Grand Canyon: Grandview Trail

The Grandview trail is not as popular as the South Kaibab and Bright Angel trails, probably because it doesn't go all the way down to the river and the first couple of miles are very steep. This also means it's a quieter hike. We only did the first part of it, descending a little over 1200 ft (370 m) into the canyon. The views were truly spectacular and constantly changing--as we hiked down, as we turned back up, and of course with the shifting light.

Here's the view from near the trailhead, looking out along the ridge to Horseshoe Mesa and beyond.

I am always in awe of how plants thrive in unlikely and inhospitable places.

A close up of some features along the north rim. The major ones, at least, are named, but I'm not sure which one is which!

You can just make out the Colorado River in the distance here and in the next shot.

In addition to the views, the Grandview Trail itself is very pretty and a pleasant hike down, though much more strenuous on the way back up.

This section of the canyon wall reminded me of photos I've seen of Antelope Canyon (a slot canyon near Lake Powell, which we didn't manage to squeeze into this trip but I hope to see in the future).

It's so interesting to see all the canyon features from different angles as you descend. Of course, this is always true with hiking, but somehow it's particularly striking when you travel in what is opposite the typical progression--from the top down, rather than the bottom up--and when the landscape is so intricately carved.

What we had looked down on from the top is now in front and above us.
In the background is a feature known as Sinking Ship.

A USGS survey marker. We went only a little ways past this.

Another case of seeing from below what we previously saw from above. And it looks so different!

Horseshoe Mesa is in the right foreground, with the unseen Colorado River and the very visible north rim beyond it.

This view highlights the transitions between contrasting layers of rock. Particularly visible here is the boundary between the pale Coconino Sandstone and the deep red Hermit Shale below it. The sandstone formed approximately 275 million years ago, while the shale formed about 280 million years ago.

Here is a closer view of the "Sinking Ship", seen off to the east. I was interested to discover this was its name, because there's also a feature called the battleship, and when I saw this I thought to myself this looks even more like a battleship.

And nearing the rim again.

I still have a bike ride, another hike, and lots of flora and fauna to share with you all!

Grand Canyon: Desert View

I have so many more photos from my Grand Canyon trip, that it's hard to know where to start (and yes, I have wolf photos coming too, eventually). Although we didn't make it to the north rim on this trip, we explored the south rim rather thoroughly, so I have a variety of photos from different perspectives along the canyon rim, as well as from a couple of different hikes down into the canyon. These are a few from Desert View, which is the easternmost lookout in the park along the south rim, just north of the park's East Entrance.

Here are a series of photos looking out over the canyon starting from the northwest and ending in the east.

Cedar Mountain, a cinder cone in the San Francisco Volcanic Field, is visible off to the east. The peak is 7061 ft (2152 m)
 above sea level, although only about 600-700 feet higher than the surroundings, and lower than the rim at
Desert View (7,348 ft/2,240 m). Nevertheless, it stands out in the flat plateau and deep canyon landscape.

There are glimpses of several parts of the Colorado River from here, and if you look closely you can even see a couple of rapids.

The Desert View Watchtower, built in 1932, was designed by architect Mary Colter to resemble Puebloan architecture while also blending into the landscape and providing a panoramic view of the canyon.

The ceiling is painted with a recreation of images from Salinas National Monument in New Mexico.

There is also a memorial here for a mid-air plane collision that occurred in the Grand Canyon in 1956. All 128 people died, making it the deadliest plane crash in the US at the time. It was one of many incidents that spurred interest in improving air traffic control.



The Desert View watchtower and lookout are right next to the Desert View campground where we stayed for the second half of the trip. Although it wasn't as quiet or dark as the Kaibab National Forest, where we stayed the first couple of nights, it was convenient both to be in the park and to leave our tent up. We took advantage one evening by watching the sunset from the Desert View lookout.

One of my favorite things about the Grand Canyon--which was particularly clear at sunset--was the way the array of different cliff faces and side canyons look like layers upon layers receding into the distance.