About the Grand Canyon of Colorado

The Grand Canyon is one of the longest land canyons in the world.

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The Grand Canyon of Colorado is a world-famous natural wonder, located on the Kaibabu Plateau in the northwest of Arizona in the western United States. The Grand Canyon is 446 kilometers long, with an average width of 16 kilometers, a maximum depth of 1740 meters and an average valley depth of 1600 meters, with a total area of 2,724 square kilometers. Because the Colorado River flows through here, it is also called the Colorado Grand Canyon, which is one of the natural heritages selected for protection by UNESCO.

The Grand Canyon is a masterpiece of the Colorado River. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, flows through Utah and Arizona, and enters the sea from California Bay in California. The total length is 2320 kilometers. Colorado means "Red River" in Spanish. This is because the river carries a lot of sediment, and the river is often red, so it is named.

The long-term scouring of the Colorado River, which runs day and night, sometimes cuts mountains and splits roads, and sometimes makes way for backflow. Black Canyon, Canyon Land, Glen Canyon, Bruce Canyon and other 19 canyons are carved in the upper reaches of the mainstream and tributaries. Finally, when it flows through the rocky Kaibabu Plateau in Arizona, it is even more amazing, forming the wonders of this grand canyon and becoming the "king of canyons" of all the canyons in this water system.

The shape of the Colorado Grand Canyon is extremely irregular, roughly east-west, with a total length of 349 kilometers. It twists and turns, like an unruly python, crawling on the Kaibabu Plateau. Its width is between 6 km and 25 km, and the canyon banks are high in the north and low in the south, with an average valley depth of 1.600 m and a valley bottom width of 762 m. The Colorado River rushes forward at the bottom of the valley, forming a spectacular scene of two mountains standing on the wall and one flowing in the water. Its majestic landforms, vast verve, awe-inspiring manner and strange scenery are unparalleled in the world. When Theodore Roosevelt visited here in 1903, he lamented, "The Grand Canyon fills me with awe. It is unparalleled and indescribable, and it is unique in this vast world. " Some people say that the only natural landscape in space that can be seen with the naked eye is the Colorado Grand Canyon.

cause

Colorado Plateau is a typical "Table Mountain", also known as "Table Mountain", that is, a mountain with a flat top and steep sides. This terrain is formed by erosion (undercut and spalling). During the period of erosion, the hard rock strata on the plateau constitute the protective cap of the inter-valley area, and the erosion in the valley is active. The result is a platform mountain or fortress mountain.

The Colorado Plateau is a stable block extending from the North American paleoplatform to the Cordillera region. Because of its relative stability, the surface fluctuation changes little, and the Precambrian crystalline rock basement is covered with thick sediments of various geological periods, with clear horizontal layers and different rock tones, and the biological fossils of various geological periods are representative. Rock formations with different lithology and colors are carved into various peaks, rocks and cliff pillars by external forces. With the change of weather, water, light and mountains are varied, and the natural wonders are spectacular.

The climate and landscape of the two walls and the bottom of the canyon are very different. The south wall is dry and warm, with few plants. The north wall is higher than the south wall, the climate is cold and humid, and the trees are green; The bottom of the valley is dry and hot, showing a desert landscape. The Colorado River winding at the bottom is deep and curved, and the riverbed gradient of the whole Grand Canyon area is per kilometer 150 cm, which is 25 times that of the Mississippi River. Among them, 50% of the slope is still very concentrated, creating a fast-flowing landscape of local rivers in the canyon. Because of this, sailing and drifting along the canyon has become a fascinating adventure.

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It is said that the Grand Canyon 1869 was discovered by an expedition led by American independent artillery major john wesley powell. Theodore roosevelt, president of the United States, sighed when he visited here in 1903: "The Grand Canyon fills me with awe. It is unparalleled and indescribable, and it is unique in this vast world. " 19 19, President Wilson designated the Grand Canyon as "Grand Canyon National Park", 1980, and it was included in the World Heritage List. Most of the rocks in the Grand Canyon are red. From the bottom up, there are rocks from Cambrian to Cenozoic, with distinct layers and different colors, and they contain representative biological fossils of various geological ages. They are also called "living geological history textbooks". Starting from the Little Colorado River, the Grand Canyon is the longest, widest and deepest of the 19 Grand Canyon formed by the intense erosion and cutting of the Colorado River, with a total length of 2 190 km, and it is also the most famous one.

