Welcome to the Grand Canyon National Park Page. This site is dedicated to providing useful information on Grand Canyon National Park. Learn about the park's history and wildlife, discover scenic hiking trails and beautiful campgrounds. Plan a trip or vacation using detailed downloadable maps and referencing our sights guide, check the weather of the area, get the park address and driving directions, and find national park hotels and lodging.
The South Rim of Arizona's Grand Canyon is expensive and overcrowded, and there is usually a shortage of parking and accommodation, but that of course doesn't matter as the canyon is the most famous natural attraction in the USA and possibly in the world. No-one forgets their first sight of the Grand Canyon and it will never fail to impress or offer something new, no matter how often it is visited.
Experiencing the Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon can be explored on foot, by air, by water and on the back of a mule-and viewed at many overlooks along its rim. However it is discovered, many visitors would agree with explorer John Wesley Powell who called the canyon, "the most sublime spectacle on earth."
To see the Grand Canyon is to see nature at its most dramatic-a great chasm of majestic spires, buttes, gorges, mesas, and mesmerizing rock formations that look like ancient temples in a windswept city.
The Grand Canyon is awe-inspiring, unimaginably huge and spectacularly beautiful. Sightseers gasp, artists rejoice and everyone feels humbled by the sight. Nothing can prepare one for the enormity of the Grand Canyon, which is 277 miles long, 10 miles wide and 1 mile deep. It is almost as if the heart and soul of the earth has suddenly been laid bare.
About 70 million years ago the collision of tectonic plates caused the Colorado Plateau to rise from sea level to 10,000 feet. Then the Colorado River began its work of cutting through the rock, a powerful force chiseling away at limestone, sandstone, shale, schist and gneiss. Wind, rain and melting snow contributed to the erosion. Rocks split off and came crashing down. Slowly, the canyon's magical formations took shape.
The Kaibab National Forest
The Kaibab National Forest is part of the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in the United States. Bordering both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, the 1.6 million acres of the Kaibab has the distinction of being divided by one of Nature's greatest attractions. Headquartered in Williams, Arizona, the South Kaibab covers 1,422 square miles and the North Kaibab stretches over 1,010 square miles. Elevations vary on the forest from 5,500 feet in the southwest corner to 10,418 feet at the summit of Kendrick Peak on the Williams Ranger District. All the way from north-central Arizona into Utah, you'll find enough breathtaking views, outstanding forest scenery, unusual geologic formations, and just plain fun to keep you satisfied for days!
Thousands of visitors travel to the Kaibab Plateau each fall to enjoy the vibrant colors of autumn leaves, yet winter is a beautiful time of year in Northern Arizona as well. During the summer, the thermometer may reach 90 degrees during the day but dip to the 50s at night. The rainy season brings brief but often violent thunderstorms across the forest. Such conditions make wildfires a serious threat to the Kaibab: there is an average of 100 fires each year, with 25% caused by people. At times, campfires may be restricted to certain designated areas and parts of the forest may be closed to public entry. The sunny climate can be deceptive, be it summer or winter, and visitors who hike, bike, or ride the forest roads should always have appropriate clothes with them for inclement weather.
Williams, Arizona
Nestled in the Ponderosa pines along historic Route 66, a wonderful surprise is waiting for you. A small, mountain community of 2900 friendly folks, Williams has been hosting visitors to the Grand Canyon for over 100 years. Surrounded by the Kaibab National Forest, it is the perfect place to rest between day trips to the vast array of scenic, cultural and recreational sites within a short drive, many within walking distance.
Plan your visit to include day trips to the Grand Canyon, Native American dwellings, ghost towns and the Sedona - Oak Creek area. Spend your evenings strolling along the brick textured sidewalks of the Historic District, shopping, and taking in the nightly western gunfight or Civil War brass band.
A fabulous dining experience awaits you in Williams. Choose from a variety of restaurants serving Southwest or Mexican fare or something more to suit more traditional tastes. Pancho McGillicuddy and Doc Holliday's are prime examples, and meals are often served up with live entertainment. You'll also find places that specialize in baked goods and natural foods.
Grand Canyon RaftingTrips
It was 1869. Ten men in four boats were about to embark on a journey that would cover almost 1,000 miles through uncharted canyons and change the west forever. Three months later only five of the original company plus their one-armed Civil War hero leader would emerge from the depths of the Grand Canyon at the mouth of the Virgin River.
From it's earliest beginnings, when Major John Wesley Powell guided the first boats through the uncharted regions of the Grand Canyon, till the present-day guided tours on inflatable rubber rafts, the lure of the Canyon has drawn thousands of visitors down the Colorado River. Starting in about the 1960's, river running became so popular that it was necessary to implement many restrictions and to issue permits to qualified guides. While this has done a lot to protect the pristine beauty of the Canyon, it has resulted in long waiting lists for that "trip of a lifetime".
Historic Route 66
At the turn of the century a muddy pathway developed along the railroad tracks. Within 20 years private booster clubs linked together sections of road to form a ribbon from Chicago to the West and it was called the Old Trails National Highway.
John Steinbeck, in 1939, proclaimed Route 66 as the "Mother Road" in his classic novel The Grapes of Wrath. When the movie was made just a year later, it immortalized Route 66 in the American consciousness.
In 1926 U.S. Highway 66 was established to serve the ever increasing highway traffic. "Route 66", the Main Street of America, came right through Williams, and a great deal of tourist-related business grew up along the famous route.
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