Travel Reference
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rim. It is, as one visitor wrote a century ago, truly dizzying to “gaze down, and still farther
down, into its depths, and realize for the first time your own utter insignificance.”
Such is the panorama at Mather Point as the drive nears Grand Canyon Village and
national park headquarters. The overlook takes in many of the canyon's most famous fea-
tures, including Bright Angel Canyon, sharp-tipped Isis Temple, and flat-topped Wotan's
Throne.Asyouviewtheexpanse spreadbeforeyouhere,remember thatforallitsbreadth,
it encompasses only a third of the canyon's total length of 277 miles.
Bright Angel Trail, which begins at Grand Canyon Village, is the park's most popular
hike; the nine-mile round-trip to Indian Gardens makes a fine day trip. The famed Grand
Canyon mule rides, which can be anywhere from three hours long to overnight, are an al-
ternativetohiking,butreservationsmustbemadefarinadvanceforthispopularadventure.
Desert View Watchtower is perfectly poised for viewing a wide vista that includes the Grand Canyon as well as Marble
Canyon, the Painted Desert, and the San Francisco Peaks.
4.
Yavapai Point
As you view the panorama here, imagine silt drifting to the bottom of a shallow sea, build-
ing up bit by bit over eons of time and eventually being compressed into solid rock. Now
envisiontheColoradoRivercuttingitswaydownthroughitall,creatingmile-deepchasms,
andyou'llhavesomeideaofthelongandcomplexformationoftheGrandCanyon—alay-
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