Visiting the Grand Canyon
More than 270 miles long, and up to 18 miles across, the canyon carved by the Colorado river through the state of Arizona is truly an astonishing sight. It really is like nothing else you've ever seen. Five million people each year come here to admire one of the greatest of nature's natural wonders.
Perhaps the most extraordinary think about the Grand Canyon, given its size, is how you have to travel a long way to find it and then it suddenly appear in front of you only when you are practically on the very edge of the canyon itself.
Most visitors to the Grand canyon arrive at the southern rim from Flagstaff. It is on this southern edge that the visitor facilities are found (hotel, restaurant etc).
It is also possible to arrive at the northern rim although it is much less accessible, the road is more frequently closed due to poor weather, and there are less facilities. But (it is said, we didn't get to the north rim) that the views are significantly better!
But you won't be disappointed whichever vantage point you choose.
Because of the depth of the canyon, the climate is very different at the top and the bottom. The high rims frequently have winter snow and can remain mild even in summer, whereas the weather at the bottom of the canyon is more typical of this part of south-west USA - arid, hot and dry.
Annual rainfall on the northern rim (slightly damper and colder than the southern rim) is 60cm, and annual snowfall over 3 metres, while the bottom of the canyon receives just 20 cm of rain and virtually no snow. but don't let the weather deter you from visiting, during the summer its is usually very warm even at the top of the canyon!
Along the rim there are various viewpoints across the canyon, each offering new surprises and spectacles. Away from the main 'rim route' and less accessible there are further viewpoints where you can find more solitude.
Sunset is the best time to admire the views, as the rocks glow a fiery red and the shadows create dramatic shapes across the scenery below.
If you want to do more than 'just' admire the canyon from the top there are other possibilities, including mule treks to the bottom of the canyon, rafting along the Colorado River through the canyon, and flying above the canyon in a light aircraft (departing from Las Vegas usually).
Most aspects of a visit to the Grand Canyon - apart from a sightseeing day-trip to the rim - need forward planning. Campsites, hotel rooms and activities should all be booked well in advance to ensure availability.