There are huge red rock faults on both sides of the Grand Canyon. With unique creativity, nature carves out rugged rock formations with bottomless valleys, showing unparalleled vitality and grandeur. What is even more peculiar is that although the soil here is mostly brown, when it is bathed in the sun, the color of the rock is sometimes dark blue, sometimes brown, and sometimes red. Under the irradiation of the sun, depending on the strength of the sun, it is always confusing and unpredictable, showing the beauty and mystery of nature. At this time, the Grand Canyon, like a fairyland, is colorful, vast and psychedelic, and the charming scenery makes people linger. The color and structure of the canyon, especially its magnificent charm, can't be simulated by any sculptor or painter.

The horizontal strata of the canyon rock wall are clear and clear, and they are geological deposits hundreds of millions of years ago. Like tree rings, they provide sufficient basis for people to understand geological changes. Besides its majestic side, the Grand Canyon has many winding paths. The two cliffs stand thousands of miles apart, and the scenery with a blue sky is breathtaking, which will inevitably make you feel as if there is a brave man in front. In addition, some caves and valleys formed by the impact of water flow are different in shape and red in color. Every rock seems to be a beautiful painting, as if it had come to a fairyland.

In the cinema of the Grand Canyon National Park, there is the largest screen in the world, explaining the history and changes of the Grand Canyon. Hundreds of millions of years ago, like the Himalayas, it was once the sea of Wang Yang, and the orogeny made it rise. However, due to the soft rocks, after millions of years of scouring by the rushing Colorado River, the rock walls on both sides of the river were cut into world-famous grand canyons by friction, with a total length of nearly 400 kilometers, a width of about 20 kilometers and an average depth of 1500 meters.

Since John. Wesley Powell first drifted in the Grand Canyon in 1869, 100. Over the years, countless American explorers followed in his footsteps to challenge and fight the rapids in the Grand Canyon, which explained an American spirit here. The Grand Canyon in the United States is one of the largest canyons in the world and one of the seven natural wonders on earth. Many people in the world lament that only the famous Grand Canyon is the real symbol of America.

The Grand Canyon covers a total area of nearly 3,000 square kilometers, so it is impossible for anyone to see the whole canyon at a glance. Only when you look down from the sky can you fully appreciate this crack in the earth. People who are really there can only enjoy part of the Grand Canyon from the south or north of the canyon. This is the truth of "I don't know the true face of Lushan Mountain, but toward which corner of the mountain".

After visiting the Grand Canyon on 1890, American writer john muir wrote: "No matter how many roads you walk and how many famous mountains and rivers you have seen, you will feel that the Grand Canyon can only exist in another world, another planet." This statement is correct. The Grand Canyon of Colorado is a miracle of nature. When you get here, you will realize your smallness, or the smallness of human beings in front of nature. Standing on the edge of the canyon, you will be amazed at how this land is opened in front of you, revealing colorful layers of sections inside. The abyss under the cliff is unfathomable. Although there are guardrails around, the magic from that abyss is still frightening and dare not face it squarely. You will suspect that you are in the jaws of death, and the breeder is smiling and studying the next prey. Or you may feel that you have reached the end of the world and left the whole world behind. It brings you an indescribable shock. The so-called human history, the passage of time, seems to be attributed only to a grain of dust in front of this gap.

Many people can't resist the temptation to find out, and choose to ride mules or horses to the bottom. If you really go to the bottom, you will find that this is another world. In the depths of "hell", there is no need to endure endless pain. What you have experienced is nothing more than the life of cowboys galloping in the wild west. In American westerns, cowboys often ride horses with guns and gallop on barren red land, which is a portrayal of the Grand Canyon. Many westerns are still filmed here because the western style here is the purest.

