The Grand Canyon in Winter, what a perfect time to be here. Most of the snow is gone, but there are areas that still show a trace of winter. The park was established by Congress in 1919. Over the last 8 million years, the Colorado River has slowly eroded the rock of the Grand Canyon to an average depth of 1 mile.
The Grand Canyon is about 200 miles long and 18 miles wide. Hmm, how do you take a picture of that? When you first see it it's an overwhelming site.
I gave up trying to shoot the WHOLE canyon and began looking for the interesting shots. The weather here can be harsh so the vegetation reflects that. In winter there is snow, summer brings lightening storms and July to September is the rainy season. I think we got our visit in at just the right time.
I'm not one that likes heights very much, so you can probably see white knuckles hanging onto that railing. One lady said it made her knees go weak. I think I was right along with her.
We had a beautiful day for being at the canyon. We heard one lady say she has been here 3 times and this is the first time she has been able to see the Canyon. She had bad weather the other times.
Another lookout over the Canyon.
This is a window in the entry to Yavapai Observation Station. From this area you can get what is considered the best view of the Canyon. We saw a tent where someone was camping on The Canyon floor, a glimpse of the Colorado River, and the Phantom Ranch.
We walked a good portion of the Rim Trail, which is flat. The Bright Angel Trail, South Kaibab Trail and Hermit Trail are all steep. With Ron's leg still bothering him, plus the fact that we were at 7400 feet, we stayed on the flat trail. Ron was always looking for the Colorado River, but it's way down there and hiding behind the big rocks.
But look what he did see. First of all I can't believe I really leaned over far enough to get this picture, but here it is. You can just barely see people on the trail at the bottom of the picture. They are on mules. These tours may be scheduled 13 months in advance. They must be popular. We tried to see how they got to the bottom of the canyon, but we couldn't.
The Lookout Studio was built to blend in with the surrounding rocks. It was originally an art studio, but now it is a gift shop.
The Grand Canyon is about 200 miles long and 18 miles wide. Hmm, how do you take a picture of that? When you first see it it's an overwhelming site.I gave up trying to shoot the WHOLE canyon and began looking for the interesting shots. The weather here can be harsh so the vegetation reflects that. In winter there is snow, summer brings lightening storms and July to September is the rainy season. I think we got our visit in at just the right time.
I'm not one that likes heights very much, so you can probably see white knuckles hanging onto that railing. One lady said it made her knees go weak. I think I was right along with her.
We had a beautiful day for being at the canyon. We heard one lady say she has been here 3 times and this is the first time she has been able to see the Canyon. She had bad weather the other times.
Another lookout over the Canyon.
This is a window in the entry to Yavapai Observation Station. From this area you can get what is considered the best view of the Canyon. We saw a tent where someone was camping on The Canyon floor, a glimpse of the Colorado River, and the Phantom Ranch.
We walked a good portion of the Rim Trail, which is flat. The Bright Angel Trail, South Kaibab Trail and Hermit Trail are all steep. With Ron's leg still bothering him, plus the fact that we were at 7400 feet, we stayed on the flat trail. Ron was always looking for the Colorado River, but it's way down there and hiding behind the big rocks.
But look what he did see. First of all I can't believe I really leaned over far enough to get this picture, but here it is. You can just barely see people on the trail at the bottom of the picture. They are on mules. These tours may be scheduled 13 months in advance. They must be popular. We tried to see how they got to the bottom of the canyon, but we couldn't.
The Lookout Studio was built to blend in with the surrounding rocks. It was originally an art studio, but now it is a gift shop.
