If you love rocks, heights and whitewater Grand Canyon is the right place travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

The Grand Canyon is a very colorful, steep-sided gorge, carved by the Colorado River, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park — one of the first national parks in the United States. The canyon, created by the Colorado River cutting a channel over millions of years, is about 277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 0.25 to 15 miles (0.4 to 24 kilometers) and attains a depth of more than a mile (1,600 m). Nearly two billion years of the Earth’s history has been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut through layer after layer of sediment as the Colorado Plateaus have uplifted.

Grand Canyon National Park is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, a designated World Heritage Site, and one of the “Crown Jewels” of the National Park System. The 1.2 million acre park is home to numerous animals (from cougars and the endangered California condor above, to rattlesnakes and Gila monsters below), over 1,500 species of plants, archaeological sites dating back thousands of years, and one of the most complete geologic cross sections visible anywhere on the planet. Sustaining these plant and animal communities, as well as carving the Canyon ever-deeper, is the powerful Colorado River , the lifeblood of the desert Southwest.

Most visitors come to the Canyon during the mild spring and fall, thus avoiding the summer heat of northern Arizona, or the winter snows that frequently blanket the lofty South and North Rims (7,000 and 8,000 feet above sea level respectively). The South Rim is open all year, whereas the more remote North Rim visitor area is open from mid-May to mid-October. Reservations for camping and lodging are essential. When making reservations for lodging and camping, remember to identify the rim you plan on visiting. Day-use visitors should expect traffic congestion and parking problems, particularly in summer. The least crowded time is November through February. However, winter weather is a major consideration when planning a trip during these months. Grand Canyon tips & insights:Make your summer reservations early for the in-the-park lodges and camps because they become completely booked months in advance. The same can be true for the accommodations outside the park for weekends and holidays. Sadly, many tourists arrive expecting miracles.

Enter the park early if you are a day tripper. Otherwise, you may have trouble finding a parking space.

Traffic congestion can be nerve-racking. Leave your car parked and take the free shuttle bus to the major lodges and lookout points so you won’t have to repeatedly search for a parking space.

Bring an umbrella. Heavy rains occur mostly in the summer, particularly in August.

If you are thinking about coming in the winter to avoid the crowds, remember it is cold and can by snowy with icy roads. Moreover, daylight is short and winter storms can obscure the view.

The best all around periods are May and mid-September to mid October. Crowds are relatively thin and the weather is pleasant (though, remember, the Grand Canyon weather can be unpredictable).

Over four million tourists visit the Grand Canyon per year.

About 9 out of 10 of them choose the South Rim.

The distance between the North Rim and South Rim main facilities is about 25 kilometers (15 miles) as the bird flies. By car, it’s over 300 kilometers (200 miles).

The park has a rim trail for those who want a less populated view of the Grand Canyon.

The best time to see or photograph the Grand Canyon is in the early morning or late afternoon on sunny days. The low angled sun rays intensify the hues of the rock layers.

Grand Canyon is very nice place for many activities too. Aside from casual sightseeing from the South Rim, whitewater rafting, hiking and running are especially popular. The floor of the valley is accessible by foot, muleback, or by boat or raft from upriver.

Hiking down to the river and back up to the rim in one day is discouraged by park officials because of the distance, effort required, and danger of heat exhaustion from the much higher temperatures at the bottom. Rescues are required annually of unsuccessful rim-to-river-to-rim travellers. Nevertheless, hundreds of fit and experienced hikers complete the trip every year. Hikers and runners who know their limits and have experience in a desert environment should not hesitate to undertake this fantastic journey. Weather is a primary consideration in this trip, so accurate forecasts are imperative. While the park service posts weather information at gates and visitor centers, this is a rough approximation only, and should not be relied upon for trip planning. For accurate weather in the Canyon, hikers should consult the National Weather Service’s NOAA weather radio or the official NWS website.