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Mark Read

Grand Canyon Region

No matter how much you read about the Grand Canyon or how many photographs you've seen, nothing really prepares you for the sight of it. One of the world's seven natural wonders, it's so startlingly familiar and iconic you can't take your eyes off it. The canyon's immensity, the sheer intensity of light and shadow at sunrise or sunset, even its very age, scream for superlatives.

At about two billion years old – half of earth's total life span – the layer of Vishnu Schist at the bottom of the canyon is some of the oldest exposed rock on the planet. And the means by which it was exposed is, of course, the living, mighty Colorado River, which continues to carve its way 277 miles through the canyon as it has for the past six million years.

Explore Grand Canyon Region

  • Cape Royal

    Strategically located on the southernmost tip of the North Rim high above the great westward turn of the Colorado River, Cape Royal takes in almost every…

  • Grand Canyon National Park North Rim

    Grand Canyon's remote, wild and forgotten North Rim is far less developed, and sees far fewer visitors that its southern counterpart. In part this is due…

  • G

    Grand Canyon National Park

    Forged by millions of years of erosion by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon captures the history, scale and beauty of the American West. Overlooks peer…

  • Kolb Studio

    In 1905 Ellsworth and Emery Kolb built a small photography studio on the edge of the rim, which has since been expanded and now holds a bookstore and a…

  • Desert View Watchtower

    The marvelously worn winding staircase of Mary Colter's 70ft stone tower, built in 1932, leads to one of the highest spots on the rim. From here, slats in…

  • Antelope Canyon

    Unearthly in its beauty, Antelope Canyon is possibly the most famous slot canyon in the world. Located on the Navajo Reservation, a few miles east of Page…

  • G

    Grand Canyon Lodge

    Enter the front door of the lodge and see...the Grand Canyon, somehow looking even larger framed by the massive windows of the sunroom. Built in 1937 out…

  • S

    Shoshone Point

    Walk about 1 mile along the mostly level and shaded dirt road to marvelously uncrowded Shoshone Point, a rocky promontory with some of the canyon’s best…

  • H

    Horseshoe Bend

    Calling the view at Horseshoe Bend 'dramatic' is an understatement – the overlook sits on sheer cliffs that drop 1000ft to the river below, as it carves a…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Grand Canyon Region.

  • See

    Cape Royal

    Strategically located on the southernmost tip of the North Rim high above the great westward turn of the Colorado River, Cape Royal takes in almost every…

  • See

    Grand Canyon National Park North Rim

    Grand Canyon's remote, wild and forgotten North Rim is far less developed, and sees far fewer visitors that its southern counterpart. In part this is due…

  • See

    Grand Canyon National Park

    Forged by millions of years of erosion by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon captures the history, scale and beauty of the American West. Overlooks peer…

  • See

    Kolb Studio

    In 1905 Ellsworth and Emery Kolb built a small photography studio on the edge of the rim, which has since been expanded and now holds a bookstore and a…

  • See

    Desert View Watchtower

    The marvelously worn winding staircase of Mary Colter's 70ft stone tower, built in 1932, leads to one of the highest spots on the rim. From here, slats in…

  • See

    Antelope Canyon

    Unearthly in its beauty, Antelope Canyon is possibly the most famous slot canyon in the world. Located on the Navajo Reservation, a few miles east of Page…

  • See

    Grand Canyon Lodge

    Enter the front door of the lodge and see...the Grand Canyon, somehow looking even larger framed by the massive windows of the sunroom. Built in 1937 out…

  • See

    Shoshone Point

    Walk about 1 mile along the mostly level and shaded dirt road to marvelously uncrowded Shoshone Point, a rocky promontory with some of the canyon’s best…

  • See

    Horseshoe Bend

    Calling the view at Horseshoe Bend 'dramatic' is an understatement – the overlook sits on sheer cliffs that drop 1000ft to the river below, as it carves a…

Featured videos

Road tripping on Route 66 is like driving back in time

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Guidebooks

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