I need more information about Grand Canyon National Park. What should I do?You are in the right place! Please use this page to help you with your research project! Park rangers have developed resources just FOR YOU. This interview highlights the best information, videos, and facts about the Grand Canyon! We receive thousands of requests for information each school year, so we may not be able to respond before your project is due. Use this page to help guide your research! Teachers and Caregivers Interested in a certain topic? Click the link below to jump to that ranger!
Geology & Geography of the Grand Canyon The most common thing people say when they see the Grand Canyon for the first time is “WOW!” Often, they are standing at Mather Point looking out across to the north rim of the canyon, where park visitors can also go during the warmer seasons.
The view across the canyon is about 10 to 18 miles. On a clear day you can see miles and miles in all directions. But looking across the canyon can be equally exciting in all weather, especially when there are interesting clouds. Check out these live webcams to see for yourself! The Yavapai Point, webcam provides additional weather information including air quality and visibility distance so we can better understand the conditions and weather in the canyon.The canyon is 278 river miles long, and approximately 1 mile deep. Checkout the statistics page for more. Grand Canyon National Park is located in northern Arizona, in the United States of America. It is a part of the Colorado Plateau and includes a section of the Colorado River.
But did you know the park is only part of the Grand Canyon? Lots of different groups, including Native American communities, help take care of the entire canyon. Since the canyon is so huge, people use many different maps to explore it. Check out some of the maps including an interactive geology map by the Arizona Geological Society and United States Geologic Survey. These maps show many of the features that make the Grand Canyon special! Grand Canyon’s formation takes many layers of rock, lots of water, and a long, long time. The story starts around 2 billion years ago when igneous and metamorphic rocks (rocks formed by intense heat and sometimes pressure) created the base layer and the rocks you can see in the deepest parts of the canyon. Then, slowly over a long time, different types of minerals, gravel, sand, and silt piled up on top and transformed into the many layers of rock and color you can see exposed in the canyon.Eventually the earth's crust shifted, causing the whole area of northern Arizona and surrounding states to rise, creating the Colorado Plateau. That's why, when you stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon, you’re 7,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level!The Colorado River is one of the main forces cutting through the Colorado Plateau, exposing these rocks to our eyes and creating the beautiful canyon we see. The Colorado River has been carving away rock for the past six million years. The shape of the canyon is much younger than the rocks which make up its walls. The oldest rocks of the Grand Canyon can be found in the innermost and deepest part of the canyon. These rocks are sometimes 2 billion years old. These rock layers started as molten rock from the earth's interior layers and cooled to become the basement layer of the canyon, which is why they are called the basement rocks. After the layers of rock in the Grand Canyon formed, water played a big role—and still does—in shaping the canyon’s amazing landscape. The Colorado River has worn away at the rocks for six million years. Due to its steep slope, the river moves swiftly, carrying rocks and sediment and using them to carve deeper into the canyon. Over 278 miles, the Colorado River descends 2,000 feet through the Grand Canyon, continuing to transform the landscape. You might think the Grand Canyon is hot and dry all the time, but up on the rims, the weather changes with every season! The Grand Canyon experiences hot days, cold days, wet days, and very dry days.
Early summers are hot and dry on the rims of the canyon. On the South Rim, summer temperatures are generally in the 80s (27-32°C). The North Rim is cooler because it’s higher up in elevation, with summer highs in the 70s (21-26°C). The late summer is “monsoon” season. Mornings often start sunny, but clouds build up throughout the day creating powerful thunderstorms. Sometimes, the rain falling from these thunderstorms evaporates before it can reach the ground. Other thunderstorms produce small but intense downpours, triggering flash floods in canyon creeks and streams. In winter, both of the rims of the canyon receive snow. On average, the rims of the canyon can receive 50 to over 100 inches of snow (1.3-2.5m) each year. Since the North Rim is about 1,000 ft higher in elevation than the South Rim, winter conditions are even more extreme. It often gets the heaviest snowfall averaging 142 inches per year and had a record snowfall in 1978 of almost 23 feet of snow. Low temperatures on both rims can be 10-20°F but will rise to the 40s (4-9°C) while the sun is up. Check out what the weather at the canyon looks like currently with our Yavapai Geology Museum webcam. About 5,000 ft (1,524 m) below the rim, you reach the bottom of the canyon, where Phantom Ranch and the Colorado River are located--a popular spot for hikers! Weather at the bottom of the Grand Canyon can be very different than the weather at the top of the rim! Air temperature at the bottom of the canyon is warmer. Air cools as it rises, making the temperature at the canyon rims colder than the temperature at the bottom. 
People at the Grand CanyonThe Grand Canyon region has been home to Native people since time immemorial. This means people have lived in this area way before any memories or stories were created about this place. Every year, around 5 million visitors from all over the world visit Grand Canyon National Park. Most visitors drive to the park by car or bus. Some visitors ride a special train to Grand Canyon Village, located on the South Rim. \\ The spectacular landscape of the Grand Canyon attracts visitors from around the world. Visitors capture the scenery by taking photos and creating art. Enjoy the view with Artist-in-Residence Heather L Johnson as she sketches the landscape of Grand Canyon. Yes, people do hike into the Grand Canyon!
