Day 12: Grand Canyon

Despite known for its scenic beauty, the majority experience the Grand Canyon through that of an camera lens, than their eyes. 

The Grand Canyon, which stretches over “277 river miles (446km) long, up to 18 miles (29km) wide, and a mile (1.6km) deep” is undoubtedly one of the most iconic American sights, and with “close to five million visitors each year” (National Park Service), it is unsurprising to find that the place is teeming with people, ranging from tour groups to families. Yet, whilst the place still has enough about it to continue to overwhelm, it seems to suffer from the same issues encountered at Red Rock Canyon and Zion, in that with an increasing amount of visitors, it is seemingly always vulnerable to encroachment and damage. This is evident from how the NPS website reveals its struggle to achieve its aim of leaving the site “unimpaired” due to factors such as air pollution, which affects visibility, and the construction of Glen Canyon Dam which “irreversibly altered the riparian and aquatic ecosystems within the park” (National Park Service). Likewise, one finds it hard to associate the Grand Canyon with the traditional understanding of the wilderness, i.e. a place of escape, because of how commercialized the place has become.

National Park Service (n.d.) Environmental Factors. Available at: https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/nature/environmentalfactors.htm [Accessed 14 May 2016]

National Park Service (n.d.) Grand Canyon National Park. Available at: https://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm [Accessed 14 May 2016]