How Long Is The Grand Canyon (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 277 Miles

The Grand Canyon is well-known to almost everybody. Located in Arizona, United States, it is a place of scenic beauty. It is famous for its wonderful shapes and mindblowing colorations. It is particularly remembered for the time scale of Earth history that is unfolded in the exposed rocks of the Grand Canyon.

No other place on Earth would compete with Grand Canyon as its ethereal beauty and ambiance are unmatched. It is known for having a profound record of numerous geologic events. Animal life in the Grand Canyon is incomplete without various varieties of common mammals and different species of unique birds like bald eagles and rare Californian condors.

The Grand Canyon was protected as a reserve till 1893 but later it was declared as a national monument. On 26th February 1919, the Grand Canyon became a national park and was given for management to National Park Service.

How Long Is The Grand Canyon?

The Grand Canyon is so grand that it extends through various cities and is not restricted to just one region. The regions of Grand Canyon are also segregated as North Rim and South Rim. The distance to be traveled between these places is about two hundred and fifteen miles which can be covered by a 5 hours drive.

The Grand Canyon is undoubtedly huge and Grand. In rough terms, the Grand Canyon is even bigger than the state of Rhode Island. It is 277 miles long and 18 miles wide. One mile is the depth of the Grand Canyon. The national park does not include the entire Grand Canyon but it still covers 1,904 sq. miles of the area in total. Thus, it could be easily said that the entire Grand Canyon is bigger than the state of Rhode Island which is merely about 1,212 sq. miles.

The Grand canyon houses numerous caves inside itself. Based on estimation, there seem about 1000 caves inside the Grand Canyon out of which to date 335 have been recorded. Even today caves are mapped or investigated. However, only one cave named the Cave of the Domes on Horseshoe Mesa is opened to the public.

Why Is The Grand Canyon So Long?

The Grand Canyon is created by Geological activity and erosion by the Colorado River. It encompasses extensive records of fossils dating several times back, has a multitude of rich and ancient archeological history, and displays a variety of geological features. The European first visited and viewed the Grand Canyon was in 1540. It was known to be viewed by a person from Spain called Garcia Lopez de Cardenas.

The title for one of the most visited national parks goes to Grand Canyon as about 6 million people visit it every year. The Grand Canyon is considered second while ranking as the most popular national park to visit, after the Great Smoky Mountains. It is also a landscape that is studied throughout the world.

The Grand Canyon attracts a huge number of tourists, out of which nearly 83% are from the United States such as California with 12%, 9% from Arizona, Texas with 5%, 3% from Florida, and New York with 4%. Thus, about 17% of visitors of the Grand Canyon are from outside of the United States with 3 % from the U.K, Canada with 4%, 2% from Japan and Germany, and the Netherlands with 1%.

Conclusion

Having a length of about 277 miles i.e 446 km and a floor elevation of about 2,600 feet, the Grand Canyon is one of the premier places to visit in Arizona, United States. It has an age of about 5 to 6 million years. Renowned as a popular tourist destination, it was formed by the famous Colorado River flowing in the States. The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is open throughout the entire year for everybody whereas the North Rim permits people to visit it only from mid-May to mid-October. Thus, one should plan their trip to the Grand Canyon wisely.

References

1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24993568
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231021001576