5 Möglichkeiten, den Grand Canyon auf unvergessliche Weise zu erleben (2024)

FAQs

What are 2 interesting numerical facts about the Grand Canyon? ›

A three-day trip to the Grand Canyon really gives you an appreciation for the nuances of the Grand Canyon's natural beauty, geology and history. See the canyon from above and below, go on a ranger-led tour, take an extended hike, explore the rich Native American culture in the Desert View area and more.

Havasu Falls is a beloved but well-hidden destination within the Grand Canyon, requiring a hike of about 10 miles in and out. It's within a part of the canyon known as Havasu Canyon, which is host to a large tributary on the Colorado River's south side.

Carved by the Colorado River and other geological forces, it is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile deep. Nearly five million people visit the canyon annually, but as we later learned, only about one percent of them hike all the way to the bottom, as we planned to do.

With roughly a dozen deaths every year, the Grand Canyon is a land of extremes where many visitors get in over their heads. The cause of the latest death is unclear. A 41-year-old hiker who spent the night at the bottom of the Grand Canyon has been found dead not far from where he overnighted.

Geology. The Grand Canyon is part of the Colorado River basin, which has developed over the past 70 million years.

July and August are the worst months to visit the Grand Canyon due to larger crowds and hotter, wetter weather. You can get cheaper deals on lodging and activities between November and February.

The best times to visit the Grand Canyon are March through May and September through November, when daytime temperatures are cool and crowds are thin. If you decide to visit during the summer (the park's peak season), be prepared for hordes of tourists and very limited lodging availability.

Unsurprisingly the weekend is the busiest time of the week at the Grand Canyon. Plenty of people visit just for a day or two on the weekend. If possible, plan your visit on weekdays instead of weekends. This way, you'll encounter fewer tourists and have more space to explore at your own pace.

One area that is sometimes referred to as part of the forbidden zone is the region around where the Colorado River and the Little Colorado River meet. This area is considered sacred by many Native American tribes, including the Hopi and the Navajo. One of the main sites in this area is the Hopi Salt Mines.

What's lurking in the Grand Canyon? ›

Even the native animals seem rugged - mule deer, bobcats, coyotes, and the occasional scorpion or rattlesnake lurk in the canyon's niches.

A new fossil has been discovered at Grand Canyon National Park. Officials with the National Park Service say the fossil was uncovered during recent excavation work at the Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse near the South Rim as part of the Transcanyon Waterline project.

Since the Grand Canyon is ever changing and the fragile rock can crumble at any moment, a ledge that appears stable may fall out unexpectedly. If it does, the gathering momentum can take a person hundreds, if not thousands of feet down into the canyon in a matter of seconds.

No donkeys at the Grand Canyon. Mules only. The world famous Grand Canyon mules! There are overnight rides on mules down to the river and Phantom Ranch for an over-night stay, and day rides on mules along the rim with spectacular views.

The odds of dying from falling off the rim in the Grand Canyon are 1 in 1.8 million visitors. There are roughly 5 million visitors at the Grand Canyon every year, and on average two to three deaths per year are from accidental falls over the rim, according to park spokeswoman Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski.

Canyons range in size from narrow slits to huge trenches. They have very steep sides and may be thousands of feet deep. Smaller valleys of similar appearance are called gorges. Canyons are created by erosion.

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is a mile-deep canyon (1.6 km) that bisects the park. Even though the average distance across the canyon is only 10 miles/ 16 km, it takes 5 hours to drive the 215 miles / 346 km between the park's South Rim Village and the North Rim Village.

The Grand Canyon has been carved, over millions of years, as the Colorado River cuts through the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado Plateau is a large area that was elevated through tectonic uplift millions of years ago. Geologists debate the age of the canyon itself—it may be between five million and 70 million years old.

Grand Canyon is considered one of the finest examples of arid-land erosion in the world. Incised by the Colorado River, the canyon is immense, averaging 4,000 feet deep for its entire 277 miles. It is 6,000 feet deep at its deepest point and 18 miles at its widest.