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Grand Canyon National Park, located in northwestern
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, is the 15th site in the United States to have been named as a
national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
. The park's central feature is the
Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
, a
gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...
of the
Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...
, which is often considered one of the
Wonders of the World Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled from antiquity to the present day, in order to catalogue the world's most spectacular natural features and human-built structures. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the o ...
. The park, which covers of
unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in Coconino and Mohave counties, received more than six million recreational visitors in 2017, which is the second highest count of all American national parks after
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an American national park in the southeastern United States, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, whi ...
. The Grand Canyon was designated a
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
in 1979. The park celebrated its 100th anniversary on February 26, 2019.


History

The Grand Canyon became well known to Americans in the 1880s after railroads were built and pioneers developed infrastructure and early tourism. In 1903, President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
visited the site and said,
The Grand Canyon fills me with awe. It is beyond comparison—beyond description; absolutely unparalleled through-out 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 you can 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 strong interest in preserving land for public use, the Grand Canyon was not immediately designated as a national park. The first bill to establish Grand Canyon National Park was introduced in 1882 by then-Senator
Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...
, which would have established Grand Canyon as the third national park in the United States, after
Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...
and Mackinac. Harrison unsuccessfully reintroduced his bill in 1883 and 1886; after his election to the presidency, he established the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve in 1893. Theodore Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon Game Preserve by
proclamation A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...
on November 28, 1906, and the Grand Canyon
National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...
on January 11, 1908. Further Senate bills to establish the site as a national park were introduced and defeated in 1910 and 1911, before the Grand Canyon National Park Act was finally signed by President
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
on February 26, 1919. The
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
, established in 1916, assumed administration of the park. The creation of the park was an early success of the
conservation movement The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental, and social movement that seeks to manage and protect natural resources, including animal, fungus, and plant species as well as their habitat for the f ...
. Its national park status may have helped thwart proposals to dam the Colorado River within its boundaries. (Later, the
Glen Canyon Dam Glen Canyon Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River in northern Arizona, United States, near the town of Page, Arizona, Page. The high dam was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) from 1956 to 1966 and forms Lake Powe ...
would be built upriver.) A second Grand Canyon National Monument to the west was proclaimed in 1932. In 1975, that monument and
Marble Canyon Marble Canyon is the section of the Colorado River canyon in northern Arizona from Lee's Ferry to the confluence with the Little Colorado River, which marks the beginning of the Grand Canyon. Lee's Ferry is a common launching point for rive ...
National Monument, which was established in 1969 and followed the Colorado River northeast from the Grand Canyon to Lees Ferry, were made part of Grand Canyon National Park. In 1979,
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
declared the park a
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
. The 1987 the National Parks Overflights Act found that "Noise associated with aircraft overflights at the Grand Canyon National Park is causing a significant adverse effect on the natural quiet and experience of the park and current aircraft operations at the Grand Canyon National Park have raised serious concerns regarding public safety, including concerns regarding the safety of park users." In 2010, Grand Canyon National Park was honored with its own coin under the America the Beautiful Quarters program. On February 26, 2019, the Grand Canyon National Park commemorated 100 years since its designation as a national park. The Grand Canyon had been part of the National Park Service's Intermountain Region until 2018. Today, the Grand Canyon is a part of Region 8, also known as the Lower Colorado Basin.


Legal history timeline

*1882 First unsuccessful attempt to establish a Grand Canyon National Park *1893 Designated a "forest reserve" by President Benjamin Harrison (Presidential Proclamation #45) *1908 Established as Grand Canyon National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt (Presidential Proclamation #794) *1919 Designation of Grand Canyon National Park by an act of Congress on February 26 (40 Stat 1175) *1975 Grand Canyon National Park Enlargement Act an act of Congress on January 3 (88 Stat 2089) (Public Law 93-620) *1979 Designation as a World Heritage Site on October 26


Administrators

*William Harrison Peters (acting): August 1919 – September 1920 *Dewitt L. Raeburn: October 1920 – December 1921 *John Roberts White (acting): December 1921 – February 1922 *Walter Wilson Crosby: February 1922 – January 1924 *George C. Bolton (acting): January 1923 – June 1923 *John Ross Eakin: January 1924 – April 1927 *Miner Raymond Tillotson: April 1927 – December 1938 *James V. Lloyd (acting): December 1938 – February 1939 *Harold Child Bryant (acting): February 1939 – January 1940 *James V. Lloyd (acting): January 1940 – August 1940 *Frank Alvah Kittredge: August 1940 – July 1941 *Harold Child Bryant: August 1941 – March 1954 *Preston P. Patraw: May 1954 – July 1955 *John Sherman McLaughlin: August 1955 – March 1964 *Howard B. Stricklin: March 1964 – February 1969 *Robert R. Lovegren April 1969 – July 1972 *Merle E. Stitt: August 1972 – January 1980 *Bruce W. Shaw (acting): January 1980 – May 1980 *Richard W. Marks: May 1980 – December 1988 *John C. Reed (acting): December 1988 – January 1989 *John H. Davis: January 1989 – August 1991 *Robert Chandler: October 1991 – October 1993 *Boyd Evison (acting): January 1994 – July 1994 *Robert L. Arnberger: July 1994 – October 2000


