Grand Canyon National Park
Northern Arizona
Formed by the Colorado River
South Rim
View Up
6,000 ft. at its deepest point.
18 mi. wide at its widest point.
277 mi. long.
- The Grand Canyon National Park was founded on February 26, 1919
- Nations 15th oldest National Park
- The Grand Canyon National Park gets roughly 5 million visitors a year, making it one of the most visited National Parks in the United States
How was it formed?
Nobody knows 100% how the grand canyon was formed but scientists have come up with quite a few guesses.
The most common theory is with how the tectonic plates are always shifting, and also how the Colorado River is always changing its course in that manner changing the surrounding area.
Grand Canyon Skywalk
Vegetation
There are roughly 1,737 known species of vascular plants found here. 167 kinds of fungi, 64 kinds of moss and 195 species of lichen.
Things to see and do
- Bicycling
- Mule trips
- Back-country hiking
- River trips
- Virtual caching
- Cell phone tours
- Religious services
- Art exhibits
- South rim fitness opportunitys
Mule Trips
- Prices start at $40 and go up to $960
Fossils
There are in fact fossils found at the Grand Canyon National Park. But here's the fun part, they are older than any known dinosaur dating back to 1200 to 740 million years ago. It is illegal to take any of the fossils from the park if you find them. You must leave them there for other visitors to enjoy and scientists to study. Also, it is a great place to study climate changes, ancient environments, life zones and processes that formed the Grand Canyon the way we see it today.
Volcanoes
There is, or was in fact volcanic activity in the Grand Canyon at one point. Now the most you get is a rock falling or on rare occasion you may get a landslide. Over 2 million years there has been hundreds of volcanic eruptions. There's 3 massive lava dams standing at over 1000 feet tall forming lakes 100 miles long that you used to be able to see before the dams eroded it away.
Topography
Contact Information
Grand Canyon National Park
P.O. Box 129
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023
P.O. Box 129
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023
Website: http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm
Location: Arizona, United States
Phone: (928) 638-7888