Grand Canyon News

Some things about the Grand Canyon never cease to amaze me…. well, the Grand Canyon never ceases to amaze me, but that’s a given.   What amazes me is that in this day and age of information on demand, MapQuest, Google Earth, et al., I still continue to field questions from folks having difficulty locating Grand Canyon National Park on a map.  I guess it stands to reason in a way as the Grand Canyon lies in one of the last areas of the US to be mapped; Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument up near Lake Powell and Bryce Canyon is another such area.

In fact, in the news recently, you may have heard about the passing of a gentleman named Bradford Washburn.  He mapped the Grand Canyon using techniques that were unheard of at the time (the late 1970’s).  According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, he used “lasers and reflecting prisms to measure contour and depth” (read the full article), eventually producing two Grand Canyon maps, one of the inner canyon and one of the center.  But the fact that this was accomplished as recently as the 1970’s just goes to prove how challenging an environment the Grand Canyon is and always will be.  

Speaking of articles, last week, I posted an article on ArticleFeeder.com that addresses the lingering difficulty of locating the Grand Canyon and gives a complete list of my personal favorite tips and tricks to mapping the Grand Canyon accurately.  So am I gonna give ‘em all out here, too?  Actually, I already have.  Several times in fact.  If this sort of info is what you need right now, check out the article on Article Feeder.com under the “Travel and Leisure” section, or click here and you’ll get right to it.  Heck, if you just need a Grand Canyon map, there’s a ton of ‘em on our maps page.  If you want the Grand Canyon Village map, we’ve got that.  Want a map of Northern Arizona?  We’ve got that.  Las Vegas Strip?  Ditto.  Downtown Phoenix?  Got it. 

I will say this, though: my favorite mapping site is Yahoo! Maps.  Google Earth is pretty cool, too.  What I like about Yahoo! Maps (the new version) is the fact that mapping someone’s entire vacation from point A to B to C to D (and even E and F!) is really easy (especially when you know the local airport codes), and that’s important to me because I know so many of you are visiting the Grand Canyon as part of a Grand Circle Loop itinerary. 

Oh, here’s another thing: if you map your trip online, make sure you do a “reality check” of the roads you get routed on.  There’s a lot of dirt roads out here, and some mapping sites may inadvertantly route you down one because it’s simply the shortest route from point A to point B.  This happens frequently in our area with the Cottonwood Canyon Road, an unpaved road north of Lake Powell that follows the Paria River for a distance, eventually ending at the beautiful Kodachrome Basin. 

The Cottonwood Canyon Road is VERY scenic, and most of the time, not too terribly bad, though some washboard action is to be expected.  If you try to map the drive from Lake Powell to Bryce Canyon, chances are, you’d get routed down this road.  Unfortunately, this road is prone to washouts due to flash flooding, and it’s also not recommended for large trucks, busses, etc.  Apparently a few semis have had to be rescued from this road.  I’ve even rescued some people off this road who didn’t know what they were getting into.  So make sure you know what you’re getting into before you “ease on down the road.” 

WHEN IN DOUBT, CHECK IT OUT.  Learn that phrase and don’t be afraid to use it!

‘Til next time, Happy Travels! ~ Alley Kaye  

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