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Show Feature SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2000 21 The Grand Canyon: Filled with history, beauty and tourists By Barbara Pyles The Grand Canyon National The full Park is of found there beauty the scenery cannot be captured on film. To fully appreciate the Grand Canyon, it must be seen with your mind-bogglin- g. own eyes. One can only imagine what thoughts went through the minds of explorer Captain Garcia Lopez de Cardenas (part of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado expedition in 1540), and his men as they stood in awe of the Grand Canyon. Cardenas and his party spent several days at the Canyon. The men tried to get down to the river, but gave up when they ran out of supplies. Over the next three hundred years, a string of mountain men and explorers including Fathers Escalante and Domiinguez, stumbled upon the immensity and awesome beauty of the Canyon. Most of them simply did not have the knack to describe what they saw. However, the canyon was largely unknown aftd unexplored until Major John Wesley Powell made his famous boat expedition (1869) through the gorge. Powell and a crew of nine men used four wooden boats to explore the entire length of the Canyon. After a second trip in 1871, to replace notes and maps lost in the first trip, he named this remarkable example of erosion the Grand Canyon. In 1919, Teddy Roosevelt persuaded Congress to declare the area a national park. In the late 1800s, transportation to the Grand Canyon was by stagecoach, horseback, or by foot. In the year 2000, more than five million people will visit the Grand Canyon by car, bus, plane, and helicopter. To get a real feeling for the Grand Canyon, try to see the canyon from both sides. However, keep in mind that the North Rim is closed from late October to mid-Mawhile the South Rim is open 365 days a year. Many people start their trip in the Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim. The South Rim is divided into two sections: the East Rim Drive, east of the village and the West Rim Drive, west of the village. The East Rim Drive, about a drive, offers many panoramic overlooks. No point is alike. Each offers a different view. When visiting Desert View, be sure and climb the Watchtower. It is the highest point on the South Rim, and a good place to take a peek at the Colorado River. For now, the East Rim Drive is opened to private vehicles the The West Rim entire year. Drive is closed to cars during y, 23-mi- le This picture was taken from atop Hermits Rest at the Desert Viewpoint on East Rim Drive at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Photo by Barbara Pyles. the busy months, May through Grand Canyon, AZ 86023. For vehicle or $ 1 0 for cyclists or indiSeptember. During those all general park information and vidual pedestrians. The admismonths a free shuttle bus takes reservations, phone sion fee is good for seven days You can also visit the and can be used at the north and visitors to overlooks along the rim. The eight-mil- e drive begins Grand Canyon National Park south rims. The Golden Eagle in the Grand Canyon Village, website at www.thecanyon.com Passport, the Golden Age Passstopping at many spectacular nps. port or the Golden Access PassHerfee The entrance (south or port may also be used in the viewpoints, and ends at mits Rest. Passengers can get north rim) is $20 per private park. off the buses at scheduled stops and catch another bus later. VisiCertified PPG Painters tors can also use the Rim Trail Certified PPG Collision Repair Center between shuttle stops. It is a Custom Painting All Work Guaranteed great way to experience the Insurance Work Welcome Grand Canyon. Because of the altitude, about 7000 feet above sea level, hiking can be a bit 800-520-344- . strenuous. It is 215 miles from the South Rim to the North Rim, about a drive. Some people call the North Rim the other Grand Canyon or laid back. The scenery is different and so are the climate, plants and animals. Watching the sun rise from Point Imperial, the highest point on either rim, is a great way to enjoy the splendor of nature. During the peak tourist season the North Rim does have its share of people, but it is nothing like the overcrowded South Rim. One of the biggest mistakes that people make when visiting the Grand Canyon is not making reservations for lodging in advance. Many travelers become frustrated when told they must drive 50 miles to Williams or 70 miles to Flagstaff for accommodations. If the park is full on the North Rim, the choices are either Jacobs Lake, Kaibab Lodge, - Dave s Auto Body 1580 S 40 W 89A Kanab, UT 84741 ur Hermits Rest is reinforced with a steel frame, after a kiva. Photo by Barbara Pyles. 4. Fredonia, Arizona or Kanab, Utah. So, be sure to make reservations well in advance. For more information about the it has a gift shop patterned park write: Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129, Dave Little Auto Recycling 435-644-22- 30 Used Auto Parts |