Last updated: April 21, 2023
Article
Enjoy the View Like Paul Burger
How do you enjoy the view?
The Enjoy the View Like Us series invites National Park Service employees to share their stories about their favorite park views. The ways to enjoy the view are as unique as parks and their visitors. We hope these stories inspire you to enjoy the view! Learn more about scenic views in national parks.
NPS Photo / Paul Burger
“From this view you can see a wide bend of the Colorado River, etched into the limestone of the Redwall Formation. You can see a karst spring that supports the lush vegetation of Vasey’s Paradise…”
This is how Paul Burger describes one of his favorite views of South Canyon where it joins the Grand Canyon, just upstream of Vasey’s Paradise. The South Canyon trail to Colorado River is an adventurous option to get from the rim to the river.
Paul is hydrologist for the Alaska Regional office (interior regions 11). He has worked as a hydrologist for the National Park Service for more than 25 years. What does he like about his job? He says, “I love seeing these views where the water interacts with the landscape and where water is a vital link to human visitation over the centuries.”
NPS Photo
What makes this view so special?
Paul says he feels a connection to this view because it is the first sighting of the Colorado River as you make the long hike down from the rim. Paul has done this hike many times and has had many weeks of adventures from this location. “I’m amazed that the water emerging here started its journey more than ten miles away and through more than 2000 vertical feet of rock.”
“From this view you can see a wide bend of the Colorado River, etched into the limestone of the Redwall Formation. You can see a karst spring that supports the lush vegetation of Vasey’s Paradise as described in the journals of Powell as he led some of the first European exploration of the Canyon.” With the diversity in the landscape seen from this view and many other views Grand Canyon, it’s no wonder that John Wesley Powel describes Grand Canyon views as:
“The glories and the beauties of form, color and sound unite in the Grand Canyon – forms unrivaled even by the mountains, colors that vie with sunsets, and sounds that span the diapason from tempest to tinkling raindrop; from cataract to bubbling fountain.”
NPS Photo / Michael Quinn
What should visitors know?
This view is reached after a steep hike through more than 2000 feet of rock layers. The hike starts at the remote North Rim of the Grand Canyon and descends a steep slope with the occasional scramble required. It’s a tough hike despite its modest distance, so make sure you come prepared. Though you can eventually reach water, it is vital to carry at least two liters of water per person to reach this site and get back up to the rim. So, fill up your water bottles at one of Grand Canyon’s outdoor spring water filling stations before you head down.
Visit Grand Canyon National Park’s website for information to help you plan your trip.