One of Earth's few landforms visible from space, the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River slices through 277 miles of Northwestern Arizona.
While there are certainly deeper canyons, nowhere else on Earth has width, depth and length combined in such a way as to produce anything quite like this breathtaking chasm.
Over the course of 6 million years, the canyon has been carved by the Colorado River. A mile deep, 277 miles long, and up to 18 miles wide, this canyon is like none other.
If the video does not play smoothly, you may download the file here (14MB WMV File - running time 7:22)
This animated flight is the product of a partnership between NASA, the NPS, and the USGS, and is a part of the NPS Views Project created for a soon to be released Grand Canyon geology module.
Did You Know?
There are 3 different river trip opportunities through Grand Canyon National Park, including professionally guided raft trips, available to the public and often reserved a year or two in advance; and self-guided, or "private" river trips, made available to the public through a weighted lottery.
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