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Camping '99 Destination Series: Grand Canyon National Park


This is the twelfth in a series of articles that offer suggestions for your 1999 camping/ vacation destinations. The articles share our personal experiences at these great places and provide links to more explicit information on attractions, parks and campgrounds.

Northern Arizona is very proud of their "deep ditch" or "big hole"--and they certainly have reason to be! Grand Canyon National Park is one of the world's seven natural wonders and is enjoyed by five million visitors per year. Carved out by the Colorado River, with the help of wind, rain, ice and gravity, the spectacular Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and a mile deep. Its towering buttes, mesas and valleys required two to three million years of nature's work to form. Today, the Canyon's steep walls and brightly colored strata delight and inspire the multitudes. It is truly the most uniquely beautiful park in the world!

About the Park

Known as "Kaibab" to the ancient Paiute, Grand Canyon National Park covers 1,904 square miles. The park's North Rim area is separated from the South Rim section by ten miles of Canyon air and 215 miles of roadway that connects the two tourist regions (a five hour drive via Trans-Canyon Shuttle). The North Rim entrance is 44 miles south of Jacob Lake, Arizona via Highway 67. Most facilities are closed between late October and mid-May. The elevation here is about 8,000 feet and heavily forested with Ponderosa Pine and Aspen. The beautiful Kaibab National Forest flanks both North and South Rims.

Historical Grand Canyon Lodge is the hub for activities at the North Rim--most trailheads lead from this area. The lodge provides a park information desk, dining room, snack shop, gift shop and a Post Office. The North Rim area sees far fewer visitors despite its natural beauty and fantastic vistas of the inner canyon, Colorado River and surrounding country.

The South Rim area is much more developed and receives the bulk of the tourist crowds. It has two park entrances. From Williams, Arizona (west) take Highway 64/Highway 180 to the south entrance station (60 miles). Coming from Flagstaff, Arizona (east) take U.S. 89 and then Highway 64 at the town of Cameron to the east entrance station (80 miles). The South Rim is open all year, although many of the tourist facilities are not.

Grand Canyon Village (known simply as "the Village") is the center of activities on the South Rim. There are bookstores, museums, food, lodging, a visitors center, campgrounds, train depot, the village shuttle and more available here. East of the Village, Highway 64 becomes the East Rim Drive while to its west; it is called the West Rim Drive. A number of trails descend to the inner canyon from the Village area. From late spring to late fall, expect long lines, traffic congestion and mass humanity. The park is now in the early stages of a Future Plan to help relieve these problems. The weather at the park is very unpredictable and should be taken into consideration when planning a stay at the park. The Grand Canyon Explorer web site provides an exceptional Guided Tour of the Park that shouldn't be missed!

The copyright of the article Camping '99 Destination Series: Grand Canyon National Park in Camping is owned by Thomas Stephens Sr.. Permission to republish Camping '99 Destination Series: Grand Canyon National Park in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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