Grand Canyon National Park's "Minute Out In It" is a collection of short films of the park's nature and culture in action. Enjoy these sights and sounds from the Grand Canyon and be sure to look and listen for them during your next visit to the park. To watch as a playlist, visit the park's YouTube channel.
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The courting display of the Common raven (Corvus corax) consists of wild acrobatics, daring flight behavior, and courageous free falls along sheer cliffs to impress their potential mate. Take a "Minute Out In It" to witness a particularly impressive gathering of ravens, called an "unkindness," near Pima Point, where the morning sun allowed these intelligent birds to play with their shadows along the vertical face.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 30 seconds
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The Pioneer Cemetery is the resting place for many people that called Grand Canyon home, from indigenous peoples to park employees, pioneers to Harvey Girls. Take a “Minute Out In It” to reflect on the community of people who have shaped Grand Canyon history and dedicated their lives to preserve it.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 30 seconds
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The Grand Canyon is a geologic temple of deep time. When the shadows of fleeting clouds grace the stately monuments, we see the fragility and beauty of our own lives as we stand on the rim. Take this “Minute Out In It” to breathe.
- Duration:
- 1 minute
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Take a “Minute Out In It” to appreciate the winter adaptations of the Rocky Mountain Elk and Mule Deer of the Grand Canyon, seen weathering out the last snow storm together in a pinyon-juniper woodland. With a winter coat that is 5 times warmer than their summer coat, an elk bedded down in the snow is doing exactly what nature intended. Twice a year, elk shed every hair on their body. It’s long, 2-layer thick, winter coat will be replaced come July.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 3 seconds
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Take a “Minute Out In It” at the historic blacksmith shop to see how a mule is prepared for its adventures on Grand Canyon trails--one hoof at a time. To shoe a mule is to trim its hoof, file it flat, and attach a horseshoe to it. It’s a pain-free process for the mule, much like trimming our fingernails. But as you can see, it's a painstaking process for the farrier, who works hard behind the scenes to make life-changing Grand Canyon mule trips a reality for hundreds of visitors a year.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 30 seconds
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The train departs Williams, Arizona and arrives to Grand Canyon Village everyday at 11:45 AM. It departs the Village at 3:30 PM. Its inbound whistle signals lunchtime while its outbound whistle acts as an alarm clock for midafternoon nappers. Take a "Minute Out In It" to watch how ALL life in the Village marks the day by the happenings of the train. Don't be late!
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 14 seconds
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Hopi House was designed by Mary Colter in 1905 to resemble the traditional Puebloan structures built around Grand Canyon region, like those still atop the mesas of the Hopi people. A National Historic Landmark, Hopi House has sold authentic Native American arts and crafts on the South Rim of Grand Canyon for over 115 years. Take a "Minute Out In It" to get out of the snow and into the cozy warmth of this southwest abode.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 16 seconds
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On the first Saturday of each month during the summer season, a fully-restored vintage steam locomotive pulls the train to the South Rim. Steam Locomotive No. 4960 was built in 1923, servicing the American Midwest for fifty years before retiring for display. In 1989, Grand Canyon Railway purchased No. 4960 and restored it to its former glory. Today, No. 4960 runs off of recycled waste vegetable oil. Take a "Minute Out In It" to watch the departure of No. 4960, and to appreciate the beauty of the iron horse.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 43 seconds
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The California condor is a relic of the Ice Age. They have the largest wingspan of any North American land bird, at 9.5 feet (2.9m). But due to lead poisoning, DDT, and other human-caused factors, by the 1980s the California condor population had shrunk to 22 birds. Thanks to the conservation efforts of groups like the Peregrine Fund, the current population is over 500. Each bird is fixed with a transmitter, allowing naturalists to track their status--take a "Minute Out In It" to help track some condors!
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 5 seconds
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While adult tarantula hawks (Pepsis thisbe) are nectarivores, they get their name because adult females hunt tarantulas as food for their larvae. An adult female will paralyze a tarantula with its stinger then lay eggs in the spider's abdomen. Once the egg hatches, the larvae will feed on the still living spider for several weeks, avoiding vital organs to keep the spider alive until the larvae pupates into an adult wasp. Take a "Minute Out In It" to be grateful these wasps aren't the size of real hawks!
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 9 seconds
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The Utah Agave (Agave utahensis) spends most of its life as a rosette base of fleshy leaves, with spines along their sides--a quintessential icon of the Southwest. After several years, sometimes decades, they finally bloom (hence the origin of the common name for the genus, the "century plant"). The Utah Agave is monocarpic, meaning it dies after only flowering once. So take a "Minute Out In It" to watch a gathering of Carpenter bees rejoice in this impressive agave's one and only time to shine!
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 14 seconds
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These two female Teals recently stopped by Bright Angel Creek for a few days to enjoy the abundance of spring creek life. Teals are dabbling ducks, tipping themselves underwater rather than diving. The drab colors of the females make it challenging to tell that they are actually two distinct species! What subtle differences do you notice between them? Take a "Minute Out In It" to come birding with us, then perhaps go outside and try to identify a bird in your own backyard!