As we mentioned earlier, only 1% of Grand Canyon visitors go below the canyon rim. You might wonder, why don’t more people go below the rim? Hiking into the Grand Canyon takes a lot of careful planning and preparation! The Grand Canyon is an adventure-filled and wonderful place, but it can also be very dangerous. In the summer months, the inner canyon reaches temperatures over 110°F (43°C)! To cool off, hikers like to take a dip in the Bright Angel Creek, since it’s so hot and dry down there, they don’t stay wet for very long. The conditions in the canyon are so intense, that is very important to learn from rangers how to Hike Smart. Smart hikers plan their route, start early in the day to avoid the hot sun, wear comfy hiking shoes, and bring plenty of water, salty snacks, sunscreen, a hat, and a map! On February 26th, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson designated Grand Canyon a national park. Earlier—in 1908—President Theodore Roosevelt designated Grand Canyon as a national monument. It takes many people with many different skills to operate Grand Canyon National Park. The park is managed by people who care about the plants, wildlife, culture, and history of the area.
Park rangers also want every visitor to have a safe and enjoyable visit. Law enforcement rangers make sure special rules are followed to protect the park’s birds, animals, history, and visitors. Park guides take visitors on hikes to explore the beautiful surroundings. Rangers are helicopter pilots and mule wranglers that help transport people and supplies in and out of the canyon. Scientist rangers study plants and animals and explore historical sites. This research helps us learn more about how to protect the park. Watch a ranger catch and tag monarch butterflies to learn more about their fall migration through the park during their long trek from Canada to Mexico. Maintenance rangers repair roads after flooding, restore buildings, and keep the park clean. Rangers who are mechanics, accountants, computer specialists, and plumbers (just to name a few!) all help run Grand Canyon National Park. As we discussed in the previous question, rangers do a lot of different work here at Grand Canyon National Park! Rangers like their jobs for different reasons. Let’s hear from several rangers by clicking the links below.
Life in the Grand CanyonWhen you think about the Grand Canyon, you might picture rocky cliffs and not much else. However, once you start hiking into the canyon, you begin to see the different habitats that plants and animals call home. Over 90 species of mammals call Grand Canyon National Park home, including the largest land animal in North America—the elk. Visitors are lucky if they spot a family of desert bighorn sheep. Although majestic elk and nimble bighorn sheep can be found in the park, spotting javelinas could be an uncommon yet fascinating sighting! These wild pig-like creatures can often be seen darting along the canyon walls or rooting around in search food, like acorns or cacti. There are over 450 species of birds at Grand Canyon National Park. Park biologists, rangers, and volunteers study some of the rarest birds in the world. For over 30 years, the Hawkwatch program has observed raptors, or birds of prey, during their fall migration through the Grand Canyon area. Count the hawks, osprey, and falcons alongside volunteers in this video. Scientists study the California condor at Grand Canyon National Park because it is a federally endangered bird that almost became extinct. Condors are scavengers, meaning they eat dead animals. Scientists found out that many condors were dying because they were eating lead from bullets left in dead animals. Even a small amount of lead can be deadly to a condor. Grand Canyon is home to over 40 species of reptiles, including 18 lizards, 22 snakes, and 1 tortoise species. There are also eight species of amphibians, including toads, frogs, and salamanders. You might spot these animals throughout the park! Grand Canyon was once home to eight species of native fishes, but only five of these species are found in the park today. Two of the remaining species are on the endangered or threatened species lists: humpback chub and razorback suckers. There are over 1,500 species of plants at Grand Canyon National Park! As we talked about in previous questions, the weather at the edge of the canyon is much different than the weather at the bottom of the canyon, near the Colorado River. Because of this, the canyon has many different plant communities. There are many endangered species in Grand Canyon National Park, including a snail, a small bird, and a species of butterfly. There is only one species of plant that is endangered, the sentry milk-vetch. It is only an inch tall. And it is only found growing from small cracks on the edge of the Grand Canyon. From this exposed habitat on the rim, the plant endures high winds, icy rain, and snow. Only a few seeds grow to a full-grown plant, a challenge made harder by hot temperatures, drought, and crushing footsteps from visitors. 
Protecting the Grand CanyonClimate change is impacting plants, animals, and visitors to Grand Canyon National Park. Some of the effects of climate change include hotter temperatures, drier soil, more non-native plants and animals, and a higher risk of wildfires. Scientists and rangers are studying these changes so they can make plans to help protect the park’s ecosystems and visitors. National parks are some of the last remaining sanctuaries for dark night skies, and this includes the night skies of Grand Canyon National Park. Once the sun sets at the Grand Canyon and the sky gets dark, you can see stars and planets filling the sky – so many stars, it’s hard to count them all! You can help protect the Grand Canyon from your own home! You can turn off lights when not in use. This saves energy and reduces the stress on water resources that produce hydropower. Turning off outdoor lights or using fewer lights helps protect the night sky where you live. A Note about Student Requests for InformationHello students and teachers! We appreciate your interest in Grand Canyon National Park. Due to a high volume of mail and limited staff, we’re unable to fulfill student mail requests at this time. Instead, please use the digital resources located on our website. |
Last updated: December 19, 2025