In 2002, the authoritative war correspondent and editor of National Geographic magazine made a selection: among the most exciting and challenging exploration projects in the United States 100, drifting along the Colorado River ranked first. Because the Grand Canyon is not only the most exciting and challenging adventure activity, but also a beautiful tourist enjoyment. Being able to participate in such an activity with unparalleled charm has triggered the dreams of countless people all over the world. They are proud and honored to wait in line for 18 years to enjoy this enjoyment!

For hundreds of millions of years, the rushing Colorado River has cut this amazing miracle-the Colorado Grand Canyon-from the Campab Plateau in northern Arizona in the western United States. As long as you climb high and look far, you can clearly see a big crack on the plateau as flat as a table, which is the mark of the Colorado River on this vast land.

The Grand Canyon provides visitors with an unparalleled opportunity to enjoy the long and narrow scenery of the spectacular ancient canyon from the steep cliffs. It is not the deepest canyon in the world, but the Grand Canyon is famous for its extraordinary body surface and intricate and colorful ground landscape. From a geological point of view, it is very valuable, because the exposed ancient boulders on the cliffs of the canyon are beautiful because of their hardness and roughness. These stone layers silently record the early geological formation and development of the North American continent. Of course, it is also the most fascinating scenic spot that can be found in wind erosion research on earth.

In the Grand Canyon, there are 75 species of mammals, 50 species of amphibians and reptiles, 25 species of fish and more than 300 species of birds. The whole national park is a paradise for many animals. Reindeer are the most common mammals in the canyon, and they can generally be observed from the edge of the cliff. Desert sheep live on steep cliffs deep in the canyon and are not easy to be found in the usual tourist routes. Medium or small bobcats and coyotes live from the edge of the cliff to the river, and there are several mountain lions in the national park. Small mammals include raccoons, beavers, chipmunks, gophers and some different kinds of squirrels, rabbits and mice. Amphibians and reptiles have all kinds of lizards, snakes (including pink rattlesnakes peculiar to the Grand Canyon), turtles, frogs, toads and salamanders. There are hundreds of different birds and countless insects and arthropods (spiders) living here.

Recommended route of Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is connected by dozens of national parks, the most famous of which are Cylon National Park, braz National Park, arches national park and Memorial Valley. These places should also be the main places to visit:

1. cylon national park: turn from 15 to highway 9, and you will arrive at cylon national park. The boulders, cliffs and red clay mountain bags here are all worth shooting.

2.Braez National Park: Starting from Cylon National Park, turn to Highway 89, and then turn east to Highway 12, which is Braez National Park. The most famous here is the red clay Tallinn, which stands in the deep valley like bamboo shoots. You should stay for a long time and shoot beautiful rocks in the morning and evening light.

3. arches national park: Cross the Green River and turn to Highway 70. There are many huge arched rocks in the park. American cross-country car and motorcycle races are often held here. Hotels here are often full during the tourist season, so tourists should be prepared in advance.

4. Memorial Valley: From 19 1 to the south, there is an Indian reserve, also known as "Mexican straw hat scenic spot". From here to the entrance of 163 expressway, there is a straight avenue, and the west side of the road is a huge stone like a monument, so it is called "Memorial Valley". The film Forrest Gump was shot here, and many black and white masterpieces by famous photographers Ansel and Adams also came from here.

5. Lake Powell: From the 160 expressway to the west is Lake Powell. If you have time to go deep into the lake, you will find beautiful scenery.

6. Grand Canyon National Park: The northern edge is at the southern end of Highway 89, which is snowy in winter. This is the best place to shoot snow scenes, and the southern edge is a tourist attraction. In addition, there are several small parks along Highway 24, which can be decided according to the time.

Random surprise inspection

Grand Canyon: the largest and most spectacular erosion landform in the world.

The Grand Canyon is about 330 kilometers long and its width ranges from 6 kilometers to dozens of kilometers. The deepest point can reach 1.824 meters, nearly 2 kilometers. The elevation of the valley river is less than 1000 meters, while the highest elevation of the valley bank can reach more than 3000 meters.

For hundreds of millions of years, the rushing Colorado River has cut this amazing miracle from the Kaibabu Plateau. No matter on the south bank or the north bank, you can clearly see a big crack on the plateau as flat as a table, which is the mark carved by the Colorado River on this vast land.

