| Grand Canyon National Park | |
|---|---|
IUCN category II (national park)
| |
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Grand Canyon from the South Rim at dawn
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Location in the United States
| |
| Location | Coconino and Mohave counties, Arizona, United States |
| Nearest city | Fredonia, Arizona (North Rim) Tusayan, Arizona (South Rim) |
| Coordinates | 36°03′19″N 112°07′19″WCoordinates: 36°03′19″N 112°07′19″W[2] |
| Area | 1,217,262 acres (4,926.08 km2) |
| Established | February 26, 1919 |
| Visitors | 6,380,495 (in 2018) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Official website |
| Criteria | Natural: vii, viii, ix, x |
| Reference | 75 |
| Inscription | 1979 (3rd session) |
Grand Canyon National Park, located in northwestern Arizona, is the 15th site in the United States to have been named a national park. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often considered one of the Wonders of the World. The park, which covers 1,217,262 acres (1,901.972 sq mi; 4,926.08 km2) of unincorporated area 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. The Grand Canyon was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. The park celebrated its 100th anniversary on February 26, 2019.
History
1938 poster of the park
"Grand Canyon" was officially designated a national park on February 26, 1919, though 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
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 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 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, which would have established Grand Canyon as the third national park in the United States, after Yellowstone 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 on 28 November 1906, and the 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. 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.
Geography
Grand Canyon regional map
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 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 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
From Powell Point on the South Rim
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. 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. Overall, some 30 miles of the South Rim are accessible by road.
North Rim
Sunset at Cape Royal Point, North Rim
The North Rim area of the park located on the Kaibab Plateau 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 8,000 feet (2,400 m) 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 220 miles
(350 km).
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, Kachina Lodge, Thunderbird Lodge, and Maswik Lodge,
all of which are located in the village area, and Phantom Ranch,
located on the canyon floor. There is also an RV Park named Trailer
Village. All of these facilities are managed by Xanterra Parks & Resorts, while the Yavapai Lodge (also in the village area) is managed by Delaware North.
On the North Rim there is the historic Grand Canyon Lodge managed by Forever Resorts and a campground near the lodge, managed by the national park staff.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification 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 at Grand Canyon Visitor Center is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 3.3 °F (−15.9 °C).
| Climate data for Grand Canyon Visitor Center, Grand Canyon Village, Grand Canyon National Park, Coconino County, AZ (1981 – 2010 averages). | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 46.6 (8.1) |
50.0 (10.0) |
57.2 (14.0) |
65.9 (18.8) |
76.2 (24.6) |
86.9 (30.5) |
90.7 (32.6) |
87.1 (30.6) |
81.2 (27.3) |
69.2 (20.7) |
55.2 (12.9) |
46.3 (7.9) |
67.8 (19.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 35.6 (2.0) |
38.4 (3.6) |
44.2 (6.8) |
51.1 (10.6) |
60.8 (16.0) |
70.1 (21.2) |
75.4 (24.1) |
72.5 (22.5) |
66.2 (19.0) |
54.9 (12.7) |
43.1 (6.2) |
35.1 (1.7) |
54.0 (12.2) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 24.5 (−4.2) |
26.9 (−2.8) |
31.1 (−0.5) |
36.3 (2.4) |
45.3 (7.4) |
53.3 (11.8) |
60.1 (15.6) |
57.9 (14.4) |
51.1 (10.6) |
40.7 (4.8) |
30.9 (−0.6) |
24.0 (−4.4) |
40.2 (4.6) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.42 (36) |
1.41 (36) |
1.63 (41) |
0.94 (24) |
0.53 (13) |
0.32 (8.1) |
1.20 (30) |
1.94 (49) |
1.18 (30) |
1.01 (26) |
0.90 (23) |
1.17 (30) |
13.65 (347) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 47.1 | 44.8 | 38.7 | 30.4 | 24.0 | 19.2 | 26.2 | 36.0 | 31.9 | 33.2 | 39.8 | 46.4 | 34.8 |
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Dew Point °F | 17.4 | 18.8 | 20.6 | 21.0 | 23.8 | 26.2 | 38.3 | 44.0 | 35.4 | 26.5 | 20.3 | 16.6 | 25.8 |
| Average Dew Point °C | -8.1 | -7.3 | -6.3 | -6.1 | -4.6 | -3.2 | 3.5 | 6.7 | 1.9 | -3.1 | -6.5 | -8.6 | -3.4 |
Activities
North Rim
From Toroweap Overlook on the North Rim
There are few roads on the North Rim; however, there are some notable
vehicle accessible lookout points including Point Imperial, Roosevelt
Point, and Cape Royal. Mule rides are also available that go 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, Uncle Jim's Trail, the Transept Trail, and the North Kaibab Trail. The North Kaibab Trail can be followed all the way down to the Colorado River, connecting across the river to the South Kaibab Trail and the Bright Angel Trail, which continue up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The Toroweap Overlook 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. The roads lead through Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument and to the overlook.
South Rim
From Desert View on the South Rim
A variety of activities at the South Rim cater to park visitors. A
driving tour (35 miles (56 km)) along the South Rim is 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.
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 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. Flights within the canyon are still available outside of park boundaries.
Development
The US government halted development of a 1.6 million acres area including the national park from 1966 to 2009, known as the Bennett Freeze, 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
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.
A panoramic view from the South Rim
