The jewel of the National Park Service and a World Heritage Site, the Grand Canyon’s impact is awe-inspiring. This massive rend in the earth may be experienced in a variety of different ways: by airplane or helicopter, from the back of a mule, on foot or aboard a raft. For those wanting to catch a memorable sunrise or sunset, it is worth booking accommodation at one of the hotels in and around the canyon. As the area is far from any city, those wanting to save time and see it all can take a ‘flightseeing’ trip over the canyon. Further information is available from the Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce (tel: (928) 527 0359; website: www.grandcanyonchamber.org).
The most common way to get there is by car from either Phoenix or Las Vegas (see the Nevada section), or to use the town of Flagstaff (tel: (800) 842 7293 or (928) 779 7611; website: www.flagstaffarizona.org), on the historic Route 66, as a base (travel time – 90 minutes). The planet Pluto was discovered at the Lowell Observatory here.