Recreation

Grand Canyon, judged by early explorers as an obstacle, is a vast collection of rugged tributary canyons and rocky temples.

For backpackers, hikers [1], river runners [2], climbers, and canyoneers [3], this maze-like landscape offers a dizzying array of possibilities for exploration.

Viewed from above, Grand Canyon is an unknowable, remote macrocosm of ridges and buttes that fade into each other in the harsh light of midday. But those who venture inside the canyon’s walls gradually become aware of the almost infinite number of microcosms held within: fossils and wildflowers and lizards, ancient sites, historic camps, slot canyons, exquisite waterfalls and grottoes, challenging climbing routes, pristine beaches, and more.

To explore all these worlds within worlds would take longer than a lifetime, and that tantalizing mystery of the still-unseen is what keeps so many canyon adventurers coming back for more.