of desert rock. Like some great colour chart the rock gradually changes colour
as the canyon deepens, and with the ever-changing softness of the evening
light those colours ripen and change right before your eyes in a chameleon
like way.
Once the sun drops down the Canyon village is quite a restrained and peaceful
place. Like many American towns this is an early morning, not a late night
venue. Sure there are a few restaurants and bars, but most are deserted before
10pm. If you want to get the most out of the canyon then this won't be a problem,
as the sun rises early, and along with sun down these are positively the two
best time slots for viewing the canyon. Plus, if you have intent on hiking
in to the canyon, or even riding the rim road, then you must make an early
start to make full use of the daylight hours and to avoid the often intense
and exposed heat of the desert rock.
After a night under canvas we emerged shivering, that extra altitude definitely
makes a major temperature difference compared to the stifling heat of the
rest of the state. A fast day hike down the Bright Angel Trail was our plan.
This is perhaps the most popular of all the trails to the canyons floor and
quite a tough prospect as a single day hike. Most guided tours hike down to
the canyon floor and camp overnight before hiking out, but we decided to run
the beast (this is not popular with the rangers!). Dropping down the narrow
twisty and stepped trail is a strange sensation. You get to see the reverse
side of this great phenomenon, which is totally different to the top view.
At times, especially on the return journey, it can be quite intimidation,
because the only way out is to climb under your own steam, kind of like an
upside down mountain. By the time we grovelled our way out the sun was baking,
and with a distinct lack of wind to cool things down the overnight option
suddenly made a whole lot more sense, but it was too late by now.
With sore legs from the previous days hike to the canyons base it was time
for us to bid farewell to the canyon, but not before making a half day bike
ride along the deserted canyon rim road. For me this was the most special
of all the canyon experiences. Most tourists take the free shuttle busses
along this road. But riding the traffic free tarmac strip along the rim, stopping
off at every view point and just gazing in awe really rounded things off nicely,
sending us back to the desert chilled, and with one more great life experience
ticked off with style.
Fact file
The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is in the north of the US state of
Arizona. It stretches some 277 miles from the Nevada border before dropping
away in to Utah's Lake Powel. The canyon is about ten miles wide for most
of its length, and around a mile deep on average. The south rim has an average
elevation of 7000 feet, while the more remote north rim tops out at over 8000
feet. This difference in elavtion means that the north rim experiences more
harsh weather conditions, and is more or less snow bound all winter.
The canyon has long been inhabited by Native American Indians, while the first
westerners to pass through were Spaniards. Due to it's remoteness and lack
of natural resources the area was pretty well left alone until 1869 when John
Wesley Powel navigated the Colorado River, which runs through the canyon.
Almost immediately after this the canyon became a tourist attraction and that
as they say is history.
Where to go
The most accessible and best-served visitor point is
Grand Canyon Village, which is on the south rim. This is a small town, with
a good campground, hotels, bars, shop, and plenty of tour options. It's a
great point for accessing the rims top viewpoints and for hiking/biking/mule
riding along or in to the canyon.
There are other access points, but the village is the safest bet for a short
visit. The north rim is known as the Arizona Strip, because of the way the
Americans mapped out their states it leaves just a narrow strip of Arizona
stranded on the canyons north rim. Above this is Utah, and this strip most
definitely has more of a Mormon influence. The Jacobs Creek area makes for
a good base to discover the north rim.
Should you wish to hike right across the canyon you will be faced with a five-hour
shuttle journey back to the south rim.
When to go
Although the canyon is a year round destination the
weather differs considerably. During mid summer it can get excessively hot,
while during the winter snow is common, and temperatures can get well below
freezing at night. From December through to May the north rim is generally
snowed in, and only accessible by a multi day cross-country ski trip.
Spring and autumn are prime times to visit - though avoid national holidays,
as camp space and accommodation in resorts becomes a premium.
Getting there
If you're travelling under your own steam and on a
dedicated canyon trip then perhaps the best bet is to fly to Phoenix and either
hire a car or catch a shuttle to the canyon. This is a long drive (6hrs) but
you get to see some amazing scenery along the way. It is possible to fly to
Flagstaff and then drive/catch a shuttle, though this can work out quite expensive
as it's not the best served of airports. Another popular option is to enter
via Las Vegas. Several companies offer shuttles between Vegas and the canyon.
There are regular free shuttle busses along the canyons rim roads.
Grand Canyon Airport Shuttle + 1 520 6382023
Eating and sleeping
The Grand Canyon Village has a few mid-top end hotels,
all of which are quite pricey. There is also a good campground at the village,
which has great facilities at decent prices, though three night stays are
the maximum, and it can get busy during holiday periods. There is a good café
at the campsite, and several restaurants dotted around the village. Expect
to pay more here than in outlying towns.
Tusayan is just a few miles south of the canyon, and although it's fairly
unappealing to look at there are plenty of lodging and eating options at lover
rates than in the resort.
Grand Canyon park info + 1 520 6387888
Activities
There are numerous single day and multi day hikes in
to the canyon. Most tend to be overnight trips, involving camping in the canyon.
There are also regular mule trips in to the canyon, as well as both motorised
and human powered river trips through the canyon. There are loads of wooded
trails to bike on the south rim, and a great road to ride all along the rim
it's self. It is not permitted to bike in to the canyon - a few years back
some locals tried it, and got slung in the cooler for a few days!
During winter cross-country skiing is possible in places on the south rim,
and backcountry skiing is possible on the north rim.
For more info contact the park info service.
Further reading
An absolute must for information purposes is the Lonely planet Survival Guide to the Southwest. Cicerone Press publish a Grand Canyon Hiking guide. Tel. 01539 562069. An extensive range of books is available at the canyon it's self, everything from historic guides to hiking maps are in good supply.
Permits
On entry to the park you must purchase a permit.
For a car and its passengers this costs $20, and is valid for a few days.
For river based activities and backcountry travel and camping you also need
permits. Contact the info centre well in advance to arrange these, otherwise
you may be disappointed.
