Why is the Grand Canyon so amazingly beautiful?  Let’s start with some adjectives and other descriptive words: vast, expansive, raw, erosion, carved, weather-worn, light, dark, awe-inspiring, shadows, canvas, jaw-dropping.  I’m sure we could add more.

What made the beauty of the Grand Canyon?  Wind, water, and stone.  While the Earth has been pushing the land up, at the same time the Colorado River has also been carving down and through.  Year after year.  Century after century.  Millenia after millenia.  The water, wind, and geological uplift have carved through the land like a gigantic scoop and laser art machine.  The Grand Canyon is over 270 miles long, between four to 18 miles wide, and is over a mile deep!

It’s estimated that the process that’s created the Grand Canyon has exposed nearly two billion years of Earth’s geological history.  Recent studies support the idea that the Colorado River established its course through the area as early as five million years ago.  So, water, wind, stone, and…time!

The Grand Canyon is in northern Arizona.  It needs to be experienced.  I first experienced it as a young boy.  In my teens I hiked into the Havasupai end (the western part) of the Grand Canyon with my father.  We camped under the stars.  The canyon walls protected us.  I will never forget the sound of the wind rushing through the Pine and Juniper trees at the Grand Canyon.  It was the sound of both near and far…at the same time.

I’ve been fortunate to visit several times as an adult, including flying into the west end in a helicopter.  On that trip we witnessed my brother-in-law and his fiance get married in the Grand Canyon.  Church?  It was nature’s cathedral.

The South Rim is probably the most famous and most visited stop at the Grand Canyon.  The North Rim can also be reached easily by car and bus.  Standing at the rim and taking in the view is one thing, however, hiking the Grand Canyon is also possible.  The Bright Angel trail can take you from one rim to the other.  It’s only one of several trails.

The Grand Canyon is truly one of the wonders of this world.  It certainly is beautiful.  It’s also vast and  nearly unfathomable.  Like a great piece of artwork hanging in a museum, it may take more than one visit to appreciate this natural masterpiece.