Driving through the American Southwest without visiting the Grand Canyon is like going to New York and skipping the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.
The Grand Canyon: A Wonder of Nature
Our plans took an unexpected turn when the weather interfered. As we approached the Grand Canyon, temperatures dropped dramatically to -12°C, and a thick fog enveloped the landscape, reducing visibility to nearly zero.
We stopped at a few viewpoints, my heart pounding with both excitement (reminiscent of my first sight of Niagara Falls) and a tinge of disappointment. But staring into a white void wasn’t the Grand Canyon experience we’d imagined. Reluctantly, we decided to call it a day and try again tomorrow.
Later, as we stopped near a heliport for a quick snack, something magical happened. The skies suddenly cleared, and sunlight broke through, revealing the canyon in all its glory. It was a completely different scene. But as time was short, we decided to return the next day for a full experience.
A Story of Survival
The Grand Canyon is as much a test of nature’s beauty as it is a lesson in its power. My first visit in 1992 taught me this the hard way.
We arrived at Mather Point Overlook in June and decided to hike down to the Colorado River. The weather was hot, so I took off my shirt and began the descent: “Let me get a little sunburn.” An hour and a half later, about a thousand vertical meters down, a guide passed by with her group and stopped us.
She sternly instructed me to put my shirt back on immediately. When she asked how much water I had, I replied, “None. Why would I need any?” Her response was to hoist me onto a mule and send me back up the trail.
The Grand Canyon’s microclimate is extreme. Temperatures at the rim might be a comfortable 20°C, but deep in the canyon, they can soar to 50°C within hours.
That experience left me with weeks of painful sunburn and swelling on my shoulders. The only relief I found was kneeling in front of a window unit air conditioner for several days in a Vegas motel, the sole reason I survived that trip.
When Not Even Eagle Eyes Help
Another tale involves my friend Zdeno, who was determined to see the Grand Canyon. We planned a month-long vacation, rented a car, and set off to explore the American West.
After a late ride from Las Vegas, we arrived at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center at 9 p.m.—only to be greeted by darkness and nothing but the moon. “No worries,” we said, “we’ll come back tomorrow.”
The next day, we visited Monument Valley before heading to the othe sde of Grand Canyon – North Rim for a different perspective. But when we arrived, we were met with an impenetrable wall of white fog. It didn’t leave much to the imagination—there was simply nothing to see. We stayed overnight in a wooden campsite 14 km away.
The following morning, we tried again, but a snowstorm had closed the park. For Zdeno, seeing the Grand Canyon in person remained an unfulfilled dream.
The Grand Canyon in Numbers
The Grand Canyon is 446 kilometers long, up to 29 kilometers wide, and plunges to a maximum depth of 1,800 meters. Its walls are composed of multicolored layers of sandstone and limestone, a geological marvel dating back millions of years.
While it was once believed that the Colorado River began carving the canyon six million years ago, recent studies suggest this process may have started as far back as 70 million years.
The canyon also holds over 1,000 caves, but only 335 have been explored, and just one is open to the public. Adventurers flock here for activities like rafting the Colorado River, but spots must be booked a year in advance.
A Natural Wonder
It’s said that fewer people have traversed the entire length of the Grand Canyon than have walked on the moon. The canyon is also a treasure trove of fossils, some dating back 1.2 billion years, offering a glimpse into ancient marine life.
The Grand Canyon is, without exaggeration, one of the ten most extraordinary natural creations on Earth. We’ll return to its wonders in future stories—but for now, it remains a place that inspires awe, respect, and a profound appreciation for nature’s raw power.
