Grand Canyon Guide

What’s special about nature is that it makes itself. Billions of years of history can be seen at just a glance at the Grand Canyon. Long before the Colorado River went to work carving its course, the Canyon was gathered layers of the Earth’s surface. Around 300 million years after it formed, monumental geologic forces lifted the rock into a great range of mountains about the height of the Himalayas.

The region would eventually erode into a plain, rise again, and then sink beneath sea level. The region would once again rise to a high flat terrain, placing the former sea bottom on top of the already ancient rocks. From there the Colorado took over, carving out the Canyon inch by inch, over millions of years.

The First Exploration
The Grand Canyon is one of the country’s most popular sightseeing destinations through many of our Grand Canyon helicopter tours, but it was one of the last areas of the United States to be thoroughly explored. The Canyon has been known to the human kind for thousands of years. A prehistoric hunter-gatherer culture called the area home some 4,000 years ago, remaining in the region until 1000 B.C. Ancestral Puebloans arrived in the area about 500 A.D. and then departed in 1150, leaving behind remnants of village sites. By 1300, ancestors of the modern Hualapai and Havasupai started migrating to the western areas of the Canyon.

The first Europeans to explore the area arrived around 1540, which is 80 years before the  landing at Plymouth Rock. The Spaniards, part of Francisco Coronado’s expedition for gold and the Seven Cities of Cibola, were the first white men to view the Canyon after being told by the native Hopi Indians of a “great river to the north.” Guided by Hopi Indians for 20 days, thirteen of Coronado’s men were taken to the Colorado River where, after three days nosing around, they discovered no possible point of passage to discover more of the area. Soon they gave up and reported back to Coronado, who decided to pull up stakes and move on, leaving the Canyon to its locals.[ PHOTO ]

It wasn’t until over three hundred years later the next expedition team came to the Canyon. In 1869, Major John Wesley Powell, known for his geological surveys of the Rocky Mountains, and a group of nine men set out from Green River Station in Wyoming down the Colorado River through the Canyon. Powell, a one-armed Civil War veteran, set out with four boats on a long and arduous journey. Along the way Powell lost two of his boats and three of his men before eventually navigating the Colorado and finally reached the point where Lake Mead is today.

Less than three months later, Powell later published his accounts of the journey, which encouraged scientific study of the Canyon. Tourism would soon follow. A rail line to the largest city in the area, Flagstaff, was completed in 1882 by the Santa Fe Railroad. Stage coaches started taking tourists on an eleven-hour journey from Flagstaff to the Canyon the next year. Tourism greatly increased in 1901 when a spur of the Santa Fe Railroad to Grand Canyon Village was completed. Through an Act of Congress, the Grand Canyon was designated a national park in 1919.

The Canyon’s Many Climates
Due to the elevation, the Grand Canyon is home to many different climates. The temperatures at the South Rim, with an elevation of 7,000 feet (2,134 meters), ranges from highs in the freezing teens in the winter months to the hot 90s in the summer. The weather, however, can change abruptly throughout the year. The afternoons in the summer months are prone to thundershowers [ PHOTO ]. And the South Rim can receive several feet of snow in the winter. It is always advisable to dress warmly during the winter months when visiting the Grand Canyon, as well as during the summer months.

Hiking the Grand Canyon
Day hikes in the Grand Canyon do not require permits. Self-guided hikes, whether short and long, are available on nature trails and paths between the Yavapai Museum and Hermit’s Rest, a distance of approximately nine miles (14.5 kilometers). The South Rim Nature Trail extends along the rim of the Canyon between Maricopa Point and the Yavapai Museum. The entire length of the trail is paved and is level in most sections. Visitors may walk the entire 3 1/4-mile (5 km) length or only a portion.

Permits are required for overnight hiking in Grand Canyon National Park. All reservation requests must he sent to:

Back Country Reservation Office
Post Office Box 129
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

There is a waiting list for last minute cancellations. Visitors can contact the Backcountry Reservation Office upon arrival at the park to be placed on this list.

Camping in the Spectacular Canyon
Within the National Park area, it is required that visitors camp within a designated campsite. Camping in a forest or at an overlook area could result in a fine. Mather Campground, located in Grand Canyon Village, is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. No hookups are available. For hikers who wish to stay overnight in the Grand Canyon, Indian Gardens and Bright Angel Campgrounds are available, and both require reservations and permits. Visitors can contact:

Back Country Reservation Office
P.O. Box 129
Grand Canyon, Arizona 86023

Camper Village, which is located 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of the Nat’l Park in Tusayan, Arizona, has 250 sites for tents and campers. Full hookups, restrooms, and showers are available. You can contact: Camper Village at:

P.O. Box 490
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

Fun Canyon Activities

Mule Riding Excursions: These rigorous, year-round sightseeing excursions are almost as famous as the Grand Canyon itself! With two different tours available, that need to be reserved far in advance, reservations should be directed to:

Grand Canyon Nat’l Park Lodges
Reservations Department
Post Office Box 699
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023.

Mule trips are usually booked six to twelve months in advance. However, all interested visitors without reservations may place their name on a waiting list upon arrival at the Bright Angel Lodge transportation desk.

Railroad Express: For a half-day tour, step hack in history and ride the rails in a turn-of-the-century steam train operating between Williams, Arizona, and the Grand Canyon. Tour departs daily based on railway schedule.