Grand Canyon National Park - Definition and Overview

Grand Canyon
Designation	National Park
Location	North West Arizona, United States
Nearest City	Flagstaff, Arizona
Latitude	36° 12' N
Longitude	113° 14' W
Area	1,217,403 acres 492,665 ha
Date of Establishment	January 11, 1908 (U.S. National Monument), February 26, 1919 (National Park)
Visitation	3,936,823 (2002)
Governing Body	National Park Service
IUCN category	II (National Park)

The Grand Canyon National Park is one of the oldest United States National Parks. Within the park lies the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the major natural wonders of the world. The park covers 1,902 mi² (4927 km²).

The area around the Grand Canyon became a United States National Monument on January 11, 1908 and was designated National Park on February 26, 1919. The creation of the park was an early success of the environmental conservation movement; it was motivated in part by the flooding of what was considered an even more impressive gorge to create Glen Canyon Dam.

Geology

Main article: Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon National Park contains the largest valley system in the world, created by erosion from the Colorado River.

Grand Canyon from Grandview Point

View west from Yavapai Point. Light snow cover on the ground. 1955.

External links

• Official site: Grand Canyon National Park (http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm)
• Grand Canyon National Park Pictures (http://www.nationalparksgallery.com/parks/Grand-Canyon-National-Park)
• Photographic virtual tour of Grand Canyon National Park (http://www.UntraveledRoad.com/USA/Parks/GrandCanyon.htm)

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=36.05444&longitude=-112.1393&zoom=7)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=36.05444&lon=-112.1393&s=50&size=m)
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=13&lon=-112.1393&lat=36.05444&w=600&h=400)