Grand Canyon United States

Legendary

Carved by the Colorado River, the canyon is over a mile deep and up to 18 miles wide.

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The Colorado River has been carving the Grand Canyon for around 5 to 6 million years, and the exposed rock at the canyon's bottom is nearly 2 billion years old. That's almost half the age of Earth itself. Those layers show up as stripes of red, orange, and purple stacked across canyon walls that seem to stretch forever in every direction.

The Havasupai people have called the canyon home for at least 800 years, and they consider it a sacred place at the center of their world. Their descendants still live in Havasu Canyon today, one of the few Native American communities still located inside a national park.

Theodore Roosevelt visited in 1903 and immediately understood what was at stake. "Leave it as it is," he told a crowd in Arizona. "You cannot improve on it." He declared it a national monument in 1908 under the Antiquities Act, and Congress made it a full national park in 1919.

The canyon runs 277 miles long, stretches up to 18 miles wide, and drops more than a mile straight down to the Colorado River below.

Walk the South Rim Trail for wide open views without any technical hiking required. If your family is up for more, the Bright Angel Trail descends into the canyon past ancient rock layers and rest stations with water. Mule rides take you partway down for a slower, unforgettable look. Arrive at sunrise when the light turns the walls gold and the canyon floor sits in deep shadow below.