Tales of the Grand Canyon Trivia Quiz

Answer: Arizona

The Grand Canyon is located in the northwestern part of the state of Arizona. We have already decided that it will take us about three days to get there from St. Louis, Missouri, and we would like to travel a more southerly route from Missouri so that we can take some side trips off the old Route 66, which runs along I-44 from St. Louis and becomes I-40 after reaching Oklahoma City, until we get to Flagstaff, Arizona. From there we will head northwest to the Grand Canyon, a trip of about two and a half hours.

Answer: Colorado River

Scientists believe that it has taken the Colorado River millions of years - anywhere from six to seventy depending on who you ask - to cut into the rock and form the Grand Canyon. The canyon measures 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide in some places and is 6,093 feet (1,857 meters) - that's over a mile! - deep. It is likely that most of the canyon came into existence over the last six million years because that is how long the Colorado River has been flowing in its present path.

Diamond Head is a volcanic formation in Hawaii, the San Andreas Fault is located in California, and Mt. Denali is in Alaska.

Answer: Geologist

Geology is the study of the physical structure of the earth, which is studied by a geologist. Geologists study modern occurrences that change the structure of the earth, such as earthquakes and volcanoes, but they also study the history of how the earth has changed over time. John Strong Newberry was the first geologist to explore the canyon, traveling the Colorado River and arriving at the mouth of the Grand Canyon in 1857.

Answer: Limestone

Sedimentary rock is made from tiny pieces of rock that were fused together by pressure over time in ancient seas. Three types of sedimentary rock are found at the Grand Canyon - sandstone, shale, and limestone - but the Kaibab Limestone is the rock that is found in the top part of the Grand Canyon and makes up its rim. Interestingly, it is filled with fossils, such as mollusks and trilobites, and even shark teeth!

Granite, basalt, and diorite are types of igneous rock.

Answer: Skywalk

Oh my! The Skywalk, found at Eagle Point in Arizona, is 65 feet (20 m) wide with a platform that is made of glass and supported by steel cantilevers! Cantilevered structures are only attached at one end. While it was built to stand up to 100 mph winds and hold up to 800 people that weigh 200 pounds, we are going to have to think for a while about visiting this site. My grandson wants to see the engineering marvel and learn how it was made, but just thinking about it makes me dizzy!

Another consideration in visiting is the cost. The 2020 brochure we have says that it costs a family of four $304! The structure is not located in Grand Canyon Nation Park. It is owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe and is found on their reservation.

Answer: Mule ride

At the South Rim of the Grand Canyon it is possible to sign up for mule rides that last about 3 hours. Only 10 people a day are able to ride the mules all the way to the bottom of the canyon. They stay at the Phantom Ranch overnight before returning to the South Rim the next day. We decided that we might like to wait to take the trip for a few years because people making the long trip must be at least 9 years old.

It must be said that white water rafting is also available, but it takes a lot of time and sounds like it is beyond our capability. The Grand Canyon Railway is a neat activity, but it does not go to the bottom of the canyon at the present time. And parasailing down the Grand Canyon? Are you crazy?

Answer: True

The Junior Park Ranger program is available at many of the national parks in the United States, and children do not have to visit to participate; activities may be downloaded from the internet. It is certainly an important program as we all should be concerned about the environment and learn how to care for it.

At the Grand Canyon activity books are found at visitor centers or Grand Canyon Conservatory book stores; the program is available to children aged 4 and up. Once an activity books is completed it can be taken to a visitor center where it will be reviewed by a park ranger. Participants take a pledge and receive a badge.

Answer: Visitors must have a reservation.

Before visiting it is important to know that a reservation to camp on the Havasupai Native America Reservation and see the falls is required. Camping at the site is so popular that all of the available reservations are made about thirty minutes after becoming available on February 1 each year. It is also important to know that reaching the falls requires a difficult hike, animal ride, or helicopter ride.

As for the other options, Havasu Falls used to be called Bridal Veil Falls, there was a flood there in 1910 and calcium carbonate deposits make the water blue-green.

Answer: Anasazi

Although historians debate exactly when the Anasazi culture began to develop, most believe that it was present by the 12th century BC, and was the first to inhabit the Grand Canyon area. If possible, be sure to visit the Anasazi site in the Grand Canyon, the granaries at Nankoweap Creek, which can be reached by a hiking trail. There are others in the area known as the Four Corners (where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado meet), including the spectacular ruins at Canyon de Chelly, also in Arizona, and Mesa Verde, in Colorado. We cannot be in the area without visiting both sites!

All of the others listed are later groups that are believed to have been descended from earlier people who lived in the Grand Canyon.

Answer: Seven Wonders of the Natural World

After looking at this list, we have decided that we might like to do more traveling! The Grand Canyon is the only natural wonder on the list that is located in the United States, but the others - Aurora Borealis, Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Great Barrier Reef, Mount Everest, Victoria Falls, and Parícutin, Mexico - would certainly be interesting to see! A natural wonder is, well, considered to be made by nature! The list was made by editors at CNN in 1997.