Driving Guides

Anderson, Michael F. Along the Rim. Grand Canyon, AZ: Grand Canyon Association, 2001. This 72-page booklet provides a concise history of Grand Canyon Village and 22 overlooks along Hermit Road and Desert View Drive. Color photography and archival photographs give this a scrapbook appeal.

Duffield, Wendell A. Volcanoes of Northern Arizona. Grand Canyon, AZ: Grand Canyon Association, 1997. Aerial photography and illustrations help describe the San Francisco Volcanic Field, which stretches from Flagstaff to Grand Canyon. Road logs for several geology-based trips include Toroweap, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, and the drives from Flagstaff and Williams to Grand Canyon’s south and east entrances.

Schmidt, Jeremy. Grand Canyon National Park Road Guide. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1997. Though compact, this guide offers excellent information for exploring viewpoints along the South and North Rims, incorporating history, geology, and ecology. For those entering the park’s east side, Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments are also included.

Geology

Price, L. Greer. An Introduction to Grand Canyon Geology. Grand Canyon, AZ: Grand Canyon Association, 1999. This book is a good introduction to geology in general, as well as Grand Canyon geology in particular. It provides a big-picture look at the forces behind the canyon’s formation, along with detailed descriptions of each geological era.

Ranney, Wayne. Carving Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon, AZ: Grand Canyon Association, 2005. The author outlines historic theories about how the Colorado River carved Grand Canyon, then details his own ideas, reminding us that even with all the evidence, some elements remain enigmatic. Excellent illustrations and clear writing make this geological history easy for laypeople to understand.

History and Archaeology

Anderson, Michael F. Living at the Edge: Explorers, Exploiters, and Settlers of the Grand Canyon Region. Grand Canyon, AZ: Grand Canyon, Association, 1998. This thorough history begins with Paleoindian use of the canyon and extends to the rise of tourism in the 1930s. River runners, miners, Harvey Girls, Mary Colter—their stories are told here. Illustrations include maps and archival photographs, several of them taken by the Kolb Brothers.

Grattan, Virginia L. Mary Colter: Builder Upon the Red Earth. Grand Canyon, AZ: Grand Canyon Association, 1992. This is the definitive biography of eccentric and talented Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, who designed the South Rim’s most spectacular buildings.

Schwartz, Douglas W. On the Edge of Splendor: Exploring Grand Canyon’s Human Past. Santa Fe, NM: The School of American Research, 1989. Chapters cover the canyon’s native history from the Archaic period to Powell’s ethnological expeditions, as well as the traditions of the region’s contemporary Hopi, Paiute, and Havasupai.

Natural History

Alden, Peter et al. National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southwestern States. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999. Plants, animals, geology, weather, and more are covered in this field guide, a good companion for a trip around the region. Color photos and star charts aid identifications of plants, animals, constellations, and landforms. Details include travel information for Grand Canyon, Coconino National Forest, and other Arizona parks and recreation areas.

Epple, Anne Orth and Lewis E. Epple. A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona. Helena, MT: Falcon, 1995. With 850 color photographs and more than 300 pages of description, this guide will satisfy serious plant lovers.

Huisinga, Kristin, Lori Makarick, and Kate Watters. River and Desert Plants of the Grand Canyon. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing, 2006. This very detailed botanical field guide focuses on the grasses, flowers, shrubs, and other plants found in the inner canyon. Written for botanists or those serious about natural history, the book includes ethnobotanical uses, pollinator relationships, and species comparisons, as well as illustrations and photos for plant identification.

Lamb, Susan. Grand Canyon: The Vault of Heaven. Grand Canyon, AZ: Grand Canyon Association, 1995. If you’re looking for an all-around book about Grand Canyon’s human and natural history that doubles as a souvenir, this gorgeously photographed, oversize book fits the bill.

Schmidt, Jeremy. Grand Canyon National Park. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. This very readable natural history guide, unfortunately out of print, covers geology, flora, and fauna in narrative fashion. A brief but thorough cultural history section includes discussion of environmental concerns, such as air quality and overflights. Species checklists are included in the wildlife chapter.

Whitney, Stephen R. A Field Guide to the Grand Canyon. Seattle, WA: The Mountaineers, 1996. The guide describes many plants and animals of the canyon’s rims and gorge, with black-and-white and color illustrations for identification. The natural history introduction covers geology and the environment.

Hiking and Recreation

Abbot, Lon and Terri Cook. Hiking the Grand Canyon’s Geology. Seattle, WA: The Mountaineers, 2004. Introductory chapters explain canyon geology, followed by step-by-step geologic information for 18 hikes. Illustrations include helpful geologic diagrams and excellent black-and-white photography. Suggested day-hike destinations are offered, along with backpacking information.

Adkison, Ron. Hiking Grand Canyon National Park. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 2006. This thorough hiking guide includes detailed trail information, maps, trail profiles, and black-and-white photography. Day-hike destinations are suggested for most trails, but this 260-page guide is especially useful for backpackers, with information about campsites and water sources. Geology, natural history, and trail highlights make it a rich resource.

Annerino, John. Hiking the Grand Canyon. San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club Books, 2006. Thousands of canyon hikers have carried this small but mighty guide to the canyon’s maintained trails, unmaintained trails, and unofficial routes. The newest editions no longer include the fold-out map, but natural history information, water sources, safety tips, trail details, and other essentials help backpackers plan multiday trips.

Belknap, Buzz. Grand Canyon River Guide. Boulder City, NV: Westwater Books, 1997. This book’s 95 pages include a sequence of river maps showing rapids, topography detail, and sights. Details about history, geology, anthropology, plants, and animals are also included.

