Grand Canyon Pictures

Last year I went to the Grand Canyon. The plan was to stay for several days, hike, and take pictures. Everything went according to plan.

It's actually quite difficult to take a picture of the Grand Canyon that captures the feeling of being there. It's just too big with too much depth to adequately reproduce in a photo. Still, it was great fun trying and I think I got a few good shots from my efforts.

My favorites are those where the sun is off to the side resulting in shadows. I think they add a some depth to the photo. I included one really flat picture here too because it was the only one I have of the Colorado River. Plus, I thought the reds, pinks, and oranges were interesting.

Some impressive statistics about the Grand Canyon from Our National Parks, a book by Reader's Digest:

• To travel from end to end means a river journey of 277 twisting miles.
• The distance between walls varies from 18 miles to less than 1/2 mile.
• In the central section, the canyon averages a mile deep — 4,700 feet from the South Rim and 5,700 feet from the North Rim.
• If you were to walk from rim to rim, you would pass through at least 4 of the continent's 7 life zones, the equivalent of a trek from the Mexican desert to the Canadian woods.
• Along the walls of the Grand Canyon, some 2,000,000,000 years of the Earth's history have been laid bare by the driving, abrasive force of the Colorado River.
• The Colorado River carried an average of 400,000 tons of silt per day through the canyon. That's the same as 80,000 five-ton dump trucks!

As you might imagine, the way down the Grand Canyon is long and steep, not at all an afternoon's stroll. The rocks are hard and sharp, and they sometimes shift as you walk. The deeper you go, the hotter it gets. Ready to take the challenge? Don't forget your camera!