Vietnamese tourists explore 'crack in the earth'

America not only attracts tourists with magnificent cities like New York or Los Angeles. Besides the modern urban beauty, it would be a mistake not to mention the natural beauty of America with 63 national parks, among which, the Grand Canyon is probably the most famous national park.

Grand Canyon, one of the most famous destinations in America

For tourists from Vietnam, the itinerary to explore the West Coast of the United States will often not include the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon National Park is located in Arizona, about 830 km from Los Angeles or 405 km from Las Vegas, Nevada. An ideal itinerary for many tourists will often start from Los Angeles, go around Las Vegas, explore the Grand Canyon before going to different destinations, depending on the time of the tour.

Each year, an estimated 5 million visitors visit Grand Canyon National Park.

It is the second most visited national park in the United States, according to 2022 data. Topping the list is Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located between Tennessee and North Carolina.

From Boston, I flew to Las Vegas to start my road trip with a group of friends. In the US, the concept of "roadtrip" is quite familiar to travel enthusiasts, used to refer to exploration journeys by car. Roadtrips can last from weeks to months, depending on the route chosen by tourists. Summer is the busy time for road trips in the US, especially on the West Coast, where there are a large number of national parks. In Arizona alone, there are 3 national parks for tourists to explore.

The Grand Canyon National Park covers an area of ​​over 1 million hectares, larger than the state of Rhode Island (the smallest state in the United States). Visitors to the Grand Canyon will be amazed by the beauty of nature. The mountain ranges and cliffs stretching nearly 500 km in the Grand Canyon create a natural picture with brown-red-orange colors of sandstone, shale, and magma. Many studies believe that the Grand Canyon was formed about 6 - 70 million years ago.

Visitors to the Grand Canyon have two options for destinations: the North Rim and the South Rim. Most visitors will choose the South Rim because of its accessibility and many tourist facilities. During peak tourist season, it is difficult to book hotel rooms right in the Grand Canyon. Our group spent the afternoon in the city of Flagstaff, located about 80 miles from the South Rim.

The scene is like in another world

There are many ways to pay for admission to the Grand Canyon. If you are traveling in a group with a private vehicle, you will have to pay $35/vehicle (equivalent to about 800,000 VND). If you are a single traveler, you will have to pay $20/person (about 450,000 VND). We used the America the Beautiful National Park card, which allows you to visit all national parks for a year for only $80. These types of cards are very popular in the US if you live here and are passionate about exploring national parks.

With a one-day exploration schedule, visitors can choose to visit the main viewpoints at the South Rim. You can use the shuttle bus at the Grand Canyon to get to your desired destinations completely free of charge.

Besides the simple sightseeing schedule, tourists who love to explore can hike down to the banks of the Colorado River - a small river winding around deep gorges. However, this activity is not for those with weak physical strength. To reach the Colorado River, the shortest trekking route is more than 10 km long for one way. Tourists are encouraged not to climb down and up in the same day. Therefore, trekking activities are mainly for those who camp overnight.

At first glance, visitors will see the Grand Canyon National Park as a vast, barren expanse of rocks and deep canyons. However, the Grand Canyon National Park has about 1,500 species of plants, more than 400 species of animals and more than 200 species of birds.

Wandering around the national park, we encountered many squirrels, deer wandering around...

Today, excavation, geological and fossil research activities still take place at the Grand Canyon. Recently, US President Biden decided to expand the area of ​​​​Grand Canyon National Park, increasing conservation activities for this area...

For tourists, the Grand Canyon National Park is a natural wonder, a symphony of rock, deep rivers and abysses. For the Hopi tribe, who have lived on this land for a long time, the Grand Canyon is like a door leading to the "afterlife", opening up an important spiritual world. If I had seen the Grand Canyon a few hundred years ago, perhaps the awe-inspiring, immense look of the Grand Canyon would have evoked similar thoughts in me.

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