America's greatest natural wonder contains more wonders within it
Entering the Grand Canyon is a serious undertaking, and the National Parks Service forcefully stresses that no-one should attempt to hike to the Colorado River and back in a day. The Bright Angel Trail is the most popular trail inside the canyon, stretching 15.3 kilometres from the South Rim to the Bright Angel Campground on the northern side of the river. The initial stages switch back between the steep cliffs of a side canyon, with bighorn sheep, mules, butterflies and condors often appearing on the way to the cottonwood tree-lined Havasupai Gardens oasis.
Brave the Grand Canyon Skywalk
On Hualapai Indian land at Grand Canyon West, the Grand Canyon Skywalk is a cantilevered platform jutting out from Eagle Point, 1100 metres above the Colorado River. Obviously, this makes for highly impressive views of the deep, splintering canyon, but the extra twist is that the platform is made of see-through glass. Looking down between your legs becomes a test of nerve. The timid should be reassured by the knowledge that the Skywalk is engineered to be strong enough to hold 70 fully loaded Boeing 747s. See grandcanyonwest.com
Raft the Colorado River
Most rafting adventures through the Grand Canyon are strenuous multi-day expeditions, but the Hualapai River Runners offer one-day trips on a motorised raft from Peach Springs. These Native American-led tours initially tackle some relatively gentle rapids before continuing on a peaceful float past caverns, side canyons and waterfalls. They talk history and nature on the way as the murky brown Colorado continues cutting the canyon ever deeper. See grandcanyonwest.com
See the colours at sunrise
Come at sunrise or sunset, and you begin to realise that the Grand Canyon is as much about the colours as the cliffs. Yellows, oranges and reds in the rock strata become ultra-vivid, and a place that looks stark by day takes on a glorious richness. Stay close by – you won't see the colours at gateway cities such as Williams or Flagstaff. The atmospheric wooden Cabins at Grand Canyon West are a short walk from the rim, while the pool-equipped Red Feather Lodge in Tusayan is a 15-minute drive from Mather Point. See grandcanyonwest.com and redfeatherlodge.com
Drive to the stone tower
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The 37 kilometre-long Desert View Drive strings together several viewpoints on the South Rim, and drivers are allowed to tackle it independently year-round. If being selective about stops, Grandview Point shows off the striking Horseshoe Mesa and the canyon gradually widening to the east, while Desert View Point has a 21-metre-tall stone-built Watchtower. Its architecture is modelled on the buildings of the ancient Puebloan people that once lived around the canyon.
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It has delivered 1189 jets to airlines or lessors, but has been beset in recent years by production delays, adding to a broader corporate crisis at America's largest exporter * The 787 first flew in 2011 and entered service in the same year after development delays * Its creation marked a breakthrough in design, promising 20 per cent greater fuel efficiency through the use of durable, lightweight composite materials and more electrical systems * Its size, range and efficiency made it ideal for opening new routes, bypassing hubs served by jumbos such as the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 and helping drive both jets out of production * Airbus followed suit by developing the A350 composite jet * The 787 also pioneered a new way of building planes, outsourcing much of the structure and components to companies around the world and assembling the pieces in Everett, Washington, and later North Charleston, South Carolina But the shake-up led to problems in the supply chain and Boeing later acknowledged it had gone too far with outsourcing. 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