Roughly 5.5 million tourists visit the Grand Canyon each year, but few realise that this vast abyss is home to a tiny village hidden 3,000ft in its depths: Supai, Arizona.
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Roughly 5.5 million tourists visit the Grand Canyon each year, but few realise that this vast abyss is home to a tiny village hidden 3,000ft in its depths: Supai, Arizona.
The Grand Canyon Village is the center of action in Grand Canyon National Park. Though the village was constructed entirely for tourism, the village feels like a charming trip back in time.
Yes, a small group of people live in the Grand Canyon. The Havasupai (which means “people of the blue-green waters”) have a reservation that borders Grand Canyon National Park. Their village is located near Havasu Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River that often sees flash floods.
The start of the Trail of Time is at Yavapai Geology Museum, a half hour walk from Mather Point and the Canyon View Visitor Center. The trail continues to Grand Canyon Village and beyond. One can stop in the Village or keep walking out towards Hermits Rest.
Havasupai FallsOne of the best-kept secrets of the Grand Canyon comes in the form of a gushing waterfall. Havasupai Falls has remained well-hidden thanks to the 10-mile hike it takes to reach its crystal blue waters.
The historic Hopi House, located right on the rim of Grand Canyon, has been offering authentic American Indian arts and crafts for over 100 years and also carries many other items for sale. The structure was completed in 1905 and is a large, multi-story building of stone masonry.
Air pollution has routinely drifted into the canyon from metropolitan areas and nearby coal-fired power plants, affecting visibility from scenic vistas. Water in some streams has been tainted with fecal coliform from trespass cattle and from human waste.
These include Tusayan (the closest town only 7 miles from the South Rim), Williams (starting point for the Grand Canyon Railroad), Kingman (in the heart of historic Route 66), Flagstaff (historic downtown, observatory, and Amtrack station), and Page (near Lake Powell).
Despite these strategically located private in-holdings, the vast majority of the Grand Canyon is owned by the federal government, held in trust for the American people and managed by a varied collection of federal agencies. Indian reservations, state land, and private land surround these federal lands.
We Are Still HereIndigenous people are the first inhabitants and caretakers of the land that later became the United States of America and Grand Canyon National Park. Native people of this land still exist today and continue to have deep cultural connection to this land.
The mystery of the Great UnconformityWhat's tricky about the Grand Canyon is that the rocks in its walls seem to be missing a big part of the picture. In 1869, a man named John Wesley Powell observed that several layers of rock that should've been in the Canyon walls were not present.
Long-term Trail ClosuresHidden Canyon (long term closure due to a large rockfall). Observation Point (via the East Rim Trail from Weeping Rock, long term closure due to a large rockfall).
Redwall Cavern is a massive sand cave hidden at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It's been said the cave can hold upwards of 50,000 people. The United States is loaded with amazing caves, but this one is special. One of the things that makes it so special, is the journey it takes to reach the cave.
Artifacts suggest people were hunting mountain goats, bison and wild plants in the canyon area about 12,000 years ago, and it's been occupied ever since. Ancient pictographs can still be found on some canyon walls.
To camp overnight anywhere inside Grand Canyon you must first obtain a permit from the Backcountry Information Center. Restaurants and groceries are available on the South Rim in Grand Canyon Village and Desert View —and on the North Rim during their season.
There are three ways to reach the canyon floor. You can do it by foot, following the many inner-canyon trails including the popular Kaibab or Bright Angel trails from the South Rim (note that Kaibab has a North Rim trailhead as well).