Geography

The Grand Canyon, including its extensive system of tributary canyons, is valued for its combination of size, depth, and exposed layers of colorful rocks dating back to
Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...
times. The canyon itself was created by the incision of the Colorado River and its tributaries after the
Colorado Plateau The Colorado Plateau, also known as the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic and desert region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. This province covers an area of ...
was uplifted, causing the Colorado River system to develop along its present path. The primary public areas of the park are the South and North Rims, and adjacent areas of the canyon itself. The rest of the park is extremely rugged and remote, although many places are accessible by
pack trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...
and backcountry roads. The South Rim is more accessible than the North Rim and accounts for 90% of park visitation. The park headquarters are at Grand Canyon Village, not far from the South Entrance to the park, near one of the most popular viewpoints.


South Rim

Most visitors to the park come to the South Rim, arriving on
Arizona State Route 64 State Route 64 (SR 64) is a state highway in the northern part of the US state of Arizona. It travels from its western terminus in Williams to its intersection with U.S. Route 89 (US 89) in Cameron. Route description S ...
. The highway enters the park through the South Entrance, near
Tusayan, Arizona Tusayan is a town, but was a census-designated place during the 2010 census. It is located in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. It was incorporated in 2010. A resort town near the south entrance to Grand Canyon National Park, Tusayan i ...
, and heads eastward, leaving the park through the East Entrance.Rand McNally; National Park Guide; Michael Frome; Rand McNally & Company, Chicago; 1970; p. 47
Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
provides access to the area from the south. From the north,
U.S. Route 89 U.S. Route 89 (US 89) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway with two sections, and one former section. The southern section runs for from Flagstaff, Arizona, to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The northern sectio ...
connects
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
,
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, and the North Rim to the South Rim. Overall, some 30 miles of the South Rim are accessible by road.


North Rim

The
North Rim Grand Canyon National Park, located in northwestern Arizona, is the 15th site in the United States to have been named as a national park. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often considere ...
area of the park is located on the
Kaibab Plateau The Kaibab Plateau is a plateau almost entirely in Coconino County, Arizona (but extending slightly north into Kane County, Utah) in the Southwestern United States. The high plain is also known as the Buckskin Mountain, Buckskin Plateau, and K ...
and Walhalla Plateau, directly across the Grand Canyon from the principal visitor areas on the South Rim. The North Rim's principal visitor areas are centered around Bright Angel Point. The North Rim is higher in elevation than the South Rim, at over of elevation. Because it is so much higher than the South Rim, it is closed from December 1 through May 15 each year, due to the enhanced snowfall at elevation. Visitor services are closed or limited in scope after October 15. Driving time from the South Rim to the North Rim is about 4.5 hours, over .


Services

Grand Canyon Village is the primary visitor services area in the park. It is a full-service community, including lodging, fuel, food, souvenirs, a hospital, churches, and access to trails and guided walks and talks.


Lodging

Several lodging facilities are available along the South Rim. Hotels and other lodging include El Tovar,
Bright Angel Lodge Bright Angel Lodge is a hotel complex at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Designed by architect Mary Jane Colter, the lodge is a complex of cabins around a central lodge building, directly on the edge of t ...
, Kachina Lodge, Thunderbird Lodge, and
Maswik Lodge Maswik Lodge is a lodge in Grand Canyon National Park that is run by Xanterra Parks & Resorts. It is named after a Hopi Kachina figure said to watch over the Grand Canyon. Maswik Lodge is located about from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It i ...
, all of which are located in Grand Canyon Village, and
Phantom Ranch Phantom Ranch is a lodge inside Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. It sits at the bottom of Grand Canyon, on the east side of Bright Angel Creek, a little over half a mile north of the Creek's confluence with the Colorado River. Opened in ...
, located on the canyon floor. There is also an RV Park named Trailer Village. All of these facilities are managed by
Xanterra Parks & Resorts Xanterra Travel Collection (formerly Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Amfac Resorts and Amfac Parks & Resorts) is a privately owned American park and resort management company based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, controlled by entertainment magnate P ...
, while the Yavapai Lodge (also in the village area) is managed by
Delaware North Delaware North is a global food service and hospitality company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company also operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gambling, and entertainment industries. The company employs over 55,000 people worl ...
. On the North Rim there is the historic
Grand Canyon Lodge The Grand Canyon Lodge is a hotel and cabins complex at Bright Angel Point on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood, who designed a number of other hotels in national parks for the Utah Parks Company a ...
managed by Forever Resorts and a campground near the lodge, managed by the national park staff.


