19 Interesting Facts about the Grand Canyon

The Taos fur trappers named it the Big Canon and shunned it as a bad omen. Major John Wesley Powell traveled the Canyon through the river and named it the Grand Canyon for its beauty.

Researchers are not sure how old the Grand Canyon is! Given the canyon’s age, the age of the rocks, the age of fossils found in its layers makes the age of the canyon a true mystery.

The Grand Canyon was formed as a result of the Colorado river eroding its surface for about 5-6 million years. Researchers say that the mile-high wall intersects the earth’s crust directly.

The majority of the Grand Canyon is red in color; each layer of strata differs from buff and gray, delicate green and pink, brown, slate-gray, and violet depending on various geographical factors.

The south rim with four distinct climates and diverse facilities for tourists remains the top choice for first-time visitors. Spring, autumn, and winter seasons offer the gorge a spectacular view.

The Canyon is 277 miles and is considered to be bigger than the state of Rhode Island. It is the largest in the US and the 11th largest in North America. The copper canyon is the largest in North America.

The Grand Canyon is 4000 feet deep on average and 6000 feet deep at its deepest point famously known as the Yavapai point. Yet, Hells Canyon is considered to be the deepest canyon in North America.

Tourists are frequently bit by rock squirrels after trying to pet/ feed them. The pink snake and 5 native species of fish are only found in the Grand Canyon due to its extreme and adverse climate.

The Colorado River that originated in the rocky mountains falls 2000 feet to reach the Grand Canyon. The Lipan point gives the best view of the river forming an ‘S’ shape from the Canyon.

The first American-European settlers scaled the Grand Canyon in search of high sought minerals but found tourism to be more profitable and converted the area to aid in tourism and other fun activities.

The Grand Canyon was primarily a mining site. Many presidents signed various petitions to make a natural reverse and a national park to preserve its diverse ecosystem from deforestation.

The Grand Canyon has 6-7 different climatic zones. The North Rim is considered the coldest and the south rim the hottest due to the angle of elevation. The Glen Canyon Dam prevents floods and drought.

Though the contents of the Canyon are older than the era of dinosaurs. The canyon by itself was formed much after the dinosaurs were gone. Thus, there is no trace of dinosaurs on its outer surface.

Famous tribes like the Havasupai, Navajo, Hualapai, Zuni, Hopi, and Paiute originated in the Grand Canyon. Supai is the only inhabited town there with a population of 208 people and it’s inaccessible via road.

California Condor, Humpback Chub, Razorback Sucker, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Kanab Ambersnail, and Ridgeway's Rail are endangered while pink rattlesnakes and 6 fish species are only found here.

A collapse in the canyon revealed a 313 million-year-old fossil of vertebrates that had walked in lateral-sequence like cats and dogs. But researchers are unable to match it with any known species.

The Grand Canyon’s depth is filled by many layers of rocks but recent archaeological findings show that 250 million years old rocks and 1.2 billion years old rocks lie back to back and there is no trace of rocks from other timelines.

The Grand Canyon has its own weather that changes from rim to rim and gets struck by lighting 25000 times every year. The Colorado River is adding new curves and is constantly changing its shape.