Grand Canyon National Park: A A Condensed Overview

The Grand Canyon National Park is one of the United States' great natural treasures. There is no place quite like it on the planet. This parcel of over 1,218,375 acres of land in northwestern Arizona started out as the Grand Canyon National Game Preserve in 1906, and became the Grand Canyon National Park in 1919. The property includes 105 miles of the most scenic parts of the Colorado River. As many as 5 million people travel to the Park each year for their vacations, and the Canyon has become emblematic of America's history, vastness and natural beauty. The Canyon is home to a variety of species of animals: Raccoon, weasels, bobcats, gray foxes, mountain lion, mule deer, and desert bighorn sheep, as well as coyotes, ringtails and spotted skunks. Fifteen of the 35 mammal species within the Park are rodents that form the basis of the mammalian food chain.

The Canyon was inhabited by native peoples as much as 12,000 years ago, and has been home to successive Paleo-Indian, Archaic, Basketmaker, Ancestral Pueblan, Cohonina, Cerbat, Pai, Zuni, Hopi, Navaho and Euro-American cultural groups. Many artifacts of the early inhabitants have been excavated and can be seen on display at the Tusayan Museum at Desert View. Guided archaeological tours are also available within the Park. At the eastern edge of the Park grounds, you can visit the ruins of a Tusayan Native American village. The Tusayan Museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The North Rim of the Canyon is only open at certain times of the year as winter weather closes the roads. But if you plan your visit to coincide with its open periods, you will find its astounding beauty and remoteness will remain with you long after you have left. The South Rim of the Canyon has the most visitors and is open for the longest portion of the year. Here you will find the Grand Canyon National Park's Visitor Center, the restaurants and general store, the lodging facilities that are within the Park, and the bus service that runs from one end of the Park to the other. The South Rim also has the extensive Grand Canyon National Park Visitors Center and the park service tours.

The famous Grand Canyon Skywalk that hangs over the Canyon edge opened in March of 2007 and is located at the West Rim and does not actually lie within the Park. It is located on Native American-owned territory at the western edge. This imposing structure hangs 4,000 feet above the Canyon floor, and reaches out 65 feet over the edge.

For more information on the Grand Canyon, or for a free visitor's guide, visit www.freegrandcanyonguide.com