Grand Canyon airlines offers a variety of amazing adventures. Among the most breathtaking, comprehensive, and thrilling ways to explore this massive, ancient National Park is by air. Air tours start near the park, and also in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Page, Arizona.

Located along the Colorado River Basin, this extraordinary gorge is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and more than one mile deep. According to geologists, this magnificent park reveals about two million years of the earth\’s geological history. This massive rift across the Colorado Plateau exposes 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 receive seasonal snowfall. However, along the river in the Inner Gorge, temps are arid, much like those of Tucson as well as other low-elevation desert areas. On the South Rim, normal annual precipitation is less than sixteen inches. The North Rim receives about twenty-seven inches of moisture each year, and the basin receives about eight inches.

Weather conditions have a huge impact on tourism. Extreme temperatures, high-elevation, winter storms, and late-summer monsoons offer many hazards. The National Weather Service\’s South Rim station has been regularly monitoring temperatures since 1903. The temperature variations all through the year are extreme. In the gorge, summer temps often rise 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 jagged, and the elevation at the North Rim is about one thousand feet greater than the height at the South Rim. This variation in elevation results in the North Rim having lower temperatures than the South Rim. Views from the North Rim tend to be more panoramic, but having access to the area is limited through the winter on account of road closures.

The Colorado River basin has been changing for 40 million years. Geological experts have estimated that the canyon is approximately 17 million years of age. Considerable erosion has exposed one of the planet\’s most geologically detailed rock columns. Much of this exposed strata was formed under-water millions of years ago.

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt, a keen outdoorsman, went to see this spectacular landscape. He was so impressed by its overwhelming beauty that he established the region as a national preserve on November 28, 1906.

This national park is amongst the world\’s most famous visitor destinations, bringing in more than five million travelers annually. Small airplanes and helicopters offer great options for touring the National Park. They\’re able to provide breathtaking views of the most hard to get at areas. Many tours also provide souvenir DVDs of the vistas visited.

Grand Canyon airlines offers a number of exciting opportunities to experience this national treasure. Since its inception as a national preserve in 1906, it has drawn and captivated many local as well as international visitors. In addition to regularly scheduled trips, there are lots of charter flights available. Some companies operate ultra-quiet aircraft, and offer tours of Sedona and Monument Valley, in addition to the spectacular canyon.

Author Bio: Mr. Plunket is a world traveler who enjoys writing about all things Grand Canyon. He uses this Grand Canyon airplane tours website whenever he plans to fly the canyon.

Category: Travel
Keywords: grand canyon, national park, las vegas, travel, vacation, trip, flight, vacation