THE US NATIONAL PARKS DESTINATIONS
Ambeauty erican
As the National Park Service celebrates its centenary, Laura French explores the wild landscapes of Nevada, Utah and Arizona
A
forest of cedar trees falls away, and we fly into a
rainbow swirl of reds, pinks, oranges and purples. “Someone once asked me how long the Grand Canyon took to dig,” laughs our pilot. “Several billion years, I told him.” I don’t blame him for asking.
It is hard to believe nature could have carved out something as vivid and incomprehensibly vast as this: a 277-mile copper- coloured cavity that unfolds
below us from the stomach- churning-yet-thrilling heights of a helicopter. Marvelling at strokes of pink, sienna and green that fall down in tiers like a giant layer cake, at the bottom I glimpse the Colorado River – an emerald stream that winds its way through the whole thing, sparkling under the yellow glare of the sun. It might cost $284 for 45 minutes, but as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the flight is definitely worth it.
w WILD WEST This breathtaking tour from Maverick Helicopters was an optional add-on to Grand American Adventures’ Canyons & Indian Lands tour, which took me from the neon lights of Las Vegas and its Strip to the national parks of Utah and Arizona, showcasing the work of the National Park Service as it celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and safeguards the landscapes for future generations.
At times those landscapes were
so extraordinary, it was hard to believe they’re on Earth. Scarlet- red sandstone and orange, human-like hoodoo rocks were our companions along empty, abandoned roads, where our minibus – one of the upgraded fleet introduced by Grand American Adventures last year – felt like the only vehicle for miles. The Grand Canyon was our
final national park of the tour, and although the helicopter ride
7 July 2016
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PICTURES: NPS PHOTO
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