Yavapai Point

Whether it is by bus or by the Rim Trail, Yavapai Point leaves no one indifferent. Even the strollers and people in wheelchairs can get here. You can see the Colorado river and Phantom Ranch, as well as two trails: North Kaibab and Bright Angel.

Photo: Puroticorico

The original structure, established in July of 1928, was designed by the architect Herbert C. Maier. The bulding was erected on a site selected by a team of geologists in order to observe the Grand Canyon geology and to understand it. The exhibitions of the actual museum explain the deposition of the rock layers, the elevation of the Colorado plateau, the sculpture of the Grand Canyon. The exhibitions include pretty handcraft works, three-dimensional models, indicative photos and interpretation panels allowing the visitors of the park to see and understand the geological history of the region. A topographic relief map mimics the view of the canyon in precise detail. The visitors can soon understand the three dimensional nature and the scale of Grand Canyon.

Photo: Grand Canyon NPS

Welcome to a path that will make you discover the history of the Grand Canyon. People have lived here for over 10 000 years. Today, at least 12 Native American tribes see the Grand Canyon as part of their homeland. The greatness of the Canyon attracts millions of visitors each year from all over the world.

10 000 years ago: Nomadic hunters lived here. They could have played a part in the extinction of large mammals like the Shasta Sloth.

4000 years ago: The PaleoIndians were making split-twig figurines. They were found in caverns. They are part of the oldest man-made artefacts in Grand Canyon.

1000 years ago: The ancestral Pueblos were harvesting the bottom of the canyon. This space was used to store their crops.

150 years ago: John Wesley Powell led the first geological exploration in the Grand Canyon in 1869.

Photo: Grand Canyon NPS

The Vishnu rocks are near the bottom of the Canyon. These basement rocks were formed 1660 to 1750 million years ago. They tell the story of the formation of Earth's continental crust in this area. 1750 million years ago, chains of volcanic islands could be found here. 30 years later, the basement rock forming the tectonic plates collided and the chains of islands were brought together.

Photo: Grand Canyon NPS

History of the rocks

Basement rocks: Igneous rocks are formed when the lava and the magma cool down and solidify. The metamorphic rocks are formed when new minerals grow because of the heat and the pressure. These factors cause the basement rocks to fold and trickle.

The grey rocks are 1840 million years old;
Between grey and brown: 1200 million years old;
Between brown and beige: 525 million years old;
At the top: 270 million years old

Photo: Grand Canyon NPS

The oldest rock known in Grand Canyon is called the Elves Chasm Gneiss, and it is 1840 million years old.

Photo: Grand Canyon NPS