The Grand Canyon is vivid evidence of the greatness of nature and its superiority over everything created by human hands. No wonder it was taken under the protection of UNESCO, it’s one of the greatest natural wonders of the world, and everyone who stands on its edge and looks into the distance feels really stunned.
Top facts about the Grand Canyon
- There is an observation deck with a glass floor right at the edge. Standing there is really scary.
- The maximum depth of the Grand Canyon is almost 6000 feet (1.8 km) and the max width is 95.000 feet (29 km).
- The Grand Canyon is the largest one on Earth and the second largest in the Solar System. Only Mariner Valley on Mars is even larger.
- Several 3000 years old petroglyphs (cave paintings) had been found in the Grand Canyon.
- This place is visited by more than five million tourists annually.
- Three aircraft got crashed in the Grand Canyon. Two of them collided while the pilots circled over the canyon for passengers to enjoy the spectacular views.
- In 2013, a tightrope walker Nikolas Wallenda crossed the Grand Canyon on a tightrope without any safety lines.
- It is home to an endemic species of squirrels that aren’t found anywhere else in the world (check 16 facts about squirrels).
- About 65 million years ago, the Colorado River flowed through the Grand Canyon, but this part of the land rose due to seismic processes, and the river found a new channel.
- There are no retail spots in the Grand Canyon National Park. They were all closed after it was revealed that they are the main source of garbage appearing in the canyon.
- The National Park has many points with free drinking water.
- The length of the Grand Canyon reaches 277 miles (446 km).
- It started to form approximately 5-6 million years ago.
- The first Europeans to visit the Grand Canyon were people from the expedition of Spanish conquistador Francisco Coronado. They were looking for the legendary Seven Cities of Gold.
- You can see a lot of fossilized corals and trilobites here. But there aren’t any dinosaur bones, as the Grand Canyon appeared millions of years after they all disappeared from the Earth’s face.
- In winter, when it can snow here in Arizona, the temperature at the bottom of the Grand Canyon can reach +50 °F (+10 °C). Such temperature differences often cause monstrous thunderstorms to rage over the canyon.
- The Grand Canyon can be seen from Earth’s orbit with the naked eye.