One of the reasons we chose to stay at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park was to take advantage of their train ride to the south rim. Sure, we could have driven the 60 miles, but then we would have to find parking, jump on the shuttle bus, and figure out what we wanted to go see. So, we made it easy on us and signed up for the train ride there and back with a bus tour of the entire south rim.
Here’s some background info for those who have never been to the Grand Canyon:
The Grand Canyon was first set aside as a forest reserve in 1893 by President Benjamin Harrison. Teddy Roosevelt established the Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908. The Grand Canyon National Park was established on February 26, 1919.
Park Size: 1,218,376 acres
Length: 277 Miles
Width:
Minimum (Marble Canyon): 600 Yards
Average Rim to Rim: 10 Miles
Maximum Rim to Rim: 18 Miles
Average Depth: One Mile
Rim Elevations:
South Rim: 7,000 Feet
North Rim: 8,100 Feet
Lake Mead Boundary: 1,200 Feet
The carving of the Grand Canyon by the Colorado River has taken place over the last six million years, exposing rocks at the bottom of the canyon that are close to two billion years old.
Our impression? Simply WOW. We are so glad we made the trip and were able to see this beautiful place. And we were really happy taking the train and tour bus, it made the visit much more relaxing by letting someone else do the driving.
On a sadder note, I received word that a good friend and colleague passed away yesterday after a yearlong battle with cancer. Tracy was always the friendly voice on the other end of our numerous telephone calls and made the multi-hour Tuesday conference calls bearable.
Tracy you were the best and will be dearly missed.
I was told that visiting the Grand Canyon was on Tracy’s bucket list and unfortunately, she never made it to the rim. So, in honor of our friendship, this blog post is dedicated to you Tracy.
Rest in peace.
We stayed at the same campground last year and got a whopping 8-inch overnight snowfall while there. We had an amazing time, snow and all. However, we didn’t take the train, and from your blog I now wish we had. I can’t wait to go back, there is so much to explore and the view is never tiresome. I’m so sorry for the loss of your colleague. Dawn
I agree there is so much to explore. Unfortunately we only had the one weekend to play tourist. But we will be back. The day we left we woke up to 28 degrees. Moved north to Page/Lake Powell to 76 degrees. Seems kind of backwards to me. You would think it should get colder as you move north – but hey, I’m not complaining. 🙂