It is not the deepest canyon in the world, but it is famous for its huge scale and variety. It is eye-catching and the most important reason why it is included in the World Natural Heritage List. It also lies in its geological significance: well-preserved, completely exposed rock layers record almost all the geological history of the early North American continent. Paleozoic rocks 5.5-2.5 million years ago were recorded here, and the rocks after that were either not deposited or weathered.

The formation of the canyon is much later than its rocks (about 50,000-60,000 years ago), and it is also much more complicated, mainly due to the erosion of the Koch River, and the erosion of water such as rainfall and melting of ice and snow is almost equally important. The peculiar shape is mainly due to the different speed of water scouring on rocks with different structures. The rich color of the canyon is caused by a small amount of various minerals, and the iron-rich rocks are red or reddish brown.

Before the American Civil War, the Grand Canyon was little known. 1869, JohnWesleyPowell, a civil war veteran who loves science and exploration, went rafting for the first time. Animal husbandry began to develop in the Grand Canyon from 1880. By 1890, it was still an alpine grassland, with 654.38+10,000 cows and 250,000 sheep grazing here. However, when 1906 Grand Canyon Nature Reserve was established, most ranchers were forced to change careers. Because of overgrazing, the semi-arid grassland with fragile ecological environment has become bushes and deserts, and animal husbandry is unsustainable and gradually occupies a dominant position. At 190 1, the railway was built to the south bank, which made it develop rapidly. 19 19 became a national park (National Park Service was established in 19 16).

Rock arches national park

It is close to the town of Moab on the plateau of Rock Arch Park.

Turn uphill after entering the door, and the first group of strange rocks rushed to the front of the car, followed by a large group! They are the same color weathered by red rocks, and they are complete. Naked red arouses visual impact, like castles, behemoths, Ashima girls, churches and sails. This park is named after the concentration of natural stone arches. There are more than 2,000 stone arches with a span of more than 1 m in the park, and grotesque stone pillars and pier communities are scattered everywhere. The expressway connects several scenic spots together, and the dense area bends a scene, which is dizzying.

On a cool day, walking by the huge rock arch, walking through the dry trees and listening to the wind has a real sense of sureness. The window area is where large-scale rock archways are concentrated, and several famous archways often appear on postcards. Among them, Double Arch is composed of two beautiful arches, which look like a chain from the front, elegant and generous. Tourists are ants moving below, which shows how high it is! DelicateArch, a few miles away, is famous for its exquisite slopes in Oedolgae, which makes up the images on Utah license plates. Walk a mile to see the scenic arch, which is one of the largest rock arches in the world. It flies over 100 meter and is 30 to 40 meters high. The top is only a few feet thin and may collapse at any time. The message reads: "You have witnessed the decline of a rock arch. Next time you visit it, it may not exist." Looking up, I don't think it's an exaggeration at all. The life of the rock arch begins with the potholes caused by wind, frost, rain and snow on the mountain, then penetrates into holes, expands, and finally collapses into dust. New rock arches are born, the old ones die, and time flows in front of us.

Vivid and interesting knowledge of popular science is a major feature of natural scenic spots in North America, and Rock Arch Park is no exception. Some signs let tourists face a certain landscape and draw boldly, saying that it used to be a mountain, but later it became a huge rock arch, and Mother Nature razed it to the ground. The story is illustrated by a schematic diagram, and the dotted line and solid line depict the history of hundreds of millions of years. The landform in front of us really supports the story. This mountain is so thick that it is eroded layer by layer!

Rock Arch Park covers an area of only over 200 square kilometers and has always been called familypark, which means convenient transportation, sightseeing and suitable for family trips. The park attaches great importance to the maintenance of natural ecology, and does not build any commercial facilities, even food. On the vast Gobi, there is a little wormwood leaf, which is also the heart of the park. Hollywood once came to borrow a treasure house, saying that 500 horses were put into filming the battle between Indians and federal cavalry, and the park collapsed back: "No way". In fact, as we all know, the national park system is short of money, but the stubborn park director still said: "It is impossible to imagine letting them let 500 horses in!" This kind of public integrity makes people look at Americans with new eyes.

