Desert View ~ Grand Canyon ~ Colorado River ~ Arizona

Desert View is located in the Grand Canyon, 52 km (32 mi) from the Grand Canyon Village and wherever there was a location to see the canyon from between these two locations, a viewpoint has been built.  We made a stop at every single one of those viewpoints and none were disappointing!  The views were similar yet different, colors and terrain varied and some showed more variety in formation than others but they were all incredible to see.

The Desert View Watchtower in Grand Canyon, AZ

The Watchtower is visible from some of those viewpoints and is located just before the eastern entrance/exit to the Grand Canyon National Park. The location known as Desert View due to the fact this is the eastern edge of the canyon and the desert spans east from here for miles across the Navajo Indian Reservation.

The desert view thru a portal on a masonry wall

Mary Cotter was hired in 1932 by The Fred Harvey Company to build a view and rest area at Desert View.  She designed the Watchtower as she did many other buildings in the Grand Canyon area, following the parkitecture theme using rocks and wood that blends into the local landscape.  She then used the railway engineers and bridge builders to erect the steel framework for the masonry walls to be built on and then supervised the construction of the entire project.

Paintings of Hopi history cover the walls of the Watchtower

A Hopi artist, Fred Kabotie, painted the first floor with symbols that tell the stories of his heritage.  Another Hopi artist, Chester Dennis created the petroglyphs seen on the wall of the first floor.

Looking up to the top ceiling of the 3 level Watchtower in Desert View, AZ

The round tower with the stairways following the curve at the outside wall of the building add much interest to some of the paintings just due to the location and overall look when we look up……….way up!  Fred Geary, a Fred Harvey Company painter painted the walls and ceilings on the second and third floors.  These symbols were found and adapted copies from original sites in the Southwest and New Mexico.

Looking down over the curved stairs onto the first floor of the Watchtower

These paintings were fascinating and most walls and the ceiling had some native work painted on them. Their story isn’t written in word here but if the time is taken to study these paintings and a little imagination is used, there are definitely some stories there.  The gift shop adjoining the tower has many symbol-like crafts to enjoy for souvenirs.

One of many built by the Civilian Conservation Corps

Much of the work and construction of trails, rock walls, roads and buildings at Desert View was done from 1935 to 1942 by the men of Civilian Conservation Corps who lived here during that time.  They completed over twenty projects taking great pride in their work and many of these buildings are still being used, although have gone through some changes.

The Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon, AZ

The Colorado River is 2330 km (1450mi) long, beginning in the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado flowing to the Gulf of California between Baja and mainland Mexico creating some gorges and canyons as it passed through the Grand Canyon.  It is one of the most important river systems in the U.S. with over 20 dams built on it.

Rocks tell the story with layers of color

It is amazing to see, then try to realize that some of these rocks are nearly two billion years old!  The Vashnu Basement Rocks can be dated back that far and each level, which show as different colors are all dated as to when they were formed with the top layer, called the Kaibab Formation being only 270 million years old! The elevation of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is 2100 M (7000 ft) but doesn’t appear that high as it is a plateau.

The Grand Canyon National Park, a gift from past generations

John Wesley Powell took the first team of explorers down 1000 miles of the Colorado River in 1869 for a geological exploration and although not all stayed with the team, there were five that completed the trip with Powell, going through many of the 120 sets of rapids on the river. Mr. Powell named the Grand Canyon.

Congress established the Grand Canyon National Park in 1919 and it is very impressive to see all that is being done to maintain the beauty of the area through the work done by the park and their volunteers. They consider it a gift from past generations and are doing all they can to preserve it for future generations.

If the opportunity is there for you, I would highly recommend you see the movie at the Grand Canyon Imax in Tusayan, AZ. The 35 minute movie of the Grand Canyon is incredible to see so hold onto your seats, you’re going for a wonderful ride !

Grand Canyon Sunset ~ South Rim ~ Yaki Point ~ Arizona

We entered the Grand Canyon National Park for our sunset experience from Tusayan, AZ where we were staying in the RV park. The Grand Canyon Camper Village is only a couple of miles from the park entrance. We’ve purchased a pass for the park, at a cost of $25 and that will allow us to enter the park any number of times for a week.

The South Entrance Road to the Grand Canyon

We then drive for a few more miles that will take us to the first large parking lot at the Visitor Center and then catch the free shuttle bus that will take us out to Yaki Point, which we’ve heard is one of the best to view a sunset from.  This point is only accessible when you use the shuttle, so this is our first visit to this point, and a great one it is. 

The rugged formations of the Grand Canyon, AZ

Many people gather here, most with the intention of watching the sun set.  The shuttle bus runs frequently so there are more people coming all the time but many leave to return to other locations as well, undoubtedly for a beautiful sunset, as well.  I don’t think there could be a bad sunset in the Grand Canyon !

Enjoying the setting sun over the Grand Canyon at Yaki Point

We are looking towards Cape Royal from here.  The evening light gives it a very hazy appearance and this would be the result of smog.  Daily tests are done to test and monitor the haze as part of a national research program.  The average winter visual range is 210 km (130 mi).

