Fly Grand Canyon - Try a National Park Airplane Tour

By Ione Mahler http://www.lasvegasgrandcanyonairplane.com Grand Canyon airlines offers a variety of amazing journeys. Among the most breathtaking, thorough, and thrilling ways to explore this enormous, ancient National Park is by air. Air tours originate near the park, as well as in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Page, Arizona. Situated along the Colorado River Basin, this amazing gorge is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and more than one mile deep. According to geologists, this magnificent park exhibits about two million years of our planet's geological history. This gigantic rift across the Colorado Plateau reveals ancient strata from the Proterozoic and Paleozoic Eras. The weather in the region varies in line with elevation. Some high-elevation rim zones are wooded, and get seasonal snowfall. However, along the river in the Inner Gorge, temperatures are arid, similar to those of Tucson and other low-elevation desert areas. Along the South Rim, average annual precipitation is less than sixteen inches. The North Rim gets about twenty-seven inches of moisture every year, and the basin gets about eight inches. The weather conditions have a huge impact on tourism. Severe temperatures, highelevation, winter storms, and late-summer monsoons present many hazards. The National Weather Service's South Rim station has been consistently checking temperatures since 1903. The temperature variations all through the year are extreme. Inside the gorge, summer temps often climb to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In the winter, rim temperatures typically drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit. The record high temperature was 105 degrees Fahrenheit in June of 1974, and the low was 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit in January of 1919, February of 1985, and December of 1990. The uplift of this plateau is uneven, and the height at the North Rim is about 1,000 feet greater than the height at the South Rim. This difference in elevation results in the North Rim having lower temperatures than the South Rim. Views from the North Rim will be more picturesque, but admission to the area is limited through the winter due to road closures.

The Colorado River basin has been evolving for 40 million years. Geological experts have calculated that the canyon is about seventeen million years old. Significant erosion has revealed one of the planet's most geologically comprehensive rock columns. Much of this exposed strata was formed under-water millions of years ago. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt, an avid outdoorsman, went to see this majestic landscape. He was so impressed by its overpowering splendor that he set up the region as a national preserve on November 28, 1906. This national park is one of the world's most popular visitor destinations, attracting over five million visitors per year. Small planes and helis provide wonderful choices for visiting the National Park. They are able to supply breathtaking views of the most hard to get at areas. Many rides also provide souvenir DVDs of the vistas visited. Grand Canyon airlines offers many exciting opportunities to discover this national treasure. Since its creation as a national preserve in 1906, it has attracted and captivated many local as well as international visitors. In addition to regularly planned trips, there are a variety of charter flights available. Some businesses run ultra-quiet aircraft, and provide tours of Sedona and Monument Valley, in addition to the spectacular canyon. #30#