In this final episode of our seven-part road trip through Arizona, we head to the Grand Canyon. Red rock spires and golden, the snaking blue of the Colorado River 5,000-feet below. Most visitors stand at the rim, take a photograph and leave. But that's only part of what makes this canyon grand.
We hike down the Hermit Trail with park geologist Anne Miller, descending through 1.8 billion years of Earth's history written into the stone. We find out about the indigenous history if the canyon, which has been used by native people for thousands of years. And end our journey at Shoshone Point and one of the most spectacular sunsets you'll ever see.
This is Arizona - the Wonder of the World.
Episode Highlights:
Hiking Back in Time
Follow geologist Anne Miller down the Hermit Trail, where every switchback takes you millions of years further into the past. Find out why the rocks at the rim are older than the dinosaurs, and how at the bottom of the canyon you can stand on the tops of mountains 1.8 billion years old.
An Ocean a Mile High
Discover a vast prehistoric sea pressed into the canyon walls, with crinoids like tiny stone Cheerios, clam-like brachiopods and ancient sponges, a mile above today's ocean.
A Living Landscape
The Grand Canyon isn't just ancient history. It's a living homeland. Eleven tribes hold it sacred, and Native communities still live on its rim and deep within its walls today. See the canyon through their eyes, and the landscape starts to reveal itself: pottery shards underfoot, petroglyphs on the canyon walls, and mysterious split-twig figurines, as old as Stonehenge, hidden deep in caves that almost no one will ever see.
Secret Sunset
Find out where to go for one of the most spectacular sunsets in the park. It's a mile's hike in, and worth every step. From a narrow peninsula of rock with a near-270-degree view, watch the buttes and temples below catch fire in the last light as the canyon turns slowly gold all around.
PLAN YOUR TRIP
This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a road trip you can take. Recorded entirely on location over two extraordinary weeks, Wonders of Arizona follows a new, bookable itinerary designed and road-tested by presenter and award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar (The Times, National Geographic Traveller and more), told through the voices of the people who know these places best. Hear it first, then make the journey your own.
To find out more go to:
USA and Worldwide Listeners: wondersofaz.com (https://www.wondersofaz.com)
UK Listeners: search up Wonders of Arizona at HaysTravel.co.uk (https://www.haystravel.co.uk/destinations/americas/rest-of-usa/arizona/wonders-of-arizona/wonders-of-arizona/) ... Or phone: 0800 408 4048
Thank you to our guests:
- Anne Miller, Geologist and Paleontologist, Grand Canyon National Park
- Vincent Diaz, Tribal Program Coordinator and Liaison, Grand Canyon National Park
Plan your visit: nps.gov/grca
Visit Hualapai lands in the western Grand Canyon: grandcanyonwest.com
FOLLOW VISIT ARIZONA:
Instagram: @visitarizona
Facebook: @visitarizona
CREDITS:
The Wonders of Arizona podcast is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Field recording and audio production by Jason Paton. Pre-production and itinerary by Brian Thacker. Produced by Armchair Productions for Visit Arizona.
