[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”4.16″ width=”100%” width_tablet=”80%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”100%” max_width_tablet=”80%” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” animation_style=”fade” make_fullwidth=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/TheWorldOffroad_Temperidis-DSC03120.jpg” title_text=”TheWorldOffroad_Temperidis-DSC03120″ show_in_lightbox=”on” force_fullwidth=”on” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ box_shadow_style=”preset3″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_post_title comments=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ title_font=”Fjalla One|300|||||||” title_text_align=”center” title_font_size=”64px” text_orientation=”center” custom_padding=”20px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_post_title][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” width=”50%” custom_padding=”40px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” header_font=”|300|||||||” header_line_height=”1.4em” header_3_font=”||||||||” header_3_text_align=”left” header_3_line_height=”1.4em” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
227 miles long, 18 miles wide, and one mile deep, the Grand Canyon is the geological giant of the American continent with an estimated age of 5-6 million years. <\/b><\/p>\n
text & photography | Akis Temperidis<\/strong> \u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The scientists can\u2019t agree on exactly how the Colorado River carved this gaping wound into the landscape, but here\u2019s what we do know: The Grand Canyon is so big, you can see it from space. And at night, it turns into a massive black stain on the American heartland.<\/p>\n We rolled up to the southern rim, coming from Williams, Arizona\u2014a quirky, offbeat pitstop along the famous Route 66. It was our second time at this sacred hole in the earth, and still, as soon as we caught sight of those towering, jagged cliffs bathed in the late afternoon sun, we felt that old primal punch in the gut.<\/p>\n The Grand Canyon isn\u2019t just a sight; it\u2019s a goddamn spectacle. You can soak it all in from various viewpoints\u2014some are free, with a bus that shuttles you around the southern rim, 7,000 feet above sea level. Or, for those who want a more intimate experience, you can take a drive along the east park exit, tracing the canyon for about 50 miles of raw, wild beauty.<\/p>\n But if you want to test yourself, really test the limits of your body, the only way is down. Into the canyon. To the Colorado River. It\u2019s something we did in 2009 over two days. This time, I went solo, pushing my body to its edge, doing it in a single day down the Bright Angel Trail. From 7,000 feet, you plummet to 3,100 feet\u2014six miles down, down into the heat where the temperature climbs over 40\u00b0C (104\u00b0F) in the summer.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re an idiot and overestimate yourself, you\u2019ll find out the hard way: getting back up is no joke. Luckily, the Americans\u2014being practical as hell\u2014have placed water stations at every rest stop. Cross the river, keep hiking, and you\u2019ll eventually reach the northern rim after another two days of agony. Or you can drive the 200 miles if you\u2019re not crazy enough to walk it.<\/p>\n In the end, I survived the Grand Canyon\u2019s endurance test and, honestly, came out in better shape than I did in 2009. In eight and a half hours, I covered 12 miles, climbing 8,200 feet in elevation, when the Americans say it\u2019ll take you 9-12 hours. And I didn\u2019t die. Just barely.<\/p>\n Zion National Park<\/strong><\/p>\n We came at Zion Canyon from the east, cruising in from Page, the man-made Lake Powell, and the dusty little town of Kanab. We squeezed our van through a 1,800-meter tunnel\u2014barely\u2014then coasted into the jaw-dropping canyon with its pink and cream-colored rock faces, drawing crowds of tourists like moths to a flame, mostly from Vegas. If you want to camp here, you better have booked months in advance, or else you\u2019re out of luck.<\/p>\n Chances are, you\u2019ve seen those iconic shots of Horseshoe Bend, the Colorado River\u2019s legendary twist, right? Instagram made this place famous, and now it\u2019s become a pilgrimage for the sunset crowd. And trust me, it gets packed.<\/p>\n Zion has no shortage of trails, but if you\u2019re looking for something that\u2019ll knock the sweat right off your brow, the Narrows is where it\u2019s at. The narrowest part of the canyon, where you\u2019re walking\u2014no, slogging\u2014through the river itself, wearing special shoes that make you feel like a badass. But, and here\u2019s the kicker, swimming is banned because of the toxic cyanobacteria that have been detected in the water. So, no taking a dip, just take it all in. _A.T.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_gallery gallery_ids=”7075,7052,7056,7053″ fullwidth=”on” dbdb_version=”3.9.1″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_gallery][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 227 miles long, 18 miles wide, and one mile deep, the Grand Canyon is the geological giant of the American continent with an estimated age of 5-6 million years. text & photography | Akis Temperidis \u00a0 The scientists can\u2019t agree on exactly how the Colorado River carved this gaping wound into the landscape, but here\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1222,1226],"tags":[1373],"class_list":["post-7193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-north-america","category-united-states","tag-americathebeautiful-utah-midwest-arizona-nationalparkas-naps-monument-valley-navajonation-pueblo-taos-santafe-mesaverde-en"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/TheWorldOffroad_Temperidis-DSC03120.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7193"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7845,"href":"https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7193\/revisions\/7845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldoffroad.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}