Canyon sights in North America
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Glacier Point
Soaring 3200ft above the valley floor, Glacier Point (7214ft) presents one of the park's most eye-popping vistas and practically puts you at eye level with Half Dome. To the left of Half Dome lies U-shaped, glacially carved Tenaya Canyon, while below you'll see Vernal and Nevada Falls. Glacier Point is about an hour's drive from Yosemite Valley via Glacier Point Rd off Hwy 41.
Along the road to Glacier Point, hiking trails lead to other spectacular viewpoints such as Dewey Point and Sentinel Dome. You can also hike up from the valley floor to Glacier Point via the thigh-burning Four Mile Trail. If you've driven up to Glacier Point and want to get away from the madding…
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Antelope Canyon
Unearthly in its beauty, Antelope Canyon is a popular slot canyon on the Navajo Reservation a few miles east of Page and open to tourists by Navajo-led tour only. Wind and water have carved sandstone into an astonishingly sensuous temple of nature where light and shadow play hide and seek. Less than a city block long (about a quarter-mile), its symphony of shapes and textures are a photographer's dream. Lighting conditions are best around mid-morning between April and September, but the other months bring smaller crowds and a more intimate experience.
Four tour companies offer trips into upper Antelope Canyon; Antelope Slot Canyon Tours, owned by Chief Tsotsie, is…
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Kuskulana River Bridge
At Mile 17 of McCarthy Rd sits the one-lane, 525ft-long Kuskulana River Bridge, long known as 'the biggest thrill on the road to McCarthy.' Built in 1910, this historic railroad span is a vertigo-inducing 238ft above the bottom of the gorge. Though the state has added guard rails and new planks and thus taken some of the thrill out of the crossing, the view of the steep-sided canyon and rushing river from the bridge is awesome, and well worth the time to park at one end and walk back across it.
After rattling through another 43 miles of scrubby brush and thick forest - with few good mountain vistas and not many diversions en route - the road ends at the Kennicott River.…
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Waimea Canyon
Of all Kaua'i's unique wonders, none can touch Waimea Canyon for utter grandeur. While one expects to find tropical beaches and gardens here, few expect a gargantuan chasm of ancient lava rock, 13 miles long and 2500ft deep to the riverbed (or 3700ft above sea level). Flowing through the canyon is the Waimea River, Kaua'i's longest, which is fed by three eastern tributaries that bring reddish-brown waters from the mountaintop bog, Alaka'i Swamp.
From afar, the view of the canyon tends to be hazy. The optimum viewing conditions are sunny days following heavy rain, when the lava layers turn deeper red and waterfalls cascade throughout the canyon.
Waimea Canyon was formed…
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The Narrows
If there's one hike that's made Zion famous, it's this 26km/16mi waltz down the Virgin River, through the thousand-foot sheer gorge known as the Narrows. Overnight camping promises the best experience, though you can hike from the top in one very strenuous, long day. (You can also day hike the Narrows from the bottom, the only approach that doesn't require a permit.) This is the easiest and busiest of the backcountry hikes, and is unforgettable.
Plan on getting wet: about 50% of the hike is in the river. The trip takes 12 hours; split it into two days, spending the night at one of the designated campsites. This hike is possible between June and October, and may close…
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Bryce Amphitheater
Bryce 'Canyon' is actually a horseshoe-shaped amphitheater eroded from the cliffs, where hoodoos stand like platoons of soldiers or melting sandcastles, all painted endless shades of coral and magenta, ochre and white, and set against a deep-green pine forest. A shaft of sunlight suddenly breaking through clouds can transform the scene from grand to breathtaking. For the best views, head to Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration or Bryce Points.
