"A Unique July 4th on the North Rim" Grand Canyon Local Custom Tip by AKtravelers

It's hard to imagine a more beautiful American place to spend the Fourth of July than the Grand Canyon. But the Independence Day celebration on the North Rim is far from typical. Because the arid climate creates a high risk of forest fire, there are no fireworks. Instead, the National Park employees stage a parade on horseback/muleback while other employees douse them with squirt guns and supersoakers of the most drenching kind. If visitors happen to have any, er , water-arms, they are allowed to participate though they must be warned that the riders come with their own waterguns and will squirt back. Because we had cameras, we opted to stay on the sidelines and do our shooting with film. Still, it was quite fun to watch.