Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon, the United States

The Colorado River carved out the Grand Canyon over hundreds of years, creating an amazingly complex canyon. Tourists flock to the site every year to admire it or even to hike down and camp in the myriad of channels cut out by the water. The Grand Canyon is one of the Natural Wonders of the World and has also been named a UNESCO World Heritage site. It stretches over more than 1,200,000 acres in Arizona.

One of the best things about the Grand Canyon area is that it has some of the cleanest air in the US. There are about 1,737 famous species of vascular plants, 195 species of lichen, 167 species of fungi and 64 species of moss found in the Park. Grand Canyon has also a dozen endemic plants, which are known only within the boundaries of the Park. However, only 10% of its flora is actually exotic. Apart from casual sightseeing from the South Rim, running, hiking, rafting and helicopter tours are highly popular here. The Grand Canyon 24 hour Ultra Marathon is a 126 km (78-mile) race that takes participants out on the North Rim of Grand Canyon. So, if you are a runner, you shouldn’t miss this event.