"A Walk Through Time " a Grand Canyon National Park Travel Page by goingsolo

Grand Canyon National Park is a vast area which encompasses much more than what is sometimes referred to as "The Big Ditch". The park itself encompasses more than 1.2 million acres, the vast majority of which is inaccessible due to the rugged terrain which consists of steep cliff walls, and much of the area is inhospitable to all but desert plants and animals.

The Colorado River bisects the canyon and created this natural wonder. Hikers can cross the Colorado only at Phantom Ranch.

Grand Canyon National Park is divided into two main sections. The South Rim, the more popular of the two, located about 5 hours from Phoenix, is a year round destination with lower elevation, hotter summers but more mild winters. The North Rim, where only 10% or so of GC visitors go, is about 78 miles south of Kanab, Utah, and is located at about 8,000 elevation, which makes for cooler summers but far chillier and snowier winters.

In November, 2003, I began my 3 day hike from the South Rim to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. To say that things did not go as planned would be the biggest understatement of my not exactly understated life. If you're interested in reading about it, please see my Grand Canyon page. I've interspersed bits and pieces from this adventure on this page, but mainly focused on providing information and impressions gathered from my past visits to Canyon.

This page is by no means complete. I'm hoping to return in the fall of 2005 for a long anticipated trip to the North Rim and another backpacking journey to the area which captivated me from the moment of my first glimpse at this fascinating place and which continues to pique my curiosity.