Grand Canyon National Park

I wanted to be someplace special on my 65th birthday, and my thoughts naturally turned to Grand Canyon National Park. My December birthday comes with some challenges as many of the majestic national parks have limited access that time of year, but the Grand Canyon felt right.

I can still remember the first time I stood on the rim of this extraordinary place. I was in my early twenties, and it felt as though I was witnessing a true wonder of the world. The vastness was impossible to take in all at once. I’ve returned to the canyon a few times over the years, and each visit was as memorable. Standing on that rim as I turned 65 felt like the perfect place to be.

It was a well thought out plan, until December delivered one of its coldest days. We were staying in a lodge inside the park when the heat went out, and space heaters were brought into our rooms. Yet even in the cold, surrounded by my family, I welcomed another birthday in one of the most majestic places in our country.

The Grand Canyon has been carved over millions of years by the Colorado River. The canyon exposes nearly two billion years of Earth’s geological story in its rock layers. Long before it became a destination for travelers, indigenous peoples lived in and around the canyon for thousands of years.

Its national significance was recognized first in 1908 when Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the Grand Canyon a national monument. In 1919, it was officially designated a national park, making it one of the earliest parks in the National Park System.