Unkar Delta

by Robert Bales

Title

Unkar Delta

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

A view of the Unkar Delta of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The broad, sandy expanse on the north bank of the Colorado River is Unkar Delta, composed of rock debris carried from the North Rim by Unkar Creek.
Prehistoric Pueblo people occupied numerous sites on Unkar Delta and along Unkar Creek for about
350 years (A.D. 850 to A.D. 1200) With abundant water nearby, Unkar Delta provided a convenient home for these prehistoric people,
particularly in winter. Prehistoric remains on Unkar Delta include dwellings and evidence of agriculture.
The journey from the south rim to the north rim of the Grand Canyon takes about 5 hours but is very scenic, involving a 215 mile route that descends from the pine-covered Coconino Plateau near the canyon into the flat, empty but very colorful Painted Desert in the Navajo Indian Reservation, up US 89 past the Echo Cliffs, across the Colorado River near Lees Ferry, then south alongside the Vermilion Cliffs, before climbing steeply into the Kaibab National Forest and to the small community of Jacob Lake. Basic visitor services are available here - a gas station, lodge, campground, general store and restaurant. From the village, AZ 67 provides the only paved route to the north rim. As with US 180 approaching the south rim, the road passes through lush Alpine meadows and forests of fir and pine for 50 miles (part of the Kaibab Plateau), with only occasional signs of development. The road has recently been designated the Kaibab Plateau - North Rim Parkway, and the NPS has installed many informative notices at laybys along the route.
The north rim has two main viewpoints towards the east, reached by the side road. One is Point Imperial, the highest in the park at an elevation of 8,803 feet, which apart from the canyon, here relatively shallow and less branched, also overlooks large areas of the Painted Desert and the Navajo Reservation. The second is Cape Royal (7,865 feet), perhaps the best of the north rim sites. The cape is 20 miles from AZ 67, right at the end of the road which becomes rather narrow and twisting over the last couple of miles as it runs along a steep sided ridge. There is a large carpark and a short nature trail leading to the point, where the ground drops away steeply in most directions affording superb views east, south and west along the Grand Canyon. Nearby is the short path to Cliff Spring.

Uploaded

November 7th, 2015

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