"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." /Albert Einstein/

4/1/2017

Located in northern Arizona, the Grand Canyon is known throughout the world for its size and colorful landscape. It's one of the seven natural wonders of the world, it's so peaceful to gaze upon its beauty.

Discover the Grand Canyon from my perspective! I will also share with you my experiences on the Hoover Dam and Death Valley National Park.

The Grand Canyon

Originally native Americans have inhabited the place. Powerful forces - such as the wind, ice and floods – erosion shaped the Canyon over the years. The canyon was carved over the past 6 million years by the action of the Colorado River. Many layers of rock were exposed during this process, the walls of the canyon are shining in many shades of yellows, greens, reds, orange, browns. It shows its different faces at each season.

Grand Canyon West

I visited the Canyon twice, once we rented a car in Las Vegas and traveled to the West part, where the Skywalk is located. Skywalk at the Eagle Point, horseshoe-shaped glass bridge extends 70 feet out over the rim of the Canyon. They offer shuttle buses to the visiting points. Walking on the glass bridge is a unique way to discover the place and feel the grandness of the nature. It almost feels like you are walking on air, as you look down, you see a few thousand feet under you. I do not recommend this program, if you have a fear of heights, but for those who are brave, it's a wonderful experience.

Eagle Point

Skywalk - photo by wikipedia

Helicopter tour

Another great way to visit the Canyon is to take a helicopter. We chose Sundance company and we were very satisfied with it. While departing you can see Las Vegas from the air and the Hoover dam, after that you will see the Grand Canyon, very peaceful, the nature is surrounding you. They arrange a picnic with champagne, perfect scene for anniversaries, or even for popping up the question, it will be unforgettable, I promise :-)!

Hidden Falls in the Canyon

Most of waterfalls are located within the Havasupai Indian Reservation. Havasupai means "people of the blue-green waters". For reaching the paradise you should work hard, each way it's required to hike about 10 miles. You can make reservations here: http://theofficialhavasupaitribe.com They will also inform you about the distances and circumstances. Browsing this page you will find many useful information. If you are hiking regularly, take your time and don't skip this program! During my stay I did not have enough time to complete the hiking trail, still I wanted to write about the falls on my blog, just to raise your attention, so that you can plan your trip in advance easier. Hope to have a chance to hike here next time.

Havasu Canyon - photo by huffingtonpost.com

Photo by mygrandcanyonpark.com

Hoover Dam

While traveling to the Grand Canyon, we visited the Hoover Dam. It's on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. They built the dam in order to provide water and hydroelectric power for the developing Southwest. If you are interested in the history and construction of the dam, there are extensive tours, where you can enter the Hoover Dam Powerplant and begin a one-hour guided tour. You'll exit the elevator into a tunnel drilled in the 1930s for construction, and take a short walk to the Penstock Viewing Platform. If you are traveling from Las Vegas, it's worth stopping by! This dam is iconic.

Death Valley National Park

The park is located near the border of California and Nevada. From Las Vegas you can reach the park within a 2-hour-ride. It's the hottest, the driest and the lowest national park in the USA. The hottest air temperature (134°F /56.7°C) was measured here on July 1913. The valley is surrounded by mountains, while its surface is mostly flat. Native people have been here since at least the end of the last Ice Age. Mining camps were created here. Today it's a national park visited by people all around the world.

How did it get their name from? It's referring to the Californian Gold Rush, when people wanted to cross the valley on their way to the gold fields. A group of pioneers were lost here in the winter of 1849, finally only one of the group died, the valley became their grave.