Celebrating National Park Week: The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon at sunset from the South Rim not far from Desert View Campground.

I first became interested in the Grand Canyon long before I was finally able to visit in the summer of 2017, after reading a book by Colin Fletcher.  Colin Fletcher is probably best known as the author of the Complete Walker, the first comprehensive "backpacker's bible" which I used as my guide to life in the wilds for many years.  But it was after reading Fletcher's The Man Who Walked Through Time (1963), about his solo, unsupported hike of the entire length of the canyon through the park, mostly in the canyon, that I longed to visit the Grand Canyon, "The Big Ditch", really see for myself what Colin Fletcher experienced during his hike.  And, once I was finally there, able to peer over the edge into this monstrous canyon, I not only more fully appreciated the insanity of what Colin Fletcher did, but also appreciated the true awesomeness of this spectacle.  The canyon, created by the Colorado River, and almost 70 million years of erosion, is 446 km (277 river mi) long, up to 29 km (18 mi) wide, and 1.6 km (1 mi) deep.  This is a impressive place, just the scale of which takes your breath away, an awesome product of nature. 

Grand Canyon National Park was created in 1919, and is huge, containing 4,926.08 square km (1,217,262 acres), diverse biologically and geologically, and busy, very busy.  In 2019, the Park was again the second busiest (after the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina), with 5.97 million visitors.  The park is divided into the South and the North Rims, and there are big differences between the two areas.  The South Rim is more accessible, and much busier, and has a much drier environment.  The North Rim is higher in elevation, wetter, colder (with much more snow during the winter), and with more vegetation.  The North Rim is also not nearly as busy as the South Rim, but still with plenty to do.  I visited both, but only camped along the South Rim at Desert View Campground, a great campground with 50 first-come, first-served campsites (I stayed at site 24, wonderful!), about 40 km (25 mi) east of the Visitor's Center.  This drive is actually great, lots of pull-offs, vistas and short hikes.  While I stayed along the South Rim, I biked out to Hermit's Point from the Visitor's Center, hiked part of the Rim Trail, and spent most of an afternoon exploring the rim of the canyon not far from the campground, including a visit to the Watchtower at sunset.  The North Rim was much more chill, and the campground was full, but I found a fantastic little campsite in the Kaibab National Forest just north of the Park, quiet, and free.  We (me and my van) camped there two nights.  I spent a whole day exploring the North Rim,  I hiked out to Bright Angel Point, and hiked the loop made up of the Transept and Bridle Path Trails.  I also drove out to Point Imperial, and even out to Cape Royal, hiked around a bit, took a lot of photos, absolutely gorgeous views.  I definitely did not spend enough time in this park, and did not get anywhere near the river, the hike down would probably kill me, so then to have to hike back up, nope, no way.  I guess I could have hopped on a mule for the ride down, and back up, but that just felt like cheating.  Next time.  I really enjoyed my time here, though as is most often the case, I did not have enough time to really explore what Grand Canyon National Park has to offer, you probably need a week, if not more.  But I was always on the move, other places to visit and explore, and always too much time behind the wheel of my van. 

​And while you're in the area, and especially when you drive from the South Rim up around to the North Rim, be sure to stop at the Navajo Bridge on the Colorado River, before the river heads into the Canyon.  The river is beautiful there, and I was fortunate to see a couple of California condors, one of the rarest birds in the world, flying over the canyon not far from the bridge.  Apparently there is a condor nest in the cliffs above the river.  Also, if you happen to be heading into Page, AZ, maybe on your way to the parks in southern Utah, be sure to stop at Horseshoe Bend, a beautiful, though very busy spot along the Colorado River, beautiful.

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