Grand Canyon, AZ

The Grand Canyon is a majestic and awe-inspiring natural wonder located in the state of Arizona, USA. It is famous for its immense size and its intricate and colorful landscape. Geologically, the Grand Canyon is significant for its sequence of ancient rocks that are beautifully exposed in the walls of the canyon. The Colorado River, which flows over 277 miles through the canyon, has played a major role in carving the Grand Canyon over millions of years, creating a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet) in places.

The history of the Grand Canyon is both geologic and human. Geologically, the formation of the Grand Canyon dates back about 5 to 6 million years, with the Colorado River and its tributaries cutting their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. This process has exposed rocks that are up to 2 billion years old, offering a significant geological timeline.

Human history in the Grand Canyon goes back thousands of years, with evidence of early Native American inhabitants such as the Ancestral Puebloans and the Paiute tribe. The first European to lay eyes on the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain in 1540. However, the canyon did not gain significant attention from the outside world until the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Grand Canyon was officially designated as a national park in 1919, becoming one of the first national parks in the United States. Its designation was a recognition of its unique natural beauty and the importance of preserving it for future generations.

As for its proximity to Route 66, the Grand Canyon is relatively close to this iconic highway, which is also known as the Main Street of America or the Mother Road. Route 66 originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles. The section of Route 66 closest to the Grand Canyon is in northern Arizona. The town of Williams, located about 60 miles south of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, is the nearest point on Route 66 to the Grand Canyon National Park. This makes the Grand Canyon relatively accessible for travelers journeying along this historic route, offering a detour filled with breathtaking natural beauty and a step back into geological and human history.