Grand Canyon National Park

Place: Arizona

View: Spectacular: Takes your breath away!
          A photographer's paradise...

What: Natural wonders of the world…
           4.2 million visitors a year...

Shall let the photos do the talking!


In the morning light

About 70 million years ago a 130,000 square mile area of the south-western USA got squeezed up thousands of feet high as the Pacific continental plate crashed and went under the North American plate sending powerful reverberations that created the Rockies.


Canyon View at 6.30AM

The Grand Canyon began to appear about 5-6 million years ago as the Colorado River deepened the chasms, with the aid of rain, snow and wind erosion.

 

One of the several viewpoints on the South Rim

The distance from the South Rim to the North Rim varies from half a mile to eighteen miles and the canyon has a maximum depth of 6,000 feet.

  The vivid colors are mainly due to trace amounts of various minerals. Most contain Iron imparting hues of red, yellow and green to the canyon walls.

Can trace the origin right from the Pre-Cambrian period at the base of the chasm, two billion years old, upward to the current sedimentation formed by the Colorado River running through it.


The sinuous Colorado River carving out its path for millions of years


Taken during the rains..the rain clouds shedding its load on a small area

The Grand Canyon is more than a great chasm carved over millennia through the rocks of the Colorado plateau. 


The zig-zag Bright Angel Trail going down to the Colorado River towards Phantom Ranch. 
A good 19 mile trek down taking more than a day...



It is more than an awe-inspiring view at 277 river-miles long, an average of ten miles wide and nearly one mile deep. 


The real-deal cowboy taking supplies down the trail was happy to pose for me :)



View from the trail


Mule rides down the trail for those who do not want to hike..Takes 5.5 hours down


The trail is not for people with vertigo problems..Thousands of people go down the trail 
every year and cap it as a personal achievement.It takes a lot of stamina and determination
to do the full course ..

 The Canyon was established as a forest preserve by President Benjamin Harrison in 1893 and later set aside as a national monument by Roosevelt in 1908.
Over time, the elements have scoured and carved the dramatically splendid Canyon.It is more than a pleasuring ground for those who explore the roads, hike the trails, or float the currents of the turbulent river.


"Queen of the Canyons " posing for us!

 This great range in elevation allows for a variety of climate, flora and faun; of the seven life zones of the North American continent, four can be experienced within the Canyon.


Lot of Elks running around free here..Got one scooting away..


The train takes you to neighboring villages and back...

This canyon is a gift that transcends what we experience.

In it we find the strength of forbearence and fortitude that 
sustained it for billions of years...

 Its beauty and size humble us.

 Its timelessness provokes a comparison to our short existence.

 In its vast spaces we may find solace from our hectic lives. 


A stillness that pervades the canyons seeps into the minds...

 The Grand Canyon we visit today is a gift from past generations.

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* All photos are from personal collection...