Known as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and for good reason, the Grand Canyon is both magnificent and awe inspiring.  With its multiple viewpoints, such as Mather Point and Lipan Point, you can see the immenseness of the canyon with its layers of red rock revealing millions of years of history.  In fact, there are some spots where the rock layers exposed in the canyon display over two billion years of geologic history.

The Grand Canyon includes both the North Rim and the South Rim.  The South Rim is more popular and better equipped to handle the millions of visitors.  Over 4 million people enjoy the Grand Canyon each year. This National Park is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world.   Described as an overwhelming experience, it is hard to prepare for this impressive sight.  The enormous canyon is millions of years in the making, carved by the Colorado River.  The Grand Canyon National Monument was founded by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 and became a national park in 1919.  With the age of this canyon, it is surprising that the rock layers show little sign of wear.  The layers have been well preserved.  Nowhere else on Earth displays so many volumes of the planet’s history in such pristine condition.

Between hiking, donkey rides, and whitewater rafting, Grand Canyon National Park offers many other exciting tours.  Here are a few examples:

• Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour with VIP Skywalk Access – This tour begins on a luxurious, modern helicopter made especially for sightseeing. Your guide will tell you the history of the region’s landmarks such as Lake Mead, the extinct volcanoes of the Black Mountains, the colorful sandstone buttes of the Grand Wash Cliffs, and the engineering marvel of Hoover Dam.  After an unbelievable helicopter ride, you will be treated with a VIP admission to the famous glass-bottom Skywalk.  Feel like you are walking on air while on the glass-bottom platform hanging 4,770 feet above the canyon floor.

• Jeep Tours and Safaris – What a fabulous way to see the canyon. This is an unforgettable experience.  The professional guides will guide you down forest back-roads to the most spectacular viewpoints at the Grand Canyon.  The experts will share their knowledge about the early settlers, history, and geology as you adventure in the open air, four-wheel drive, safari vehicle.

• Hiking trip to Havasu Falls – This beautiful waterfall is located within the Havasupai tribal lands. Make sure you are up for the hike though.  It is a 10 mile hike EACH WAY!  This is a major destination for hikers who want to visit the blue green waterfalls. The hike is beautiful and the destination is an oasis in middle of a surrounding desert area.  You can swim up to the waterfalls and climb up behind the base of the fall.

If you do end up going to the Grand Canyon, make sure to bring some Penless postcards.  Whether you are hiking, whitewater rafting, going up on a helicopter, or just taking in the views, you are sure to want to send some memories of your trip to friends and family.  Just attach a picture or video onto the QR code of the Penless Postcard and let them share in your vacation. You will both be glad you did!

Even though the Grand Canyon is not the widest, deepest, or longest canyon on the planet, it is considered by most the “grandest” canyon of them all.  With its magnificent and unsurpassed vistas, it leaves its visitors with the sense of awe and wonder.

“In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which, so far as I know, is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world.” – President Theodore Roosevelt

“Those who love it call it the canyon.  The Canyon.  As if there were no other topographic feature on the face of the Earth”. – Edward Abbey, Southwest author