After several attempts over 30 years, Grand Canyon became America's 15th national park on February 26, 1919. The first bill to establish Grand Canyon National Park was introduced in 1882 by Senator Benjamin Harrison. This bill would have established Grand Canyon as the second national park in the United States after Yellowstone. Harrison unsuccessfully reintroduced his bill in 1883 and 1886. After he became president, he established the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve in 1893.
President Theodore Roosevelt was a frequent visitor to the Grand Canyon. In 1903, on a visit, he said: "The Grand Canyon fills me with awe. It is beyond comparison—beyond description; absolutely unparalleled through-out the wide world... Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is. Do nothing to mar its grandeur, sublimity and loveliness. You cannot improve on it. But what you can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children, and all who come after you, as the one great sight which every American should see." Despite Roosevelt's enthusiasm for preserving land for public use, the Grand Canyon was not immediately designated as a national park. President Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon Game Preserve by executive order on November 28, 1906 and then, using the Antiquities Act, designated Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908. Further Senate bills to establish the site as a national park were introduced and defeated in 1910 and 1911. The Grand Canyon National Park Act was finally signed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919.
The creation of the national park may have stopped efforts to dam the Colorado River within Grand Canyon. In 1975, the former Marble Canyon National Monument was made part of Grand Canyon National Park and in 1979 the park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Grand Canyon, including its extensive system of tributary canyons, is valued for its combination of size, depth, and exposed layers of colorful rocks dating back to Precambrian times. The canyon itself was created by the erosion of the Colorado River and its tributaries after the uplift of the Colorado Plateau.
The main visitor areas of the park are the North and South Rims. The rest of the park is extremely rugged and remote, although many places are accessible by experienced hikers using back country trails. Hiking to the bottom of the canyon is not for the casual tourist. From the South Rim to the Colorado River you experience a loss in elevation of almost a vertical mile. Temperatures at the bottom of the canyon regularly exceed 100 degrees. The return trip to the South Rim can be quite strenuous.
Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While some aspects about the natural history of the canyon are debated by geologists, several recent studies support that the Colorado River established its course about 5 to 6 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River and its tributaries have simultaneously deepened and widened the canyon.
President Theodore Roosevelt was a frequent visitor to the Grand Canyon. In 1903, on a visit, he said: "The Grand Canyon fills me with awe. It is beyond comparison—beyond description; absolutely unparalleled through-out the wide world... Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is. Do nothing to mar its grandeur, sublimity and loveliness. You cannot improve on it. But what you can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children, and all who come after you, as the one great sight which every American should see." Despite Roosevelt's enthusiasm for preserving land for public use, the Grand Canyon was not immediately designated as a national park. President Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon Game Preserve by executive order on November 28, 1906 and then, using the Antiquities Act, designated Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908. Further Senate bills to establish the site as a national park were introduced and defeated in 1910 and 1911. The Grand Canyon National Park Act was finally signed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919.
The creation of the national park may have stopped efforts to dam the Colorado River within Grand Canyon. In 1975, the former Marble Canyon National Monument was made part of Grand Canyon National Park and in 1979 the park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Grand Canyon, including its extensive system of tributary canyons, is valued for its combination of size, depth, and exposed layers of colorful rocks dating back to Precambrian times. The canyon itself was created by the erosion of the Colorado River and its tributaries after the uplift of the Colorado Plateau.
The main visitor areas of the park are the North and South Rims. The rest of the park is extremely rugged and remote, although many places are accessible by experienced hikers using back country trails. Hiking to the bottom of the canyon is not for the casual tourist. From the South Rim to the Colorado River you experience a loss in elevation of almost a vertical mile. Temperatures at the bottom of the canyon regularly exceed 100 degrees. The return trip to the South Rim can be quite strenuous.
Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While some aspects about the natural history of the canyon are debated by geologists, several recent studies support that the Colorado River established its course about 5 to 6 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River and its tributaries have simultaneously deepened and widened the canyon.
This gallery contains some of my favorite Grand Canyon National Park images that are available as downloads and fine art prints. To view the gallery, click here or on the photo collage above. When you are in the gallery, click on a thumbnail to enlarge an image. To navigate the images click on the arrows. To see the captions click on the (i) symbol.