Indian Heritage Park

Geologists call the Colorado Plateau a "semi-desert". Mostly wilderness and bare terraces and canyons. Come to think of it, it seems that no one will settle down.

In fact, human beings have lived here for at least 3000 years. The important cultural feature of the four corners is the cliff remains left by Indians. For this reason, many parks have been established, such as Mesa Verde Park in Zhou Ke, which is the most famous Indian Heritage Park.

Cliff House built houses in big caves under cliffs, ranging from a few to hundreds. A hole is a village. Scholars use the method of calculating the tree rings of the ruins to calculate the age. It is found that the leaves of these former residences were quite prosperous after13rd century, but they suddenly went to the cliff in the years and decades before 1300. There are all kinds of speculations, but it is difficult to explain why these widely distributed cliff houses were abandoned at the same time. In some sites, there are still food in storage tanks and unfinished work on the ground, which indicates that the owner intends to come back when he leaves. Anthropologists now mostly agree with this statement: American Indians crossed the Alaska Continental Bridge from Siberia to America tens of thousands of years ago and developed into many nationalities. Indians in Central America are good at farming, while Indians in the north are good at fishing and hunting. Today, many daily foods are first planted by Indians, such as corn, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes. Interestingly, there are no horses, cows and sheep in America. These livestock were brought by Spanish colonists. Today, the riding style in India is like riding for 30 thousand years.

On the way from 2 1 1 highway to needle forest, there is a "newspaper rock" in a ravine, which is full of Indian rock paintings, animals and other grotesque figures. Experts say these works are thousands of years old, while the latest works are only a few hundred years old. I wonder how many stories have happened. An old man living in the four corners told her grandson, "A cloud covers everything. When the clouds disperse, people go to the building and don't know where to go. " Hopi people in Arizona are considered to be descendants of cliff people. They say the souls of the early cliff dwellers still live in this place. Tribes also come to worship their ancestors every year. Such a land has its history, wandering soul and spirit.

The most famous one here is the Memorial Valley, which is located at the junction of Utah and Arizona and is the park of the Naviho tribe. The vast Gobi is littered with terraces, columns and various shapes. From a distance, it looks like a bonsai placed on the table. If you look closely, you can see that all the behemoths are huge, and the most exciting part must be led by a local guide to enter. The two caves "Eye of the Sun" and "Ear of the Wind" make people stunned by the names. When they were included in the camera and pressed the shutter, they also realized the sacredness that Indians respected. The sky is deep blue, and the wind is blowing golden quicksand, making a low whine. This place used to be very secluded. Like most reservations, it was a backwater designated by white people for Indians. From 65438 to the early 1960s, a white man came here to live, take photos and do business. As a result, this place has become the most popular place in the world. The advertisement of Marlboro cigarettes is simply a tourist advertisement here, and many movies are shot here, such as the sci-fi absurd movie Wild West starring will smith in 1999.

Bryce Park: God's Stairs

From the Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon National Park, the plateau has climbed five steps, named chocolate cliff, Zhu cliff, white cliff, gray cliff and pink cliff in turn. They rise layer by layer, revealing 3 billion years of colored sediments.

The Koch River and its tributaries dig up the earth in the game, take out the oldest secrets and show them in plenty of sunshine. This area is called the GrandStaircase, which is also known as geological museum.

Walk horizontally between the first and second floors of the grand staircase, slow down, leisurely go west, then go north and bypass Bryce Canyon National Park from behind. With the elevation of the terrain, the air gradually cooled, and the scenery of Xiaoqiao pastoral poets also appeared.

Bryson is the smallest of the five national parks in Yonan. It is characterized by a large stone forest on the side of the mountain. For example, it is God's parade ground. This platform is the top layer of the big ladder, which is the pink cliff. The edge of the platform has been eroded into a pink stone forest, which is very spectacular from the top of the cliff. Clusters of star clusters vary in shape, stretching for one or two miles wide and more than 20 miles long.

Bryce has cool air and dense forests. The campsite in the park is very lively. After setting up colorful tents, people will walk around the observation deck or visit the Stone Forest.

