The Colorado River's 277-mile meander through Grand Canyon is one of the world most beautiful places. While passing immense, sphinx-like rock monuments, waterfalls, grottos, and wind-sculpted dunes, the water creates beauty of its own, in the form of thundering rapids, swirling eddies, and a gentle roar that seems to drown out life's less important patter (read: the chirping of cellular telephones). The river is very steep, descending 2,215 feet over 277 miles in Grand Canyon, compared to just 1,670 feet over 2,350 miles for the Mississippi. Even between the rapids, it gently tugs boats downstream --a reminder that, for Grand Canyon to exist in its present form, the river had to carry 1,000 cubic miles of earth downstream.

Though it remains beautiful, this corridor has been sharply impacted by dams. The Glen Canyon dam filters sand out of the river above Grand Canyon, eliminates seasonal flooding, and makes the water consistently cold year-round. The unnaturally cold, clear water has wiped out four native fish species, and the changes in flow rates and sediment transport have resulted in a loss of beaches. Without powerful floods to break up the boulders that wash into the river from side canyons, some of the canyon's rapids have become steeper and harder to navigate. And plants such as coyote willow and tamarisk have overtaken shores that floods once stripped of vegetation. Hoover Dam, near Las Vegas, also impacts Grand Canyon. The Colorado River now stalls in the still waters of Lake Mead-the reservoir created by Hoover Dam--35 miles before reaching the end of the canyon.

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Grand Canyon Vacations Raft the Mighty Colorado - The pinnacle of river trips: You can't beat it for hard-driving whitewater and stunning scenery Hiking Canyon Trails - The most intimate experience you can have with the canyon is on the trail. Horseback Riding - High on a sure-footed steed, you'll have the best views of anybody

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