US National Parks
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon is unmatched throughout the world in the incomparable vistas it offers to visitors. While not the deepest canyon in the world, the Grand Canyon is known throughout the world for its overwhelming size and intricate, colorful landscape.
Geologically it is significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are beautifully preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rock layers record much of the early geological history of the North American continent. It is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion in the world. Grand Canyon became a national park in order to protect it and preserve its breathtaking scenery for future generations.
“If we want to feel huge, significant, exalted,
we go to the last of the few remaining
wild mountaintops in this country
and let the high winds press against us.
But if we dare to realize who and what we are,
the tininess of our myths,
we can descend into the lower places.
We can pass beneath cathedrals
of sun-shafted old-growth forests
and descend even deeper,
into temples of geology and time,
the greatest of which in this country
is the Grand Canyon.”
- Rick Bass, National Geographic Traveler, 10/99
Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon Association.