Trail of Time: The Million Year Walk Portal

Walk west along the Rim Trail from Yavapai Geology Museum to the start of the 1 million year trail.

NPS

Quick Facts

Location:

Trail of Time - Yavapai Geology Museum

Significance:

Paved trail with geologic timeline and exhibits

Amenities

3 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Wheelchair Accessible

Located on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, the Trail of Time (ToT) extends along the paved Rim Trail between the Yavapai Geology Museum on the east and Maricopa Point on the west.

This is the young end of the ToT so the theme for the portal entry is the youngest rocks of Grand Canyon. Seating stones around the entry portal include spring deposits of travertine, and columns of basalt collected from lavas like those that flowed into western Grand Canyon about 500,000 years ago.

Walking the trail west from here to the next Trail of Time stone column (~150 yards / 136 meters ) will cover Grand Canyon's recent past and serve as an "on-ramp" to 2 billion years of geologic time. Watch for the shifts in time covered by each step along the ToT. To talk about geology we have to think in terms of time and some pretty big numbers!

Trail of Time Overview

The Trail of Time is the world's largest geoscience exhibition at one of the world's grandest geologic landscapes, Grand Canyon National Park. The trail utilizes the unique vistas and rocks of Grand Canyon to help visitors ponder, explore, and understand the magnitude of geologic time and the stories encoded by Grand Canyon rocks and landscapes. Geologic time is immensely long. The 4.56 km (2.8 mi) trail is marked every meter, with 1 meter = 1 million years of our 4,560,000,000 year-long Earth history. Viewing tubes, rocks on plinths, and wayside panels help visitors connect the rocks visible in Grand Canyon to their place along the timeline.

The main Trail of Time can be entered at different points - including the east end near Yavapai Point (young end), west end at Grand Canyon Village (old end), or a middle point where a connecting trail comes from the Park Headquarters parking area (Parking Lot A). Shuttle stops connect each entry point, so you can walk it in several ways and still get back to your car. The entry portals have messages on each side appropriate for those approaching (welcome) or for those completing different segments of the Trail (congratulations).

The main section of the Trail of Time between the Yavapai Geology Museum and Verkamp's Visitor Center follows the paved rim trail features features numerous displays and is accessible.