Tim Hull - Moon Grand Canyon

Colorado River rushing through the inner gorge below Plateau Point

Theres a reason why Arizonas official nickname is The Grand Canyon State. Any state with one of the true wonders of the world would be keen to advertise its good luck.

The canyon must simply be seen to be believed. If you stand for the first time on one of the South Rims easily accessible lookouts and dont have to catch your breath, you might need to check your pulse. Staring into the canyon brings up all kinds of existential questions; its brash vastness cant be taken in without conjuring some big ideas and questions about life and humanity. The canyon is a water-wrought cathedral, and no matter what beliefs or preconceptions you approach the rim with, they are likely to be challenged, molded, cut away, and revealedlike the layers of primordial earth that compose this deep rock labyrinth and tell the history of the planet. Take your time hereyoull need it.

The more adventurous can make reservations, obtain a permit, and enter the desert depths of the canyon, taking a hike, or even a mule ride, to the Colorado River or spending a weekend trekking rim to rim with an overnight at the famous Phantom Ranch, deep in the canyons inner gorge. The really brave can hire a guide and take a once-in-a-lifetime trip down the great river, riding the roiling rapids and camping on its serene beaches.

natural rock sculpture on the North Rim

canyon vista from Desert View.

sunset and moonrise from Hopi Point on the South Rim

There are plenty of places to stay and eat, many of them charming and historic, on the canyons South Rim. If you decide to go to the high, forested, and often snowy North Rim, youll drive through a corner of the desolate Arizona Strip and onto the Kaibab Plateau, which have a beauty and a history all their own.

It is folly to try too hard to describe and boost the Grand Canyon. You just have to see it for yourself. Perhaps the most poetic words ever spoken about the Grand Canyon, profound for their obvious simplicity, came from President Theodore Roosevelt, speaking on the South Rim in 1903. Leave it as it is, he said. You cannot improve on it; not a bit.

near Cape Royal on the North Rim

a bikers view from the South Rim

along the South Kaibab Trail

1Catch your breath looking at the Grand Canyon from .

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