The Colorado River has carved a score of canyons, but none so awe-inspiring as Glen Canyon and, of course the most awesome of all, the Grand Canyon. They are a study in contrasts: to early explorers of the Grand, its tumultuous waters “works on the nerves, there is no repose in it, nothing that is soft.” Glen Canyon, though, was “almost absolutely serene, an interlude for a pastoral flute.”
That is still true today, especially with most of Glen Canyon sleeping below the surface of LakePowell. However, the upper sandstone walls of GlenCanyon are as seductive as ever – and they are more approachable. Now we can boat, float, ski, fish, sail, or kayak amongst sheer cliff walls and billowing towering domes. As for the Grand Canyon, most of us simply stare with incomprehension. It’s too vast, too old, too grand to grasp. But for those of us who do hike or ride or raft into its depths, the Grand Canyon truly can transform our lives.