The golden color highlights the Inner Gorge in Grand Canyon

The Colorado River isn’t visible from this vantage point but it is flowing through the Inner Gorge that we can see from here, the canyon the river has taken thousands of years to create.  I was able to get some pictures of the river on our visit to Desert View at the eastern entrance to the park.

The sunset shadows add interest to the Grand Canyon

Our visit is at the South Rim, which is open all year but there is also the North Rim on the other side of the Canyon.  The rims are only about 10 miles apart ‘as the crow flies’ to use an old expression, but is 356 km (215 mi) by road.  We didn’t visit the North Rim, it doesn’t open until May 15.

The layers of orange begin to appear in the darkened gorge

The free park newspaper, The Guide is available at many locations and has a lot of information about locations, activities and all things going on in the park.  They even have the exact time of the sunrise and sunset for current dates and where the best places for viewing those are.

Dusk is coming quickly and sunset will soon be done

As the sun disappears, the evening quickly gets cooler.  We are visiting in April and the average temperatures range from 15C (60F) down to 0C (32F).  Our days are sunny so we can feel the heat and it isn’t cold but we did have frost warnings for overnite.

The final colors quickly fade from Yaki Point viewpoint

We are looking at the Tonto Platform and as the sun sets lower in the sky, the color of the formations gets deeper and deeper until it almost glows in the distance. What beautiful colors we see.

The last moments of the Grand Canyon setting sun

I caught the last of the setting sun just as it was about to disappear from view after leaving us with the incredible experience of seeing a sunset in the Grand Canyon.  I will always have my photos to remind me of those beautiful moments, but it shall forever remain etched in my mind.

The Grand Canyon ~ Arizona, USA ~ Natural Wonder

There are many places we have on our list to visit and the Grand Canyon was one of them.  We love rv’ing to these locations so that we can enjoy the journey on the way, which we did, but there was no way that I was quite prepared for the sight we saw on our arrival to the Grand Canyon.

Afternoon sun cast shadows in Grand Canyon

We have all seen pictures, heard stories and likely even seen parts of it in the movies but it still took my breath away.  That may have been caused by a slight fear of heights that I do seem to have developed over the years, but that would have only been a part of it.  I approached that first viewpoint with  excitement and weak knees.  I was not disappointed, the view was absolutely breathtaking! 

Incredible colors of the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world and is over 445 km (277 miles) long, 16 km. (10 mi) wide and 1.6 km (1 mi) deep.  The average winter visual range is 210 km (130 mi) and explains why we might find the distance to be hazy, but air pollution also plays a part in that. It is being monitored and the parks promote doing our part in conserving energy to avoid pollutants.

The profile in Grand Canyon

Our first visit was on an afternoon that there were clouds in the sky but the sun was shining and made the chilly day very pleasant.  We parked in one of the main parking lots that is located at Yavapai Point, also the location of the Yavapai Geology Museum and walked along the paved paths to see as much as we could see.  This profile isn’t marked but the rock in the center of picture sure looks like one to me.

Grand Canyon views enjoyed by brave hikers

There are many viewpoints with rock walls or barriers of some sort to stop at and enjoy the view but there are also many places that you can just walk out to the edge and either test your fear level, pose for pictures or just get a better look at the Grand Canyon.  These people had to do some climbing to get to this location. Click on picture to get a bigger one and then go 'back' to return to blog.

Rock Squirrel at Grand Canyon

There is wildlife in the Grand Canyon but we didn’t see any where we were, except this little guy.  There are different kinds of squirrels in Grand Canyon, depending your location.  We are at the South Rim and I believe this one is a rock squirrel and he appeared way out on this rocky ledge from seemingly nowhere, he must have a room with a quite a view. 

Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon

There are some marked trails to follow for those who wish to do some hiking.  Hiking was not on our agenda, but it was amazing how many people were taking this trail into the canyon to see more.  I understand it is quite a challenge and if you wish to learn more about hiking to the canyon bottom, clik on this link and scroll down a bit.

Kolb Studio at Grand Canyon South Rim

In 1904, the Kolb brothers built their home and photography studio at the very edge of the South Rim to take advantage of the visitors to this area.  They were one of the first tourist and commercial sites in the canyon.  The brothers operated their studio for over 75 years, being two of the earliest photographers to specialize in national park tourism and have been credited with how we view national parks.  The studio is now a National Historic Landmark.  More interesting history on the Kolb brothers is found on this link.

Lookout Studios at the Grand Canyon South Rim

Mary Colter was the architect who designed several buildings in this area, including the Lookout Studios, built in 1914. The ‘parkitecture’ design style that she used means that it blends into the natural surroundings and is built with local stones and wood. The Lookout Studio is now listed on the National Register of Historic places.

We were lucky to have another great day visiting the Grand Canyon as well as an unforgettable sunset before we were on our way, I will be sharing these with you later.