I highly doubt there’s anything I could write in this blog that hasn’t already been written about the Grand Canyon.
I can tell you that…
- It stretches 277 miles;
- It’s approximately 1 mile (5280 feet) deep;
- The Colorado River within the Canyon averages 300 feet from side to side;
- At 2,600 square miles it is larger than the state of Delaware;
- Scientists estimate the Canyon contains more than 1,750 species of plants, 90 species of animals, and over 360 species of birds; and
- Shockingly there’s boondocking available just outside the south rim!
What I can’t describe to you is
- The euphoric feeling you have looking out over and then down into its depths;
- The awe around every hiked turn (and yes, getting down into it on something like Grand View Trail is a MUST);
- The innate understanding that you’ll never be able to take it all in; and
- The acute realization that your life is but a 1950’s camera flash when compared to the millions of years it took to carve this beast and the millions of more years that it will exist.
A description will never capture the immense wonder of the Grand Canyon. A picture will never do it justice. You have to go to it to feel it steal your breath away.
We went to the Grand Canyon twice in 2021 – the south rim in April and the north rim in October.
The drive along the south rim has plenty of pullouts with great views like these…
But nothing can beat hiking into the canyon and the Grand View Trail should not be missed!
The north rim has amazing views as well and fewer crowds.
This bucket list item is not overrated. I hope you have the chance to go, if you haven’t already been.