You can walk the rim above Bryce Amphitheater for awesome views, but the best way to experience the canyons and weirdly eroding hoodoos is to hike below the rim. Descents and ascents can be long and sometimes steep, and the altitude makes…
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South Rim
About 90% of Grand Canyon national-park visitors head for the South Rim. Just north of Tusayan, Arizona is the park’s south entrance station. A short drive further ahead next to ever-crowded Mather Point is Canyon View Information Plaza to help you get oriented. After stretching your legs, continue north to Grand Canyon Village. Duck inside the 100-year-old Hopi House, one of the park’s many Native American–inspired designs by famed Western architect Mary Colter, and the equally historic El Tovar Hotel and cliffside Kolb Studio. At the northeastern end of the village, panoramic views of the canyon unfold at Yavapai Observation Station, which has an intriguing…
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Havasu Canyon
One of the Grand Canyon's true treasures, this is a hidden valley with four stunning, spring-fed waterfalls and inviting azure swimming holes in the heart of the Havasupai Reservation. Because the falls lie 16km (10mi) below the rim, most trips are combined with a stay at either Havasu Lodge in Supai (the only village within the Grand Canyon) or at the nearby campground. For a spot at Havasu Campground you need to book six months to a year ahead.
Parts of the canyon floor, as well as the rock underneath the waterfalls and pools, are made up of limestone deposited by flowing water. These limestone deposits are known as travertine, which gives the famous blue-green water…
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Oak Creek Canyon
For something truly magical take Hwy 89A northeast into Oak Creek Canyon. It's a drive that won't be forgotten. The canyon is at its narrowest here, and the red, orange and white cliffs at their most dramatic. Giant cottonwoods crowd the creek sides, providing a scenic shady backdrop for trout fishing and swimming.
Stop at the Grasshopper Point swimming hole about two miles into the drive, to cool off. Continue on until you reach Slide Rock State Park - a great spot for a picnic lunch.
Head back into town around sunset and turn off at Airport Road. The setting sun makes for a trippy picture - the rocks blaze psychedelic red and orange against a bright pink and purple sky.
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North Rim
On the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, more than 8000ft above sea level, solitude reigns supreme. Rugged and remote, it boasts meadows thick with wildflowers and dense clusters of willowy aspen and spruce trees. The air is often crisp, the skies vast and blue. If crowds make you cringe, this is where to head for wild isolation. There is only one road in, after all. It’s colder and wetter here, too, and the North Rim is only open for business from mid-May to mid-October. However, the views are spectacular and the lack of huge crowds makes visiting the North Rim a more peaceful, if more spartan, experience of the canyon’s majesty.
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Lipan Point
One of the most spectacular viewpoints on the South Rim gives a panoramic eyeful of the canyon and makes a magnificent spot to watch the sunset. From here, you'll get an unobstructed view of Unkar Rapid just to the west. To the northeast, the sheer cliffs called the Palisades of the Desert define the southeastern wall of the Grand Canyon, beyond which the Echo and Vermilion Cliffs lie in the distance.
You can also catch glimpses of both 75-Mile Creek and Unkar Creek, which feed into either side of the Colorado; on the north bank, look for the gentle slopes of Unkar Delta at the sinuous kink in the river.
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Hole-in-the-Wall
On Black Canyon Rd, east of Kelso-Cima Rd, is the heart of the preserve - the Hole-in-the-Wall formation. These vertical walls of tuff (pronounced 'toof'), which look something like cliffs made of unpolished marble, are thought to be from a powerful volcanic eruption that blasted rocks across the landscape some 18.5 million years ago. Explore the nature trails, then ask the rangers if Wild Horse Canyon Road, a gorgeous 9.5-mile drive up to Mid Hills, is currently passable. If you have two cars, an 8-mile hiking trail starts at Mid Hills and heads back downhill to Hole-in-the-Wall.
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Sanctuary River Valley
From Savage River, the road dips into the Sanctuary and Teklanika River valleys, and Mt McKinley disappears behind the foothills. Both these rivers are in excellent hiking areas, and three of the five backcountry campgrounds lie along them. Sanctuary River Campground is the most scenic, and it's a good base camp for hiking up Primrose Ridge.
The closed Igloo Creek Campground (Mile 34) lies in spruce woods along the creek. From here you can make an easy day hike into the Igloo and Cathedral Mountains to spot Dall sheep.
