Grand Canyon South Rim
Surreal comes to mind when visiting the Grand Canyon, one of the seven wonders of the world, for the first time. This majestic landscape broadcasts a wildness and uncharted intrigue that transcends time. Miles and miles of vast wilderness are hard to comprehend as one scans the horizon. Vegetation and wildlife change drastically throughout the canyon walls as habitats drop and rise inconsistently in elevation. What one sees as a dry barren landscape from the top can change quickly into a lush land of waterfalls and green moss carpet deeper below the Grand Canyon rim.
Grand Canyon North Rim
From the rim, hikers and backpackers can be seen on trails descending into the canyon’s miles and miles of wilderness territory. Rafting boats loaded with people on the Colorado River can be seen as tiny blue dots through narrow openings of the canyon walls into the bottom of the canyon’s gorges. With miles of switchbacks, the Bright Angel Trail is the easiest trail to hike down to the river and camp at the Bright Angel Campground. Eight miles of wilderness are fairly easily accessible on this famous trail.
Hundreds of people are seen hiking the South and North Rim each year. The South Rim of the Grand Canyon displays the most popular Bright Angel trail. Being the main artery into the canyon, the Bright Angel trail is traveled by pack mules loaded with supplies and people being transported to Phantom Ranch which is on the other side of the river at the bottom of the canyon. The Bright Angel trail is eight miles long from the rim to the Colorado River and has two water and restroom stops along the way. Because of this, it is often the most traveled trail in the Grand Canyon.
My first backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon began on the South Kaibab Trail which is steeper but shorter than the Bright Angel Trail. The views are spectacular, the trail is arduous and only approximately 7 miles long. The main differences between the two trails are the mileage with Bright Angel being about a mile shorter to the Colorado River and their not being as much shade and no water or restrooms on the South Kaibab Trail.
Numerous vacations are spent adventuring into the depths of endless canyon caverns and alley ways in this Grand Canyon wonder of the world. This amazing place has close to 5 million visitors every year. Be sure and add this beautiful destination – the Grand Canyon wonder of the world to your vacation bucket list.
Always remember that Team Three 23 is ready and willing to meet your real estate dreams!
By Leslie Crawley, Realtor
Assistant to Jacki Tait, Team Lead of Team Three 23