Garden of Evil

"Garden" is a large area, like the magical realm in western fairy tales, with porches, wall columns and scattered piers, waiting patiently for someone to arrive. Groups of puppet-like stones stand on the smooth lines of the rock base, which are playful and simple and lovely. It is hard to believe that these stones are naturally weathered because they are almost the same as the surrounding landforms. It seems that a mysterious hand was playing with them just now. It's so quiet, you can hear clouds in the air and shadows floating on the ground. When several people are separated, they can't see each other.

At present, not many people know this magnificent scenic spot.

Canyon scenic spot

The southern edge is the best place to watch the sunrise. Clouds are dense and mysterious. There are many special tourist routes to visit the Grand Canyon.

Visitors can choose the right one according to their own plans. Cast on the Grand Canyon is a series of swaying light and shadow.

Yawapa YavapaiPoint is located on the east side of Grand Canyon Park, which is the highest point to watch the sunrise. There is also a three-dimensional model of the Grand Canyon next to the Yawapabote Pavilion, which can clearly understand the whole picture of the Grand Canyon.

Mohaf MohavePoint is a good place to watch the sunset. From here, you can clearly see the Colorado River flowing at the bottom of the canyon.

YakiPoint in Aceh is an important landscape of the Grand Canyon. You can see tourists and solidified lava on the cliff.

This is indeed a magnificent sight. In the morning, I woke up with the winding Colorado River. I heard the wind echoing in the valley and the running water playing in the same place. A quiet and fresh picture is slowly unfolding around you. ...

Lake Mead and Lake Powell

The reservoir formed by Hoover High Dam was built in 1935 and named Meade, which is located at the western end of the Grand Canyon. The Glen Canyon Dam, built in 1963, formed Lake Powell, which became a new scenic spot in the east of the Grand Canyon. Between the east and west dams, there is the most wonderful main body of the Grand Canyon.

Lake Powell was named in memory of the first pioneer who drifted the river and suggested developing water conservancy. Its area is more than twice that of Lake Mead, with all kinds of red sandstone, stone arches, canyons and blue waves. Its scenery is far better than Lake Mead, and it has become a major national tourist attraction in the southwestern United States.

Cross-strait scenery

Americans think the scenery on the north bank of the Grand Canyon is better, because its altitude is higher than that on the south bank (nearly 3000 meters), with scattered scenic spots and longer distance. Tourists only have 1/4 on the south bank. It is open from May to1mid-October every year. There are no buses and coaches, so you can only drive there by yourself, while the south bank is open all year round.

The northern shore passes through the Ketab National Forest, which is completely the forest and grassland scenery of northern Europe, with abundant rainfall, with an average annual rainfall of about 660 mm. There is also a forest on the south bank, but the average annual rainfall here is only 400 mm, so it is not the shady fir on the north bank, but the drought-tolerant pine and cypress, which are short and prostrate on the dry stone mountain. No matter on the north and south banks, the field of vision is extremely wide, and only the ups and downs, fractures and cuts of the earth can be seen. Being condescending often leads to the illusion of overlooking the sand table, which is easy to lead to the lofty sentiments of ruling the world.

Standing on the shore, you can hardly see the trickle of the Colorado River deep in the canyon. It is hard to imagine that this tiny yellow water is the main creator of this grand canyon. Many dams in the upper reaches reduce the inflow of water, but dripping water can still wear through the stone, which shows the age of this river. The rock bedding of the gorge wall is complete and clear, which is a living specimen for studying the formation of the crust and a vivid classroom for understanding geological knowledge and even the earth. Americans make full use of this advantage, spreading scientific knowledge in the explanation boards and tourist brochures introducing scenic spots in Grand Canyon Park, and drawing the rock stratum profile that tourists see, marking the names, characteristics and formation ages of different rock strata one by one, and why these specific shapes and colors appear. However, there are few explanation boards with shadow graphics for scenic spots that win with strange rocks in China, and the introduction of tour guides is mostly limited to what the appearance looks like or myths and legends. If we can dig deep into the relevant natural science knowledge like the United States and let tourists broaden their knowledge everywhere, it will be full of fun. The Grand Canyon attracts 5 million tourists every year, and many American tourists are repeat customers.