Climate

According to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Grand Canyon National Park has five climate zones; Cold Semi-Arid (''BSk''), Humid Continental Dry Cool Summer (''Dsb''), Humid Continental Dry Warm Summer (''Dsa''), Warm Summer Mediterranean (''Csb''), and Hot Summer Mediterranean (''Csa''). The
plant hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
at Grand Canyon Visitor Center is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 3.3 °F (−15.9 °C).


Activities


North Rim

There are few roads on the North Rim, but there are some notable vehicle-accessible lookout points, including Point Imperial, Roosevelt Point, and Cape Royal. Mule rides are also available to a variety of places, including several thousand feet down into the canyon. Many visitors to the North Rim choose to make use of the variety of hiking trails including the
Widforss Trail The Widforss Trail is a hiking trail located at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park in the U.S. state of Arizona. The Widforss Trail runs from the North Rim Village through the forest to emerge at Widforss Point, a narrow, wooded pro ...
, Uncle Jim's Trail, the Transept Trail, and the
North Kaibab Trail The North Kaibab Trail is a hiking trail in the North Rim side of the Grand Canyon, in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. Access Access to this part of the park by car is seasonal, open from mid-May to mid-Octobe ...
. The North Kaibab Trail can be followed all the way down to the Colorado River, connecting across the river to the
South Kaibab Trail The South Kaibab Trail is a hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. Unlike the Bright Angel Trail which also begins at the south rim of the Grand Canyon and leads to the Colorado River, the South Kaiba ...
and the
Bright Angel Trail The Bright Angel Trail is a hiking trail located in Grand Canyon National Park in the U.S. state of Arizona. Description The trail originates at Grand Canyon Village on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, descending 4380 feet to the Colorado ...
, which continue up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The
Toroweap Overlook Toroweap Overlook (also known as Tuweep Overlook or Toroweap Point) is a viewpoint within the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, United States. It is located in a remote area on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, west of the North Rim Hea ...
is located in the western part of the park on the North Rim. Access is via unpaved roads off Route 389 west of
Fredonia, Arizona Fredonia is a town in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,314. Fredonia is the gateway to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. History Fredonia was laid out in 1886. Its name is said to mean the ...
. The roads lead through Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument and to the overlook.


South Rim

A variety of activities at the South Rim cater to park visitors. A driving tour () along the South Rim is split into two segments. The western drive to Hermit's Point is with several overlooks along the way, including Mohave Point, Hopi Point, and the Powell Memorial. From March to December, access to Hermit's Rest is restricted to the free shuttle provided by the Park Service. The eastern portion to Desert View is , and is open to private vehicles year round. Walking tours include the Rim Trail, which runs west from the Pipe Creek viewpoint for about of paved road, followed by unpaved to Hermit's Rest. Hikes can begin almost anywhere along this trail, and a shuttle can return hikers to their point of origin. Mather Point, the first view most people reach when entering from the south entrance, is a popular place to begin. Private canyon flyovers are provided by
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
s and small airplanes out of Las Vegas,
Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
, and
Grand Canyon National Park Airport Grand Canyon National Park Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located in Tusayan, CDP in unincorporated Coconino County, Arizona, United States. Flights within the canyon are still available outside of park boundaries.


Grand Canyon Conservancy

The Grand Canyon Conservancy is an organization dedication to the conservation of the Grand Canyon National Park. Currently, it has four main challenges to complete. # Creating Inter-tribal cultural sites # Dark Sky Preservation # Discovery and exploration of the Park # Trail creation and preservation


Development

The U.S. government halted development of a 1.6 million acre area including the national park from 1966 to 2009, known as
the Bennett Freeze The Bennett Freeze was a 43-year development ban on 1.5 million acres (610,000 ha) of Navajo lands by the US Federal Government. It was put in place in 1966 in order to promote negotiations over a land dispute between the Navajo and the Hopi and ...
, because of an ownership dispute between Hopi and Navajo.


Grand Canyon Association

The Grand Canyon Association (GCA) is the National Park Service's official
nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
partner. It raises private funds to benefit Grand Canyon National Park by operating retail shops and visitor centers within the park, and providing educational opportunities about the natural and cultural history of the region.


See also

(image gallery) *
List of trails in Grand Canyon National Park The following is a list of hiking trails that are, in whole or part, within the established boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park, located in Coconino and Mohave counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. Management All pack and foot trails i ...
* List of national parks of the United States


References


External links

*
Grand Canyon National Park Lodge
* *
Historic American Engineering Record Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...
(HAER) documentation, filed under Grand Canyon Village, Coconino County, AZ: ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * *
A 6-minute low resolution video of a flight over the Grand Canyon (1993)
{{Authority control 1919 establishments in Arizona Historic American Engineering Record in Arizona Historic American Landscapes Survey in Arizona Parks in Coconino County, Arizona Parks in Mohave County, Arizona Protected areas established in 1919 Protected areas on the Colorado River World Heritage Sites in the United States Articles containing video clips Geotopes