The Grand Canyon is a mile-deep gorge located in northern Arizona, northwest of the city of Flagstaff. The canyon measures over 270 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and a mile deep, making it one of the biggest canyons in the world. Scientists estimate the canyon may have formed 5 to 6 million years ago when the Colorado River began to cut a channel through layers of rock. Humans have inhabited the area in and around the canyon since the last Ice Age. The first Europeans to reach the Grand Canyon were Spanish explorers in the 1540s. President Benjamin Harrison first protected the Grand Canyon in 1893 as a forest reserve, and it became an official United States National Park in 1919.
The Grand Canyon National Park received about 44,000 visitors when it first opened in 1919. Today, roughly five million people from all over the globe visit the Grand Canyon each year.
There are different viewing points of this natural phenomenon. I’ve been to the south rim near flagstaff, AZ, with so many things to do, from camping to beautiful hotels, it has it all. You can take an airtour, bike, hike, walk the rim on the Greenway Trail, hike below the rim, take in a Park Service Ranger Program, take a jeep tour, bus tour or take a mule or horseback ride. You can even skydive with a view of the canyon. We also wanted to check out the north rim which is 2 hours from Las Vegas. Specifically, I wanted to check out the skywalk attraction located 4,000 feet above ground which is located on an Indian Reservation land owned by the Hualapai tribe. The name means “people of the tall pines”, and is derived from hwa:l, the Hualapai word for ponderosa pine and pai “people”. Their traditional territory is a 108-mile (174 km) stretch along the pine-clad southern side of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River with the tribal capital at Peach Springs.
A few miles after entering the reservation, we had to go through a security check complete with temperature checks for all the vehicle occupants. After that, we continued to the designated parking area and after parking you board a shuttle to the attraction. Once you get there, you go through a check in process where you present your tickets and also put away all your personal items. Personal cameras and phones are not allowed on the skywalk so you have to put them in the lockers provided. You also get paper shoes to protect the glass you will be walking on. There are professional photographers that walk you through the arched walkway and take your photos (for purchase after the excursion). I recommend buying the full package which is more cost effective than buying individual pictures.
On this trip, we drove 6 hours from Los Angeles and we stayed at the Grand Canyon Western Ranch. This is an old west themed ranch that has you feeling like you are starring in a Western, complete with horses, a gun range, a campfire and a live cowboy! Once owned by a notorious 19th-century gunfighter, this Old West-style resort on a secluded cattle ranch is 10 miles from the rim of the Grand Canyon, 2 hours from Las Vegas, and 35 miles from Route 93. Featuring cowboy-themed decor such as wagon wheels and saddles, the custom-built pine cabins sleep 2 to 5 guests, and have porches, fireplaces or wood-burning stoves, and en suite bathrooms with showers or antique claw-foot tubs. This is a place where you get to unplug from your gadgets and enjoy nature. It was so refreshing away from the hustle and bustle of LA life and it was only 15 minutes from the skywalk. The highlight was the nighttime gatherings around the campfires singing along to country music favorites and the kids roasting marshmallows..
All in all, this was an amazing adventure!
