Running Head: THE ALTERED BEAUTY OF THE GRAND CANYON 1

The Altered Beauty of the Grand Canyon

Alycia Lindberg
University of North Carolina at Charlotte














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The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Although it
has a very natural beauty to it the Grand Canyon has had a lot of changes made to it. Over
time the Grand Canyon has changed into a beautiful place for tourists to visit. Although it
still holds much of its natural beauty the canyons physical characteristics have changed
over time. In this paper there will be a comparison between the natural beauty and the
human made changes to the canyons characteristics. There is also a comparison between
the Northern and Southern rims of the Grand Canyon and the changes made to the
canyon from the past to the present.
This topic relates to me because my family has always loved to travel. One
summer we took a family vacation across the country and made a stop at the Grand
Canyon along the way. I have traveled much of the United States and in my opinion the
Grand Canyon is one of the most beautiful places to visit. I have a ton of fun memories
from my family and I being there. We stayed in the Northern rim because it is less
crowded than the Southern rim and has so much natural beauty. Most of the tourists stay
in the southern rim of the canyon because it is the closest view of the canyon. While I
was there I noticed a lot of man made changes. I chose this topic for my project because I
was curious as to how much of the canyon has been altered and turned into a tourist
attraction.
In an interview with my dad Jeff Lindberg and my mom Lori Lindberg we all
discussed the changes that have been made to the Grand Canyon just over the times that
they have visited. Jeff Lindberg stated that I have been to the Grand Canyon many times
and depending on what time of the year you go or which rim you visit you may get very
different experiences. The first time I went I visited the Southern rim. The Southern rim
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is very beautiful as it is still full of nature but it very heavily populated with tourists. The
next time I went I visited the Northern rim. In my opinion the northern rim of the Grand
Canyon is more natural than the southern rim and less crowded. There are many man
made changes to the Grand Canyon as a whole over time, for example the camping areas,
roads, trails, and lodges that were built. (J. Lindberg, personal communication, April 1,
2014).

Lori Lindberg stated that The Grand Canyon is beautiful. I have visited both the
Northern and Southern rims and have enjoyed them both. There have been man made
changes to the canyon as a whole over time. Some of the changes I have seen have been
simple modifications to the camp ground as well as the signs and the lodge. The southern
rim attracts more tourists because it is a closer drive. If I had to pick a favorite I like the
northern rim because it has a more natural aspect to it and it is less crowded with people
during peak vacationing time (L. Lindberg, personal communication, April 1, 2014).

Although there are many changes made to the Grand Canyon after interviewing two
people on this matter I have realized that there are many natural things that have been
preserved throughout the canyon.