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 13 seconds
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The Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii) uses wind to spread its seed, one of the most ancient forms of seed dispersal. Known as anemochory, wind dispersal relies on the production of vast quantities of seeds to ensure enough land in areas suitable for germination. The seeds look like pieces of cotton, or large snowflakes. In places like Phantom Ranch where Cottonwoods are abundant, it produces an effect known as "snowing." Take a "Minute Out In It" to watch the subtle beauty of spring anemochory.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 15 seconds
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When John Wesley Powell arrived to the side canyon in which Phantom Ranch sits today, he and crew were welcomed by a clear running, rejuvenating creek which lifted their spirits amidst their harrowing 1869 river expedition through the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. In sharp contrast to the names they bestowed upon some of the nasty creeks upriver, like the Dirty Devil, they would later name this creek the Bright Angel. Take a "Minute Out In It" to experience the gentle song of this Canyon oasis.
- Duration:
- 1 minute
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Since the late 1800s visitors have been riding mules to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The mule combines the sure-footedness of a burro with the size and strength of a horse. Take a "Minute Out In It" to saddle up over the Kaibab Suspension Bridge, also known as the Black Bridge, and experience this time-honored mode of Canyon transportation, as they make their way up over 4800 feet (1463 meters) to the South Rim.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 20 seconds
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Javelinas (Pecari tajacu) are well known for their tough palates and ability to eat spiny cacti and yucca. Chiefly herbivores, javelinas feed on a variety of desert plants, cactus stems, pads and fruits, agave hearts, roots, and flowers. One of the javelina’s favorite foods is the prickly pear cactus. They use their sharp, two-inch-long canine teeth to shred and consume the entire plant. Take a "Minute Out In It" to watch this pair of javelinas dig in to a spiny supper on the South Rim.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 13 seconds
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Take a "Minute Out In It" to rest on the bank of Bright Angel Creek. Reflect on the journey you are on. Admire the bridges we cross. Then onward.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 11 seconds
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The Flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) is the largest species of native fish still relatively abundant in Grand Canyon (maximum length of 24 inches (600 mm). They mostly live in the mainstem Colorado River, preferring pools and deep runs. In the spring, they spawn in many of the larger Colorado River tributaries in Grand Canyon, including the Paria River, Little Colorado River, Havasu Creek, and as seen here, Bright Angel Creek. Take a "Minute Out In It" to experience the beauty of spring revival!
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 10 seconds
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When the Canyon is shrouded in fog, it gives us the chance to notice the beauty along the rim. Built in 1905, the El Tovar Hotel remains an iconic park lodge to this day, its dark wood and spired rooftop making it the focal point of the Historic Village. Take a "Minute Out In It" to experience how even the fog can be illuminating, a complement to the Swiss Chalet style architecture of this National Historic Landmark.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 5 seconds
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Grand Canyon has 1,737 known species of vascular plants, dozens of which are only found in the park's boundaries. Since the construction of an energy-efficient greenhouse, made possible by the supporters of Grand Canyon Conservancy, the park’s vegetation crews have been able to grow twice the number of plants to support ecology restoration projects at the rim and along the river. Take a "Minute Out In It" to help water the plants!
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 30 seconds
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The skies over Grand Canyon are so vast there is often room for both a spectacular snow storm and a radiant sunset. Take a “Minute Out In It” as these dichotomous phenomena interplay throughout the Grand Canyon’s geologic temples. Captured from Hopi Point.
- Duration:
- 1 minute
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A cloud inversion occurs when cool air becomes trapped under warm air, an “inversion” of the usual order. The towering walls of the Grand Canyon are one of the most spectacular places to see this happen. Take “A Minute Out In It” to experience a partial cloud inversion as captured from the Historic Village, January 24th, 2021.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 1 second
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The Kolb Studio is preserved on the edge of the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, having once been the home and photography studio of the Amazing Kolb Brothers. The Kolb Brothers brought the beauty and adventure of the Grand Canyon into millions of people’s hearts and minds through their photography, back when a photograph was hard to come by. Take a “Minute Out In It” to listen to excerpts of The Grand Canyon Film Show as narrated by Emery Kolb himself.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 27 seconds
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When a storm breaks, often the Canyon temples hang on to the last remnants of the clouds like the fingers of parting love. Take a “Minute Out In It” to be swept up in the clouds.
