The Grand Canyon National Park



The Grand Canyon has been one of the most visited of our nation's national parks since its induction into our historic trust in 1919. (See photos) While visiting the Canyon in 1903, Theodore Roosevelt asked us to "Leave it as it is. You cannot improve upon it. The ages have been to work on it, and man can only mar it." (One wonders what he would say about the traffic jams on the South Rim in the summer months and the noise from the low-flying helicopters.) The 8,200-foot North Rim is connected to the 7,000-foot South Rim by a 21-mile transcanyon trail. There are approximately 2,000 Puebloan ruins in and around the park, some dating as far back as 500 A.D.

Powell Monument Today, Native American tribes of Navajo, Havasupai, Paiute, Hopi, Zuni and Hualapai live in and around the canyon as their ancestors have for thousands of years. The Grand Canyon accommodates 5 million visitors annually, who drive its rim, hike its trails, and fish and boat in its water.

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