Visit Northern Arizona

Visit Northern Arizona, Grand Canyon, Colorado River

Do not forget click Where to go Arizona
Northern Arizona is dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the southern border of which in Arizona is called the Mogollon Rim. In the West lies the Grand Canyon, which was cut by the flow of the Colorado River while the land slowly rose around it. In the central portion lies the Painted Desert, consisting of sedimentary rocks eroded by water and wind, exposing thick, brightly colored layers. In the East are the very large Hopi and Navajo reservations, parts of which overlap, leading to occasional territorial disputes. In this area travellers may tune their radios to hear native-language broadcasts. The two largest cities are Kingman and Flagstaff, which is home to Northern Arizona University and the Lowell Observatory. Much of the territory is parkland, reservations, or other federally-administered lands. Major attractions in addition to the Grand Canyon include the cliff dwellings of Canyon de Chelly, and Meteor Crater.

Studies on the Plateau involve numerous NAU Geology faculty and their students. Hundreds of publications and dozens of MS theses have resulted from these studies.

Grand Canyon Arizona
The Grand Canyon is Immense
The Grand Canyon is immense. The crevice is a mile deep and over 275 miles long. The park encompasses over 1,200,000 acres, and it is 10 miles wide in many sections. The 6 million year old Grand Canyon is made up of buttes, plateaus and mesas that cover two billion year old igneous and metamorphic rock. This Northern Arizona national park has earned its rightful place as one of the "seven wonders of the world." As one of our most popular national parks, the Grand Canyon is host to about four million local and international visitors each year. Due to the remote location of the North Rim, only a tenth of those visitors will see this magnificent section of the park.

Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon
Nature has not rested in Arizona, but has instead spent millions of years working, carving and etching a masterpiece. The river has created a vast canyon deep in the earth, layered with evidence of its handiwork. The Colorado River has cut deep through rocks that are billions of years old, creating the depth of the canyon, and hinting at a history rich of fossils and rock for us to interpret. The vast width of the Grand Canyon was created through weathering, erosion and tributary streams. Uplift, erosion, submergence and lithification has worked together to create the massive and impressive ---- Grand Canyon.

Colorado River
The Colorado River is the primary river of the American Southwest, draining somewhere in the vicinity of 242,000 square miles of land, from the states of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California. The Green River is the primary tributary of the Colorado River, and until 1921 the Colorado River did not technically begin until the Grand and Green Rivers joined together in Utah. In that year the Grand River was renamed as the Colorado River, at the request of the State of Colorado.

Visit Havasu Canyon Falls Gran Canyon

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The Havasu Canyon is a side canyon of the Grand Canyon and located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation.

The Havasu Falls are the largest series of water falls feeding into the Grand Canyon. The Navajo falls is 21 metres, Havasu Falls is 37 metres, Mooney Falls is 64 meters and Beaver Falls is 10 metres. - - Niagara Falls is (167 feet)  51 meters hight

Although not well known across the entire world anyone who has seen the Havasu Canyon falls will agree they are some of the most beautiful falls in the world. The stunning turquoise water snakes down the narrow canyon with waterless desert on both sides. To reach the falls there is only two ways. First is to take a raft down the Grand Canyon and climb up from the Colorado river. The other way is to hike into the Havasupai Indian Reservation to the town of Supai, which has no roads to it. After that hike down to the falls and camp in the camp ground. Visiting the falls is very difficult and requires a fair amount of preparation, including a permit arranged a few months in advance. For those too out of shape to hike in and out with all their gear, there are horses and donkeys that can be hired to transport people or belongings. For people looking for off the beaten track beauty this place is hard to beat.

The headwaters of the Colorado River are located in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. From here, at an altitude of 9,010 feet, the Colorado begins it's flow southwestward toward the Gulf o f California and the Pacific Ocean. By the time the river enters the Grand Canyon, at Lee's Ferry, its altitude has fallen to 3,110 feet, dropping over one mile since its beginning. The river will drop another 2,200 f eet before it reaches the other end of the Grand Canyon, the Grand Wash Cliffs, 277 miles away.GlenCanionDam1.jpg

Before construction of the Glen Canyon Dam the river would carry 500,000 tons of silt and sediment per day, in an average day, through the Grand Canyon. The peak flow rate of the Colorado before construction of t he dam would normally be around 85,000 cfs for the month of June. By examining river sediments, scientists have determined that on a number of occasions over the past 4,000 years, the river reached peak flow rates of over 25 0,000 cfs. The peak flow rate through the Grand Canyon after construction of the dam was reduced to 50,000 cfs on rare occasions and is normally around 30,000 cfs. The primary purpose for construction of the Glen Canyon Dam was to prevent silt from building up behind another dam, Hoover Dam, on the other side of the Grand Canyon, at the head of Lake Mead.

Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam stands at the head of Lake Mead. It was originally named Boulder Dam and was completed in 1935 with a final price tag of almost $50 million dollars. 6.6 million tons of concrete, 3.4 million cubic feet, were used in it's construction.

Climate
SUMMER temperatures on the South Rim are relatively pleasant.  North Rim temperatures are a few degrees cooler due to the higher elevation. Inner canyon temperatures are extreme.  Daytime highs at the river often exceed 105°F.  Thunderstorms frequently occur during July, August, and early September. 

WINTER conditions on the South Rim can be extreme.  The road into the North Rim is closed from the first heavy snow in November or early December to mid-May. 

SPRING and FALL. Come prepared for a variety of conditions. Pleasant weather can change to rain or cold.

Before You go To The Grand Canyon ?
Follow the current weather and road conditions web page or call (928)638-7888 (follow the prompts) more... Grand Canyon National Park