- Duration:
- 1 minute
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The Grand Canyon rattlesnake (C. oreganus abyssus) is a subspecies of the more broadly spread Western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus). Blending into Grand Canyon's varied rock layers, this venomous pit viper uses its rattle to warn predators off, the tiny muscles firing up to fifty times per second--some of the fastest known to science. Take a "Minute Out In It" to appreciate the power of a zoom lens, since our ranger knew to keep a very safe distance from the hemotoxic venom of this coiled carnivore.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 20 seconds
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The Desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) population in the Grand Canyon is the only non-re-introduced population of this species, making them important for bighorn conservation efforts across the southwest. Commonly seen on steep terrain and cliffs, bighorn are the largest native animal in the park, with rams weighing up to 250 lbs. (113 kg). While both sexes grow horns, the thick, spiraled horns develop only on males. Take a Minute Out In It to stroll along the rim with this rugged Canyon native.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 15 seconds
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Grand Canyon has been home to the Havasupai since time immemorial. They're still here. The removal of the Havasupai from their homelands is a difficult history we must all acknowledge. Together with the Havasupai, the NPS is taking steps to rectify this troubled past. The first step is to rename Indian Garden to Havasupai Gardens, initiating an ethical relationship with the tribe to include the traditional name and its true history. Take a Minute Out In It to hear Ophelia talk about this important change.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 30 seconds
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The Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) mates in the fall. At Grand Canyon, this means bulls (mature male elk) are often found in the Village, forming harems (group of females) and competing with other males. Bull elk bugle to announce themselves to nearby bulls, to attract mates, or to keep track of their harem. Elk are particularly aggressive this time of year, so keeping a safe distance is beneficial to both you and the elk! Take a Minute Out In It to watch this elk take a Minute Out In It!
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 23 seconds
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Tucked in Bright Angel Canyon, along the North Kaibab Trail, one will find a profoundly sacred site for an entire people. For the A:shiwi (Zuni), Chimik’yana’kya dey’a (Ribbon Falls) is not just a waterfall, it's their place of emergence. Approach this site with respect, commune with it as you would any holy place--and leave much richer in your heart for having done so. Please, take nothing. Leave nothing. Spend a Minute Out In It seeing the first colors and hearing the first sounds of the Fourth World.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 7 seconds
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For James Uqualla, a Havasupai religious practitioner, the hike from the Rim to Indian Garden (aka: Havasupai Gardens) is a pilgrimage. Dressed for ceremony, Uqualla walked to his ancestors' traditional farming lands, where he reconnected with them through ritualistic song and prayer. The procession marks a renewed relationship with lands taken from the Havasupai by the NPS in the 1920s. Listen to chant, smell burning sage, and feel the spirit of Grand Canyon through its original protectors.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 36 seconds
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Hopisinom have a traditional calendar that speaks to their connection to the changes in seasons through ceremony. Each moon cycle is named to coincide with the time of year. The calendar is broken into two sections - the Katsina ceremony season and the Palatkapi ceremony season. Marked by the winter solstice, the Katsina season is when the spiritual beings called Katsinam return to the Hopi villages. Spend a Minute Out In It watching Toho'osmuya, the October Wind Moon, rise over Ongtupqa (Grand Canyon).
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 30 seconds
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There is something so satisfying about water running through slick rock. Enough said. Take a Minute Out In It to cool off at Garden Creek, to watch the lifeblood of the Canyon breathe life into the ancient stone.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 30 seconds
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Summer tanagers (Piranga rubra) are occasionally spotted among the cottonwoods along Bright Angel Creek at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. They tend to stay high in the canopy, hopping from limb to limb in search of insects. The males’ bright red color contrasts beautifully with the vibrant green cottonwood leaves. Combined with their sweet birdsong, they become welcomed friends of visitors cooling off in the creek below. Take a Minute Out In It to come birdwatching in the creek!
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 1 second
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Happy Holidays from your national park! Spend a Minute Out In It warming your spirit by the hearth of the historic El Tovar Hotel.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 29 seconds
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Grand Canyon is an important refuge for its 22 bat species. While they are the only mammals capable of true flight, bats share the main characteristics as almost all other mammals: they have hair, give birth to live offspring, nurse their young, and can control their body temperature. Amazingly, a small bat can eat up to 5,000 insects per night! Take a "Minute Out In It" to experience the dance of the bats at Phantom Ranch deep in the inner canyon, a subtle yet beautiful prologue to the ballet of night.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 2 seconds
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Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) help characterize the arid southwest. There is little else more evocative than seeing a kettle of turkey vultures swirling amongst the dead juniper snags within the colorful Canyon walls. Yet, desolate as this scene may seem, turkey vultures find an abundance of food in the Canyon, primarily eating carrion, or decaying flesh, serving an important role as nature's cleanup crew. Take a Minute Out In It to sunbathe with these bald-headed beauties!
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 29 seconds
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When experiencing the Grand Canyon from the rims, the Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) might be the last bird that comes to mind. Yet, along the waters coursing deep inside the Canyon walls, waterfowl are plentiful. In the earthy, shaded tones along Bright Angel Creek, the blue-grey plumage blends in perfectly, creating a deadly aesthetic for unsuspecting small creatures. Spend a Minute Out In It searching for some late afternoon supper with our creekside companion.
- Duration:
- 1 minute, 12 seconds
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