The Grand Canyon was first under Federal protection as a forest reserve and as a
national monument in the year 1893. The Canyon was formed from the erosive force of
the Colorado River. Over a period of 5 million years the Colorado River has altered many
characteristics and has formed the Grand Canyon that we know today. Between the rivers
floods that have left debris and the weather and climate changes which have assisted the
river in exposing and breaking down the rocks that form the canyon (Pittenger, T.,
Schmidt, D., & Short, R. (2004)). These different forces are still changing the
characteristics of the canyon to this day. In the year 1919 the canyon obtained a national
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park status. When the park reached its national standing the parks annual visitation was
approximately 44,000. Now the park sees approximately 5 million visitors a year (Grand
Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service.)).
The Grand Canyon is located in the northwest corner of Arizona. The canyon
stretches 277 miles across northern Arizona, it is 18 miles wide, and 1 mile deep. The
Northern rim of the Grand Canyon is very different than the Southern rim. The northern
rim is 1,300 feet higher which leads to lower temperatures. The northern rim shows many
natural beauties such as spruce, pine and wildflowers. There are visitor facilities and
many trails as well as roads. These are just a few of the changes that humans have made
to the physical characteristics of the Canyon (Weir, B. (2005)). Bright Angel Point is one
of the most spectacular natural views in the Northern Rim. Bright Angel Point is the
highest point bringing the Northern rim to an approximate 1,000 feet higher than the
Southern rim. At this point the viewer can see into the depths of the canyon, much of
which is too dark to be visible (Pittenger, T., Schmidt, D., & Short, R. (2004)).
The Grand Canyon lodge is one of the major changes to the Grand Canyon. This
lodge is where many of the tourists who visit stay. The Grand Canyon lodge was built by
125 men in the year 1927. This gave visitors a place to stay within the Canyons. In 1928
the Lodge was opened to the public. Shortly after that in September of 1932, a fire
destroyed the original lodge. The rebuilding of the lodge didnt take place until 4 years
later in 1936. However, the original design of the lodge was altered. The lodge and cabins
are now on the National Register of Historic Places to ensure that the authentic structure
of it (Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)). Some other alterations
to the environment that have been made are various services such as the post office,
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showers, laundry, and the general store. Within the lodge there is a restaurant as well as a
coffee shop. For tourists there are information centers, shuttles, an Inn, and the
campground (Weir, B. (2005)).
The Southern Rim has many natural aspects of it but is a more popular tourist
attraction between the Northern and Southern Rim. There is a highway that allows for
year round access to the Rim. There are two entrances to the Southern Rim (Grand
Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service). One of the entrances takes you
through the Grand Canyon Village and the other entrance takes you through a desert
view. One of the historical views of the Southern Rim is the Havasupai Indian
Reservation. On the reservation you can view waterfalls and deep pools (Grand Canyon
Hiking). The trails as well as the plants, animals and the rivers are a more natural cultural
view of the canyon. Whereas the additional tourism and human made changes and
reconstruction of the canyon gives a more Americanized cultural view. You can get
mule rides through the canyon on the trails to experience this cultural adventure. Some
places for tourists within the southern rim are the lodge, bus tours, air tours,
campgrounds, and various restaurants (Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park
Service).
In general the original building of the tourist attractions the Grand Canyon had
many changes to it that people often overlook, for example the roads that were built
throughout the canyon so that people can access it. Another change would be the trails
throughout the whole canyon. There are trails that will take you to the popular points in
the canyon as well as if you want a tour these trails can take you down into the canyon. In
some areas on the trails steps have been made, waste areas have been made as well as
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picnic areas. All of these things are small changes that have been made to the canyon to
please all of the visitors that the canyon has over the years. We as humans have made
many changes to the Grand Canyon over the years. However, most of the changes made
to the Grand Canyon are done by natural things such as floods, fires, and weather
erosions. As humans we dont even visit half of the Grand Canyon while vacationing in
the Northern or Southern rims of the canyon.
In comparison to another canyon located in Arizona the Grand Canyon has been
altered a lot more. The Paria Canyon in Arizona is a canyon that was created in 1984 by
congress to protect one of the last remaining areas untouched by the changes that have
been made too much of the wildlife throughout the United States. This area is to remain
free from the influence of man. The canyon stretches 112,500 acres long and is one of the
longest and deepest canyons found in the world. Unlike the Grand Canyon the Paria
Canyon is closed off to motor vehicles. The only way to explore this canyon is to hike the
trails (Wright, K. (2014)).
Environmentalists may not agree with the changes to the environment of the
tourist parts of the canyon. Although much of the natural beauty is still preserved and
humans dont access the majority of the canyon our changes have affected the
environment. Even though the Grand Canyon has become such a popular tourist
attraction to people all over the word much of its natural beauty still remains. Due to the
fact that the Grand Canyon became a National Park in 1919 the majority of the physical
characteristics cant be altered or changed. Anything that is built or added has to go
through the National Park board. This is to ensure than humans dont destroy all of the
natural aspects of the Grand Canyon.
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In conclusion the Grand Canyon is a beautiful place for families to gather every
year. As humans we have made changes to it and altered many of its characteristics just
as we do to other things around the world every day. Even though we have made changes
to the Grand Canyon much of the canyon remains natural and untouched by humans.
Over time the canyon has changed in its physical characteristics and this is caused both
by man made changes as well as natural changes that have caused the canyon to erode. In
comparing and contrasting the northern rim to the southern rim I have found that both of
these tourist attractions have had changes made to them but looking beyond those
changes they are both beautiful places to go.














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References
Grand Canyon Hiking | Things to Do | Arizona Office of Tourism. (n.d.).
Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://www.arizonaguide.com/things-to-
do/grand-canyon/hiking
Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service). (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm
Pittenger, T., Schmidt, D., & Short, R. (2004). Bright Angel Point. Grand Canyon,
Arizona: Grand Canyon National Park.
Weir, B. (2005). Grand Canyon. Emeryville, Calif: Avalon Travel.
Wright, K. (2014, February 25). Paria Canyon Permit Area - Vermilion Cliffs National
Monument - BLM Arizona. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from
http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/arolrsmain/paria.html


Personal Interview: J. Lindberg, personal communication, April 1, 2014
L. Lindberg, personal communication, April 1, 2014