The Grand Canyon National Park is a unique and beautiful place, filled with rich history and natural wonders.
The park had achieved national, and even international, attention, and its formation was advocated for by three different presidents.
The mystery and beauty of the Grand Canyon has long fascinated explorers and tourists. Here are a few fun facts about this national Park.
- The Grand Canyon National Park covers 1,217,262 acres.
- The park received more than six million recreational visitors in 2017, which is the second highest count of all American national parks after Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- The Grand Canyon was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. This means that the site was given international protection!
- Many of the Grand Canyon’s trails were made by Native Americans or by miners, who used them to get to and from mining sites. The Grand Canyon is a beautifully scenic area, and offers hikes for every level of outdoorsman.
- During early settlement years, the Grand Canyon was so difficult to explore that the area was called “The Great Unknown”. It was a blank spot on the map for many years, until explorers were able to breach the river.
- The formation of the Grand Canyon National Park was proposed three times- and shot down three times! The bill was finally signed into law in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson, and was advocated for by both Theodore Roosevelt and Benjamin Harrison.