Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Heading northwest on Rte. 180, the drive winds by the San Francisco Peaks, which are
reallyseveralmountainsinone.Themountain,aninactivevolcano,ispartoftheSanFran-
ciscoVolcanic Field.Iteruptedrepeatedly formorethanamillion yearsandnowembraces
a number of peaks with such names as Agassiz, Doyle, and Humphreys.
The mountains have inspired admiration and awe since ancient times. Hopi Indians be-
lieve the crests to be the home of kachina spirits and a source of rain; the Navajos, too,
consider the peaks to be so sacred that they are the objects of their prayers.
Foraviewfromonhigh,takeSnowBowlRoadoffRte.180toaskiresortchairliftthat
whisks visitors to an elevation of 11,500 feet on Agassiz Peak. Those so inclined can hike
the nine-mile round-trip trail through twisted bristlecone pines to the alpine tundra atop
12,633-foot Humphreys Peak, the loftiest point in Arizona.
2.
Kaibab National Forest
Traveling northwest, Rte. 180 descends to a drier landscape; piñon pine and juniper give
way to the sagebrush flats around Valle. Due north, near Red Butte, a prominent mountain
just east of the highway, the route enters Kaibab National Forest and rises again into an
open woodland of ponderosa pine and Gambel oak. For a closer look at the forest habitat,
take a few minutes to walk the graveled half-mile nature trail at Ten-X Campground, south
ofTusayan,whereyoumayspotamuledeer,Abertsquirrel,mountainchickadee,orwhite-
breasted nuthatch. For detailed information on the forest flora and fauna found in the area,
stop at the visitors center in Tusayan. And be aware that Kaibab National Forest is much
larger than it may seem at first: Another giant section lies north of the Grand Canyon, and
still another part of the national forest occupies a huge tract of land west of Flagstaff.
3.
Grand Canyon Village
The crowd gathered on the edge as you approach most likely includes first-time visit-
ors—as hushed as pilgrims in a great cathedral. Tread gently as you near them, for they've
justexperiencedatellingandpowerfulmoment:TheGrandCanyon,itsimagealreadyseen
in hundreds of photographs, has become a glorious, three-dimensional reality. Buttes stack
upbeyondgorges,andcliffsriseaboveplateausinablazingrainbowofred,orange,yellow,
and buff—a symphony for the eyes that comes not one measure at a time, but as suddenly
as a thunderclap. The sheer scale of the chasm staggers the imagination. One formation
serves as the backdrop for another all the way to the North Rim, physically just 10 miles
away,butmorethan200milesbyhighway.ThreeEmpireStateBuildingsstackedoneatop
another would still not span the height—more than a mile—from the canyon floor to the
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