News, Tips & Bargains : A Milestone at the Grand Canyon
What’s millions of years old but celebrating a 75th birthday this weekend? None other than the Grand Canyon, which received national park status on Feb. 26, 1919.
If the date slipped your mind, don’t worry: The rededication ceremony isn’t until Oct. 9, when there won’t be a foot of snow on the ground, says Dennis Hamm of the National Park Service.
Several other commemorative events are being planned for this spring and summer, Hamm says, including a guest lecture series, special nature displays, and dramatic portrayals of Teddy Roosevelt, who first visited the area in 1903 and who created the Grand Canyon National Monument in 1909. Details will be spelled out in seasonal park publications .
More than 4 million travelers visit the Grand Canyon each year and Maureen Oltrogge of the National Park Service urges travelers to begin planning now. “If you just show up, you’re going to be disappointed,” she says. “We recommend making (lodging and camping) reservations at least nine months in advance. Reservations for mule trips are taken up to two years in advance.”
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