TABLE OF CONTENTS Grand Canyon 4 Death Valley 6 Everglades 8 Mammoth Cave 10 Giant Forest 12 Mississippi River 14 Mount McKinley 16 Old Faithful 18 Niagara Falls 20 Kilauea Volcano 22 Crater Lake 24 Rocky Mountains 26 Fact Sheet 28 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index 32 About the Author 32
1 DEEP COLORS ABOUND AT GRAND CANYON In Arizona a huge gorge stretches 277 miles 446 km and cuts one mile 1.6 km into the earth At its widest point it measures 18 miles 29 km across Sunlight makes the gorge glow in hues of red orange brown gray green pink and violet This unique place is the Grand Canyon Its massive size and range of colors attract millions of people each year The colors are from layers of rocks such as granite limestone The Grand Canyon became a national park in 1919 4
The Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon sandstone and schist Some rocks at the bottom of the canyon are almost 2 billion years old The canyon is much younger The Colorado River began eroding the rock and creating the Grand Canyon 5 or 6 million years ago The Grand Canyon’s wildlife is as varied as its colors Plants include cactus pine sagebrush and willow Badgers bobcats chipmunks coyotes deer rabbits and snakes live there too Bald eagles glide through the skies over the canyon And trout swim in its waters VIEW FROM ABOVE In 2007 Skywalk opened at the Grand Canyon This horseshoe shaped balcony juts out approximately 70 feet 20 m from the canyon’s edge and 4,000 feet 1,200 m above the ground It is enclosed with a metal frame and glass sides The clear floor allows those brave enough to look straight down to the canyon floor far below 5 21 Number of miles 34 km people hike from the North Rim to the South Rim Location Northern Arizona Park Grand Canyon National Park Annual visitors 5 million