Lane, Brian. Hikernut’s Grand Canyon Companion. Sedona, AZ: A Sense of Nature, 2006. For anyone planning to day hike or backpack the canyon’s corridor trails—Bright Angel, South Kaibab, or North Kaibab—this 90-page book is an excellent resource. Detailed trail descriptions, maps, color photographs, and a gear list are particularly helpful for first-time backpackers or those new to the canyon. Trail profiles include not only distance and elevation, but also a key to the canyon’s geologic layers.

Martin, Tom. Day Hikes from the River. Flagstaff, AZ: Vishnu Temple Press, 1999. This hiking guide is written from the perspective of the river, indispensable for those on private boat trips. Information includes tips on where and how to tie in, campsites, topographic map sections, and detailed descriptions of 75 hikes.

Stevens, Larry. The Colorado River in Grand Canyon: A Guide. Flagstaff, AZ: Red Lake Books, 1983. This 100-page guide introduces climate, geology, natural and human history, and ecology, then launches into a mile-by-mile, illustrated map of the Colorado River. Campsites, rapids, geological information, and highlights are included in this useful guide meant for river runners but of interest to anyone who wants a clearer idea of the canyon’s river environment. This book has been updated often, but is currently out of print. If you can’t find a copy, Belknap’s Grand Canyon River Guide is equally good.

Thybony, Scott. The Official Guide to Hiking Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon, AZ: Grand Canyon Association, 2003. This easy-to-use and concise guide includes trail descriptions, topographic sections, and trail profiles for the park’s most popular trails. Cultural and natural history information and color photographs round out the 68-page book.

Various authors. Grand Canyon Trail Guides. Grand Canyon, AZ: Grand Canyon Association, 1996–2006. These 26-to-46-page, pocket-size booklets cover individual trails, including Grandview, Hermit, North Kaibab, North and South Bass, and South Kaibab. The guides include cultural and natural history information, along with trail descriptions and maps—real bargains for less than three bucks.

Williams, Tyler. Canyoneering Arizona. Flagstaff, AZ: Funhog Press, 1998. This guide to hiking, scrambling, climbing, and swimming canyons includes several Grand Canyon tributaries, including Paria Canyon, Soap Creek, Rider Canyon, Tanner Wash, and Diamond Creek.

Good Reads

Dimock, Brad. Sunk Without a Sound: The Tragic Colorado River Honeymoon of Glen and Bessie Hyde. Flagstaff, AZ: Fretwater Press, 2001. This fascinating book recounts one of the Grand Canyon’s most enigmatic river expeditions, the honeymoon voyage of the Hydes, who entered the canyon in 1928 and never returned.

Dutton, Clarence. Tertiary History of the Grand Cañon District. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2001. The U of A has reprinted this classic, first published in 1882. Dutton, who named many of Grand Canyon’s temples, makes poetry of geology, and the illustrations by William Henry Holmes and Thomas Moran are breathtaking.

Ghiglieri, Michael and Tom Martin. Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon. Puma Press, 2001. These accounts of people who’ve met their deaths in Grand Canyon are not only fascinating, but also useful in helping would-be canyoneers develop humility and preparedness.

Krutch, Joseph Wood. The Grand Canyon: Today and All Its Yesterdays. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1989. Originally published in 1957, this book by one of the Southwest’s preeminent naturalists has sadly gone out of print, though hardly out of date. The issues that concerned Krutch as several Grand Canyon dams were being proposed still concern us today.

Powell, John Wesley. The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons. New York: Penguin, 2003. This reprint of John Wesley’s classic report, first published in 1872, combines adventure, geology, and anthropology, with stirring accounts of canyon scenes.

Stegner, Wallace. Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West. New York: Penguin, 1992. One of the West’s most influential authors outlines John Wesley Powell’s life and sets the stage for contemporary environmental issues.

Maps

Black, Bronze. Grand Canyon Super Guide Map. Flagstaff, AZ: Dragon Creek Publishing, 2004. This artistic map by a Colorado River guide and geologist is chock-full of cultural and natural history, trail information, fun facts, and geologic details.

Kaibab National Forest. North Kaibab Ranger District. United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, 2003. For those who plan on back-roads touring in the aspen and pine forests of the Kaibab Plateau, this map is essential, showing forest roads, road type, distances, trails, and wilderness boundaries.

Kaibab National Forest. Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts. United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, 2003. This map is helpful for those planning on camping or touring in the forest south of the canyon. However, if your travels will be limited to multiuse trails close to the rim, you can probably make do with less detailed trail-specific maps available at the Tusayan Ranger Station.

Sky Terrain Trail Maps. Grand Canyon National Park. Boulder, CO: Sky Terrain, 2007. This easy-to-read 1:40,000 topographic map includes trails and backcountry use areas from Desert View to Point Sublime. Trail descriptions and profiles are also included. It’s an excellent map for backpackers and hikers, though Bass and Thunder River Trails are off the map.

Trails Illustrated. Grand Canyon National Park. Evergreen, CO: National Geographic Society, 1987. This 1:63,360 topographic map shows trails and backcountry use areas from Desert View to Fishtail Mesa. A regional map inset, day-hike suggestions, and backpacking itineraries are helpful.

USGS Quadrangles. United States Geological Survey. For an extended backcountry trip, the most detailed map (or maps) is the 7.5-minute 1:24,000 quadrangle matching your route. You can buy USGS quads in Flagstaff’s numerous outdoors stores, or order them directly from USGS (888/275-8747, http://store.usgs.gov).

© Kathleen Bryant from Moon Grand Canyon, 4th Edition