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Grand Canyon National Park

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This article is about the national park in the southwestern United States. For the canyon itself, see Grand Canyon.
Grand Canyon National Park
View of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
Map showing the location of Grand Canyon National Park
Map showing the location of Grand Canyon National Park
LocationCoconino and Mohave counties, Arizona, United States
Nearest cityFredonia, Arizona (North Rim)
Tusayan, Arizona (South Rim)
Area1,217,262 acres (492,608 ha)[1]
EstablishedFebruary 26, 1919 (1919-02-26)
Visitors4,298,178 (in 2011)[2]
Governing bodyNational Park Service
TypeNatural
Criteriavii, viii, ix, x
Designated1979 (3rd session)
Reference no.75
State Party United States
RegionEurope and North America
Grand Canyon Visitor Center at South Rim.
Shuttle Bus for Kaibab Rim Route near Grand Canyon Visitor Center.

Grand Canyon National Park is the United States' 15th oldest national park. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, the park is located in Arizona. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The park covers 1,217,262 acres (1,902 sq mi; 4,926 km2) of unincorporated area in Coconino and Mohave counties.

History

Grand Canyon National Park was named as an official national park in 1919, but the landmark had been well known to Americans for over thirty years prior. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt visited the site and said: "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 a national park. The first bill to create Grand Canyon National Park was introduced in 1882 by then-Senator Benjamin Harrison, which would have made Grand Canyon National Park the nation's second, after Yellowstone National Park. 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 in 1906 and Grand Canyon National Monument in 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 in 1919. The National Park Service, established in 1916, assumed administration of the park.

The creation of the park was an early success of the conservation movement. Its national park status may have helped thwart proposals to dam the Colorado River within its boundaries. (Later, the Glen Canyon Dam would be built upriver.) In 1975, the former Marble Canyon National Monument, which followed the Colorado River northeast from the Grand Canyon to Lee's Ferry, was made part of Grand Canyon National Park. In 1979, UNESCO declared the park a World Heritage Site.

In 2010, Grand Canyon National Park was honored with its own coin under the America the Beautiful Quarters program.[4]

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 times. The canyon itself was created by the incision of the Colorado River and its tributaries after the Colorado Plateau was uplifted, causing the Colorado River system to develop along its present path.

The primary public areas of the park are the North and South Rims of the Grand Canyon itself. The rest of the park is extremely rugged and remote, although many places are accessible by pack trail and backcountry roads. Only the Navajo Bridge near Page connects the rims by road in Arizona; this journey can take around five hours by car. Otherwise, the two rims of the Canyon are connected via Boulder City, Nevada, and the Hoover Dam.[5]

The park headquarters are at Grand Canyon Village, not far from the south entrance to the park, near one of the most popular viewpoints. Park accommodations are operated by Xanterra Parks and Resorts.

North Rim

The North Rim is a smaller, more remote area with less tourist activity. It is accessed by Arizona State Route 67.

South Rim

The South Rim is more accessible than the North Rim;[6] most visitors to the park come to the South Rim, arriving on Arizona State Route 64. The highway enters the park through the South Entrance, near Tusayan, Arizona, and heads eastward, leaving the park through the East Entrance.[6] Interstate 40 provides access to the area from the south. From the north, U.S. Route 89 connects Utah, Colorado, and the North Rim to the South Rim.[7] Overall, some thirty miles of the South Rim are accessible by road.

Services

The Grand Canyon Village is located at the north end of U.S. Route 180, coming from Flagstaff. This is a full-service community, including lodging, fuel, food, souvenirs, a hospital, churches, and access to trails and guided walks and talks.[5]

Lodging

Lodging is available along the South Rim at two locations. Campgrounds are located in the village and at Desert View, and hotels include El Tovar Hotel in the village and the Grand Canyon Lodge next to the campground.[5]

Activities

A 6-minute video of a flight over the Grand Canyon

A variety of activities at the South Rim cater to park visitors. The South Rim Drive (35 miles (56 km)) is a driving tour split into two segments. The western drive to Hermit's Point is 8 miles (13 km) with several overlooks along the way, including Mohave Point, Hopi Point, and the Powell Memorial.[5] 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 25 miles (40 km), and is open to private vehicles year round.

Walking tours include the Rim Trail, which runs west from the Pipe Creek viewpoint for about 8 miles (13 km) of paved road, followed by 7 miles (11 km) 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 helicopters and small airplanes out of Las Vegas, Phoenix, and the Grand Canyon National Park Airport. Due to a crash in the 1990s, scenic flights are no longer allowed to fly within 1,500 feet (460 m) of the rim within the Grand Canyon National Park.[citation needed] Several companies offer flights that land 3,500 feet (1,100 m) in the Grand Canyon in Hualapai Indian territory.[8]

Grand Canyon Association

Main article: Grand Canyon Association

The Grand Canyon Association (GCA) is the National Park Service's official nonprofit 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.

  • An aerial view of the Little Colorado River Gorge near East Rim of Grand Canyon.
    An aerial view of the Little Colorado River Gorge near East Rim of Grand Canyon.
  • A 1938 poster of Grand Canyon National Park.
    A 1938 poster of Grand Canyon National Park.
  • The North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
    The North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
  • A view from the South Rim.
    A view from the South Rim.
  • Colorado River as seen from the South Rim.
    Colorado River as seen from the South Rim.
  • A rockfall as seen from the North Rim.
    A rockfall as seen from the North Rim.
  • South rim in winter.
    South rim in winter.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-03-07. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
  3. ^ "Grand Canyon National Park Visitor Center". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-08-14.
  4. ^ "Grand Canyon Coin Introduced". United States Mint. 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona; National Park Service; US Government Printing Office; 1972
  6. ^ a b Rand McNally; National Park Buide; Michael Frome; Rand McNally & Company, Chicago; 1970; pg 47
  7. ^ Rand McNally, Road Atlas, United States, Canada, Mexico; 2010
  8. ^ "How far into the Canyon does helicopter tours land?".
External image
image icon Public domain images from the National Park Service.
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