GRAND CANYON
Area: Arizona
Country: United States of America


Location:
In the SW United States, in the N-central part of Arizona state. 9 mls N of Tusayan and a mile farther from its small airport (GCN), which takes mainly light aircraft. 220 mls N of Phoenix and its international airport.

Telephone code from UK:
1 520

Website:
http://www.nps.gov/grca

Position:
Grand Canyon National Park (the Park) covers 1.2 million acres of the Canyon itself, North and South rims. The area covered here _ the South Rim _ is set on a high plateau some 7,000 ft above sea level. Mainly flat terrain covered in natural pine forest. Kaibab National Forest surrounds the area.

Description:
The Canyon, gouged out by the mighty Colorado River, is 277 mls long, averages 10 mls in width and is 5,000 ft (almost a mile) deep. Being one of the natural wonders of the world, it attracts over 5 million visitors a year, so expect crowds in summer. Once the Santa Fe Railroad reached this point in 1905 (making mass tourism possible), Grand Canyon Village grew up and was built to house all the staff necessary to run the Park. The historic part of the village covers about half a mile around the rail terminus, from Kolb (photographic) Studio to Verkamp's souvenir store. The 2 historic lodges are here, as well as most of the buildings of interest. If you want only a snapshot of the Canyon itself but all of its history, and you prefer to do it on foot, this compact area is the best spot to explore. The Canyon View Information Plaza is located near Mather Point and can be reached only on foot or by shuttle bus. Tusayan, 9 mls S, seemingly exists only to accommodate visitors to the Canyon. It sits astride US Route 64, the main road, and offers lodgings, food, entertainment, petrol and the inevitable souvenirs.

Suitability:
One of those "must see once" places in the world that everyone would like to visit. Visitors vary from backpackers and serious hikers to superstars and heads of state. Disabled visitors are catered for pretty well, with well-maintained trail paths around the rim. Wheelchair-friendly buses can be organised in advance. Americans naturally predominate and, indeed, add to the experience _ the words "wow" and "awesome" will become very familiar. Japanese and English are more restrained in their jaw-dropping wonder at this very large hole in the ground.

Accommodation:
All accommodation in the Park itself is operated by a private company. The 6 lodges vary in quality and price, from the sublime El Tovar to the ridiculous. Some rooms even have no private bathroom; most lodges have more than one standard of (usually rustic) accommodation on offer. These properties are often offered by tour operators under the generic name "Grand Canyon Lodges". If a specific lodge cannot be booked, be prepared to be disappointed, as better rooms are often reserved months or years in advance by those in the know. The great draw of the Canyon necessitates providing bed, food and toilet facilities for thousands of visitors _ mainly staying only one night. Staff are usually under pressure and the whole place is understandably something of a people-processing "factory". Frankly better, more modern accommodation is to be found in the tiny "village" of Tusayan only 2 mls from the Park gates and 9 mls from the rim. The Park pass is valid for a week, so there is no problem coming and going and there is a better choice of places to eat.

Shopping:
Gift, curio and souvenir shops abound. Native American jewellery and pottery are popular. Prices are quite high; keep an eye out for roadside stores where prices are a "little" more reasonable. Everything else is either cowboy-orientated (Stetson hats, boots, etc) or limited to anything with the magic words "Grand Canyon" on them.

Entertainments:
Daytime: mainly looking at and photographing the Canyon from many different viewpoints along the 23-ml East Rim Drive or the shorter, 6-ml West Rim Drive. Both are closed to cars, but free shuttle buses ply the routes constantly. Serious hikers can descend into the Canyon itself; adventurous and fit ones even spend the night at Phantom Ranch on the Canyon floor and then hike out again to the North Rim. Less athletic types can descend by mule. Nightlife: some hotels both inside and outside the Park provide evening entertainment. Talks by rangers on various aspects of the Canyon's history, geology, flora and fauna inside the Park. However, after a full day sightseeing, most people are glad to have a drink, eat dinner and get to bed for the early call to see the sunrise, a spectacular event if you can find a quiet spot away from the main viewpoints. The Imax cinema in Tusayan shows an hourly film on the history of the Canyon on a huge screen. If time or budget does not stretch to flying over the Canyon or shooting the rapids, watch this from a central seat near the front and hold onto your stomach! Vertigo sufferers, however, should close their eyes during certain scenes.

Eating:
In the Park: fine dining at El Tovar hotel restaurant; steakhouse or coffee shop at Bright Angel Lodge; or cafeteria meals at Maswik or Yavapai Lodges. Outside the Park: restaurants at Moqui Lodge, Squire Inn and Quality Inn; a steakhouse, cafe and various well-known names in the fast-food business can be found at Tusayan. Menus are invariably described as "Southwestern cuisine", which means steaks or Mexican.

Public-transport:
A shuttle bus operates from the airport to most hotels inside and outside the Park. This can be used to get from a hotel in Tusayan to Grand Canyon Village. From there a free bus operates throughout the Park, out to Hermits Rest on the W side and Yaki Point on the E. As car parking is a major problem in the Park during summer, the National Park Service is trying to encourage as many visitors as possible to go by bus to reduce air pollution and overcrowding. For those so inclined, a van shuttle also operates between the South and North Rims in summer only. Be aware that the distance to the North Rim is 10 mls as the crow flies, but a 215-ml (5-hr) drive.

Local-excursions:
Helicopter and small plane trips over, but not into, the Canyon. Raft rides down the Colorado River, but these start at Lees Ferry, several hours' drive away. Steam-train trips to the Canyon from Williams (59 mls away). Las Vegas can be reached by road or air.