* G R A N D * C A N Y O N
*
Near Flagstaff, Arizona
Shot from the Bright Angel Trail enroute to the floor of the canyon, this landscape suggests the towering might of the intricate area of desert badlands known collectively as the Grand Canyon. An area so vast as to have several microclimates within it (you can actually feel the temperature and humidity change as you hike deeper and deeper into the interior), the canyon has been carved over the millennia by the great Colorado River. A wilderness some 20 miles across, more than 100 miles long, and a mile deep, the Canyon provides back-to-Nature recreation opportunities to white-water rafters and hikers, while the Park Service and tourist operators have less challenging options for the armchair tourist.
As the sun traverses overhead during the day, the rocks gradually change color, an effect beautifully captured by color slide film. Sadly smog from Los Angeles now blows in to cloud the view during much of the summer, but on this short January day and all through my visit, strong desert sunlight with only a minimum of haze provided a delightful interlude to hike and photograph the Canyon and the nearby Painted Desert and San Francisco Peaks.
Photo copyright © 1990 by Larry Neilson