National Parks
Important Places Protected and Preserved for All of Us
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The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is in Arizona. It is a canyon that was made by the Colorado River. It is 277 miles long. It has beautiful rocks with interesting shapes and colors.
A long, long time ago, it was just land. 6 million years ago, the Colorado River began to wear the rocks away.
The Grand Canyon became a National Park in 1919. Land was added in 1975. Long ago, people had to travel by walking or by riding mules. Now there is a modern road. There are trains that run on railroad tracks. Now there is a Visitor Center. There are camp grounds. There is a special bridge with a clear floor. People can walk on it. They can look down into the Grand Canyon. Before, they had to look from the edge.
The Grand Canyon was made by the Colorado River. The Colorado River wore the land away. It dug the canyon. Now you can see the layers of rocks.
People visit the Grand Canyon to see beautiful rocks. Some parts of the Grand Canyon are deeper than other parts. Some places have waterfalls.
Different plants grow in different parts of the Grand Canyon. Scrub Oak grows in some parts. Ponderosa Pines grow in other parts. Fir trees grow where there is more rain. Sagebrush grows where there is less rain.
Long ago, people had to walk or ride mules to see the Grand Canyon. Now there are roads for cars. Now there is a railroad.
People used to stand at the edge to look at the Grand Canyon. Now there is a Sky Bridge. People can walk out over the Canyon.
Grand Canyon National Park has many visitor centers. This is one of them.
