What exactly is the Grand Canyon? Some information that maybe you didn’t know

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If you are planning to visit the USA, we are sure that you have already included visiting the Grand Canyon in your itinerary.

This natural park has been on the list of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World, so you have plenty of reasons to visit it. But, are you clear about what exactly is the Grand Canyon? In today’s post we clear up all the doubts so that you can perfectly understand what you are going to see in one of the most incredible visits of your trip to the United States.

What is the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a natural landscape formed on the southwest coast of the United States. It is the channel of the Colorado River, which, over millions of years, has left this wonderful landscape.

The speed with which the waters of the Colorado River pass, has caused the erosion of the rock, which has gradually increased the depth and width of the “canyon”.

In order for us to understand each other, the speed of the water’s passage has been digging into the riverbed, making it deeper and wider, leaving this natural wonder in view. In 1979, UNESCO declared this site a World Heritage Site.

What we know today as the Grand Canyon, has dimensions of 446 km, and a maximum height with respect to the bottom of the canyon of 1500 meters high.

Parts of the Grand Canyon

What we commonly know as the Grand Canyon of Colorado is only a part of the Grand Canyon National Park. Because this park is huge, we can differentiate between different areas:

West Rim
This is the west area of the Grand Canyon (West Rim or Grand Canyon West). Because it is the closest to Las Vegas, it is the most popular part.

Here you will find the most important attraction of the park, as it is the Skywalk, a crystal viewpoint at the top of a cliff. Think about it before you go up because there is a drop of 1300 meters!

But keep in mind, that unlike the other two parts that we will now explain, this one belongs to the Hualapai Tribe and not to the State. For this reason, the entrance to this sector is a little more expensive.

South Rim

If we used to say that the western part was the most popular among Las Vegas visitors, the southern part is the most visited in its entirety. It is relatively close to 3 cities: Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Albuquerque.

Here you will find an infinite number of hiking tours to explore the immensity of the Grand Canyon. You will be days away from doing them all…

North Rim

This northern part of the Grand Canyon receives the fewest visitors. Since it is the highest area, it is usually covered with snow. In addition, it is an area that is not always open to the public, since it can generally only be visited between the months of May and October.

If you are in Las Vegas, you will have the same distance to go to the North Rim as to the South Rim, although we recommend the southern part, since it is more accessible and has many more viewpoints to take many pictures.

Now that you know the basics about the Grand Canyon, have you marked it as a must-see on your trip to the West Coast?