Grand Canyon National Park

P.O. Box 129
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023
(928) 638-7888


http://www.grand.canyon.national-park.com/info.htm

Grand Canyon is unmatched throughout the world for the vistas it offers to visitors on the rim. It is not the deepest canyon in the world. Both the Barranca del Cobre in northern Mexico and Hell's Canyon in Idaho are deeper. But Grand Canyon is known for its overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape. Geologically it is significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are beautifully preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rock layers record much of the early geologic history of the North American continent. Grand Canyon is also one of the most spectacular examples of erosion in the world. Grand Canyon was largely unknown until after the Civil War. In 1869, Major John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War veteran with a thirst for science and adventure, made a pioneering journey through the canyon on the Colorado River. He accomplished this with nine men in four small wooden boats. Though only six men completed the journey. His party was, as far as we know, the first ever to make such a trip. In the late 19th Century there was interest in the region because of its promise of mineral resources, mainly copper and asbestos. The first pioneer settlements along the rim came in the 1880s. Early residents soon discovered that tourism was destined to be more profitable than mining, and by the turn of the century Grand Canyon was a well known tourist destination. Many of the early tourist accommodations were not much different than the mining camps from which they developed. Most visitors made the grueling trip from nearby towns to the South Rim by stagecoach. In 1901 the railroad was extended from Williams, Arizona to the South Rim, and the development of formal tourist facilities increased dramatically. By 1905 the El Tovar Hotel stood where it does today, a world class hotel on the canyon's edge. The Fred Harvey Company, known throughout the west for hospitality and fine food, continued to develop facilities at Grand Canyon, including Phantom Ranch, built in the Inner Canyon in 1922. Although first afforded Federal protection in 1893 as a Forest Reserve and later as a National Monument, Grand Canyon did not achieve national park status until 1919, three years after the creation of the National Park Service. Today Grand Canyon National Park receives about five million visitors each year, a far cry from the annual visitation of 44,173 in 1919.

Hours: Open year round 8:00 am to 7:00 pm
Prices: Private Non-commercial Vehicle $ 20.00 (Seven Day Pass) Individual Entry (Bike, Foot) $ 10.00 (Seven Day Pass) Annual Pass $ 40.00 (Season) Gold Access Pass (Blind or permanently disabled) Free (Lifetime - good in all natl parks) Golden Age Pass (1 time fee - for those 62+ years young) $ 10.00 (Lifetime - good in all natl parks) National Park Pass (good for 1 year from date of purchase) $ 50.00 (good in all natl parks) Golden Eagle Pass (good for 1 year from date of purchase) $ 15.00 (good in all natl parks & forests)