Historical Facts About the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon is the most stunning natural wonder in the world. The rock formations with beautiful colors and dramatic cliffs are fascinating in many ways. For scientists, geologists, historians, adventurers, and all types of visitors, it is a true treasure trove of amazement. It has something for everyone. It has the most incredible views, culture, history, rocks, biodiversity, animals, tribal culture and so much more.

It is natural that the Grand Canyon has an amazing history. Some of the facts about the Grand Canyon make it a great stop while visiting Las Vegas. If you are planning a visit to this amazing place, don’t forget to check out some of the geographical information online. It will only add to the enigma.

Although Grand Canyon has four Rims, the South and the West Rim are the most popular ones. With a Grand Canyon South Rim bus tour, you can easily visit the most popular viewpoints and explore other sites.

Its rich history makes it one of the most stunning natural tourist attractions in the world. Here are some of the most interesting things about the Grand Canyon:

1. Grand Canyon Formation

Although it is said that the Grand Canyon was formed some 6 million years ago, its foundation may have been laid billions of years ago. What you see today is a recent formation comparatively. Nevertheless, the Grand Canyon stretched for miles and is a mile-deep gorge. As per the scientists, the Grand Canyon was formed 6 million years ago when the Colorado River began to cut the rock to form a channel. So, it is safe to say that the Canyon was formed after the Colorado River started making its way some 5 to 6 million years ago. The actual rock on the other hand is older than that.

2. Grand Canyon has its Own Weather

Grand Canyon doesn’t subscribe to general weather conditions of the surroundings as it has its own. This might sound a bit far-fetched, but it is true. Grand Canyon can actually create its own Weather. There is a perfect reason for it. Sudden changes in elevation can have a huge impact on the temperature and precipitation. Different parts of the Canyon can make you experience different weather conditions. For instance, Bright Angel Ranger Station on the North Rim is the coldest and wettest weather part of the region. Meanwhile, the hottest part of the Grand Canyon is at the Phantom Ranch located at the bottom of the canyon, and can be seen from the Bright Angel Lodge.

One of the Oldest and Biggest Rock Formation in the World

The Grand Canyon is 270 miles long and is 18 miles wide, and one mile deep. This makes it one of the largest canyons in the world.  The walls of the Canyon stretch a mile high or more and actually shows a cross-section of Earth’s crust, which is 2 billion years old. You can imagine the level of interest that most geologists must have in it. These rock formations provide them with a unique opportunity to study the evolution of this massive landmass.

The oldest rocks in the Canyon have been named the Vishnu Basement Rocks.  And is located in the Inner Gorge and was formed around 1.7 billion years ago.

4. Evidence of Prehistoric Life

The Grand Canyon has evidence of life in the prehistoric era as far back as 12000 years. The archaeologists believe that the ruins and artifacts found in the canyon tell about the prehistoric humans that had first settled in the Grand Canyon region during the last Ice Age. This was the time when prehistoric life forms like mammoths, giants,s and sloths still roamed the Earth. The presence of spears made from large stones does tell us that humans once lived here more than 12000 years ago.

There are many split-twig figurines in caves of the canyon that date back to 1000 to 2000 B.C. The figurines resembled animals like deer and bighorn sheep. They could be a part of the ritual for ensuring successful hunting.

5. Rich Tribal History

It is a well-known fact that the Grand Canyon is home to many tribes. Some of the ancient tribes that inhabited the Grand Canyon were the Pueblo, Paiute, Navajo, Zuni, and Hopi tribes. Now the Havasupai tribe claims the place as their ancestral home and the beautiful waterfalls in the lower canyon are shown in many travel magazines. Tours to this area are conducted by horseback to the inner section of the reservation They have lived here for more than 800 years.

At one point, the Havasupai had lost their ancestral land to the government to create the Grand Canyon, National Park. Thankfully, after an intense media campaign, the Havasupai were able to regain a large part of their lost land from the government. Now, most of the money earned by the tribal people comes from tourism and is approx. 3.5 hours from Las Vegas. The popular West Rim is the closest area of the canyon to Las Vegas. The famous Skywalk is located on the West Rim was commissioned by the Hualapai Tribe and financed by a wealthy businessman, David Jin now managed by the Hualapai Indian tribe.

The Bottom-line

These are some of the historical facts about the Grand Canyon that make it so interesting. What the Grand Canyon is today is the result of what happened millions of years ago. The tribal people of the canyons are a testament that shows how diverse the Grand Canyon actually is. Visitors can view the canyon and get to know the tribal life up close and personal.

Vegas Tours offers the best Grand Canyon South Rim bus tour. You can book the tour from Vegas online and get confirmed reservations. All the buses and coaches are designed for comfortable and safe traveling. The narrated tour will keep you engaged throughout the journey. Note: that some of the areas of the South Rim may not be open at this time due to Covid Restrictions.

The tour companies that offer excursions to Grand Canyon by bus operate with limited seating and spacing on the motorcoach. All seating and equipment are sanitized. Face Masks are required of all guests.

Call us at 1-866-218-6877 or write to us at info@vegastours.com for more information.