Many national parks, resorts and forests in the Colorado River valley attach great importance to the educational function. Another feature of them is that the tickets are cheap. For non-commercial vehicles, that is, tourists drive into the park themselves, tickets are charged by car, regardless of size, which is 20 yuan (ordinary people certainly can't use a big car). Tickets for pedestrians and cyclists are $65,438+00 each, including the bus fare in the park, and are valid for 7 days, no matter how many times you enter or leave. The authorities do not encourage tourists to live in parks. Tourists live outside the valley and can fully visit. In Jiuzhaigou scenic spot in China, for environmental reasons, hotels are also built outside ditches, but tickets can only be used once, which objectively forces people to live in ditches because they can't play all day. Jiuzhaigou ticket 102 yuan, plus the bus fare of 88 yuan in the park, is 190 yuan, equivalent to $23 per person. Tickets for hiking and cycling in the Grand Canyon are half cheaper than those in Jiuzhaigou. If a group of four or five people drives around the Grand Canyon, it costs four or five yuan per person.

The Colorado River, which is more than 300 kilometers from Hoover High Dam on Lake Mead to Page Ferry, is cut off by the Grand Canyon, making it difficult to cross the natural moat. There is a path from the shore to the valley bottom, which is 1 1 km long, and it takes two days to walk. The valley near Page has been reduced to only 20m, and the river bank has also been reduced to only 65,438+100m, which is the first place where you can bridge and wade. Now there are two small iron arch bridges side by side. Because the cliff north of Qiaoqiao is bright red and smooth as marble, it is named Marble Canyon. This is also the shortest way to cross the river on foot and by car.

Crossing the bridge to the south is Highway 89, which leads to the tourist area on the south bank of the Grand Canyon. It passes through the famous colorful desert along the route, as if the turbulent sea instantly solidified into a sea of stones. On the undulating sand dunes, the horizontal rock bedding is red, white, gray, yellow and black, just like a large modern painting, which draws its original English name, which is more appropriate. It is more like Gobi than a real desert.

Hanging glass bridge

The suspended transparent glass viewing covered bridge in Colorado Grand Canyon National Park was officially opened to the public on March 20th, and local Indian tribal leaders and some former astronauts became the first tourists of the new viewing platform.

Enlightenment from entrepreneurs in China

This breathtaking cable-stayed covered bridge is built in a U shape at the bottom of Eagle Cliff at the southern edge of the Grand Canyon at an altitude of 1 200m, and the farthest distance from the rock wall is 21m. The covered bridge is about 3 meters wide and the bottom plate is transparent glass. Visitors can walk on it, overlooking the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River.

This idea, called "World Miracle of 2 1 century", was originally put forward by Jin Wu, a Chinese-American entrepreneur born in Shanghai.

Jin Wu said that when he visited the Grand Canyon at 1996, he was first inspired by the idea of building a suspended covered bridge on the Grand Canyon. He immediately cooperated with the Indian Walla tribe in the Grand Canyon to raise funds and cooperated with engineers in Las Vegas to design the scheme.

It can withstand 72 Boeing aircraft.

Building a cable-stayed covered bridge is a great challenge to engineering technology. In order to resist the strong wind with speed of160km/h, engineers drove 94 steel columns into the limestone wall as bridge piers, and went deep into the rock wall14m.

It is reported that 454 tons of steel beams were used in the construction of the suspension bridge. After completion, it can bear the weight of 72 Boeing aircraft, and it can also resist the earthquake with a magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale 80 kilometers away and the wind with a top speed of 160 kilometers. Under the action of humidity control system, the shaking of buildings can be minimized. According to the builder's estimate, it will attract 500 thousand tourists every year.

This observation deck is located on the reservation of Indian Huala tribe. Because this plan has a potential role in promoting the local economy, Indian tribes finally gave it approval, and they demanded that environmental factors must be considered in the construction process. Some members of the Hualapai tribe boarded the covered bridge for sightseeing on the 20th. The tribal leader jokingly said, "I can hear the sound of broken glass."

Former American astronaut buzz aldrin called the trip a "great first step". He said: "I feel great, which is not exactly the same as floating in the air."