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Yellowstone National Park has always been a popular destination for families with children. Since its inception in 1872, the geysers, hot springs, wildlife, vistas, and wildness of the area have offered beauty and recreation to millions of visitors each year. One of the biggest attractions of them all is Yellowstone’s very own Grand Canyon. If you’ve never experienced this modern miracle of nature, it is definitely something to see.

1. To give you a taste of what to expect when you embark on one of Scenic Safaris’ compelling Grand Canyon hikes, here are five fun facts:
2. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, as it is formally known, contains one of the most photographed features in the park, the Lower Falls, a waterfall that measures 308 feet high, a whopping 141 feet taller than Niagara Falls. So when you join us for our Grand Canyon hikes, make sure to bring a camera.
3. The canyon, as it sits today, is just a youngster aged between 10,000 and 14,000 years old. This pales in comparison to the other Grand Canyon in Arizona, a hole that has been around for at least six million years.
4. The rock walls of Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon are rusting, forming red, yellow, white, and pink hues. This is a result of hydrothermal action on iron compounds in the soil.
5. The canyon measures more than 20 miles long, 1,200 feet deep and nearly three-quarters of a mile wide. It was formed by massive erosion that’s still going on today, thanks, in part, to the Yellowstone River.
6. Yellowstone was named after the yellow soil of the Grand Canyon that has soil rich in iron. The Minnetaree Indians first christened the area, Mi tse a-da-zi, or Yellow Rock River, and the name stuck.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone sits in the Northeast corner of the national park, roughly 40 miles from the park’s East entrance. Experience it today by guided tour when you book one of Scenic Safaris’ Grand Canyon hikes.