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Yosemite Valley
This meadow-carpeted valley is 11km (7mi) long, bisected by the Merced River and hemmed in by some spectacular chunks of granite. The most famous are the monumental El Capitan (2307m/7569ft), one of the world's largest monoliths and a magnet for rock climbers, and Half Dome (2695m/8842ft), the park's spiritual centerpiece, whose rounded granite pate forms an unmistakable silhouette. For the classic photo op head up Hwy 41 to Tunnel View.
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Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
Zion's three main roads - Kolob Canyons Rd to the northwest, Kolob Terrace Rd in the middle, and Hwy 9 to the south - pass through fabulous scenery. But the most spectacular is the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, which pierces the heart of Zion Canyon. This is most visitors' primary destination; if you've time for only one activity, tour this road (only possible by park-operated shuttle from April to October; cars permitted November to March).
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Waimea Canyon Lookout
The most scenic of the lookout points along this stretch of Waimea Canyon Rd is Waimea Canyon Lookout, signposted 0.3 miles north of the 10-mile marker, at an elevation of 3400ft. The prominent canyon running in an easterly direction off Waimea is Koai'e Canyon, which is accessible to backcountry hikers. Conventional tour buses go no further than this lookout (but the state is planning to widen the road to Kalalau Lookout for buses).
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Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
This is one of the park's true blockbuster sights. After its placid meanderings north from Yellowstone Lake, the Yellowstone River suddenly plummets over Upper Falls and then the much larger Lower Falls, before raging through the 300m-deep (1000ft) canyon. Scenic overlooks and a network of trails along the canyon's rims highlight its beauty from a dozen angles - South Rim Dr leads to the most spectacular overlook at Artist Point.
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Sable Pass
After passing through the canyon formed by the Igloo and Cathedral Mountains, Park Rd ascends to 3880ft Sable Pass. The canyon and surrounding mountains are excellent places to view Dall sheep, while the pass is known as a prime habitat for Toklat brown bears. From here, the road drops to the bridge over the East Fork Toklat River (Mile 44). Hikers can trek from the bridge along the riverbanks both north and south.
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Afton Canyon
Coming from Barstow, take the Afton Rd exit off I-15 and drive a graded gravel road for 3 miles to Afton Canyon, the terminus of the Mojave Rd. Afton Canyon is designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern to protect plant and wildlife habitat, and to preserve scenic values of the riparian area within the canyon.
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Quechee Gorge
Lurking beneath US 4, less than a mile east of Quechee Village, Quechee Gorge is a 163ft-deep scar that cuts about 3000ft along a stream that you can view from a bridge or easily access by footpaths from the road. A series of undemanding trails cut away from the stream, none of which should take you over an hour.
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Cuarenta Casas
The cliff dwellings at Cuarenta Casas were known to the Spaniards as early as the 16th century, when explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca wrote ‘…and here on the east side of the mountains we made our way more than 50 leagues into the hinterland and found 40 houses.’
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Carmel Valley
Go about two miles inland on Carmel Valley Rd and you'll hit sun almost every time. This Mediterranean-feeling valley is home to organic farms, upscale gated communities and posh garden shops. Scenic mountain roads lead over the hills to the Salinas Valley.
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Red Rock Canyon
This dramatic park is the perfect antidote to Vegas' artificial brightness. A 20-mile drive west of the Strip, the canyon is actually more like a valley, with the steep, rugged red-rock escarpment rising 3000ft on its western edge. There's a 13-mile scenic loop with access to hiking trails and first-come, first-served camping 2 miles east of the visitor center.
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Black Chasm
Black Chasm, a quarter of a mile east of Volcano, is known for its helictite crystals - rare, sparkling white formations that look like an enlarged snowflake. For extra loot you can try your hand at gemstone mining.
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Feather River Canyon
Highways 162 and 70 head NE from Oroville into the mountains and on to Quincy. Hwy 70 snakes along the magnificent Feather River Canyon, an especially captivating drive during the fall.
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