The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon has to be the most beautiful natural wonder of the world. With over five million visitors every year, this canyon is also one of the most visited.

This masterpiece surrounds the Colorado River in northern Arizona in the Grand Canyon National park. The canyon is about 277 miles long and ranges from four miles across to 18 miles across. It also has a depth of just over a mile. This leaves a huge area for the adventurer to explore.

I was lucky enough to spend spring break backpacking in the canyon during my freshman year. We stayed in the canyon for six days, and explored as much as we could during that time. On a normal day we hiked about eight miles, so that we could reach our destination point, the Royal Arch.

With all of this area, there are so many hidden jems to be found. Some include Eagle Rock, or the Royal Arch (as seen below). The Royal Arch takes about three days to hike to and is located just above Elves Chasm. Just before the Arch, there is the only clean water that was found during the entire trip. The Arch was breathtaking, and just beside the arch was a "pin needle" that was just as tall as the arch (you can see how small the people are in the picture). I am convinced that being near that arch is the closest I will be to heaven until I die.

Another highlight of The Grand Canyon has to be the views. In the morning, we would wake up near the edge of either a cliff and the most beautifully carved wall. During the day we would hike for hours and never see the same scenery twice. After we would go around a bend, there would be an entirely different backdrop. Also, the view of the stars at night was breathtaking. The canyon is located in the desert, so there was not a chance of rain the entire time we were there. So we were able to sleep under the stars every night. I was so clear that you could see the milky way. We would fall alseep every night just counting the shooting stars.

There are so many places to explore in this national park. I know I didn't even scrape the surface of this magnificent place. The Grand Canyon will forever have a place in my heart.