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Animal Life Appeared About 630 Million Years Ago
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Arizona
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Inside Grand Canyon National Park
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Animal Life Appeared About 630 Million Years Ago
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The record of life and the stories of the diverse creatures that once lived here are captured in the rocks that make up the walls and cliffs of Grand Canyon today in the form of fossils, tracks, and various clues deciphered by paleontologists. This interpretive exhibit along the Trail of Time discusses a relatively sudden "explosion" in the number of animal species on Earth about 630 million years ago.
Rim Trail - Mather Point
~1 min drive
The Rim Trail is a mostly paved path that stretches roughly 13 miles (21 km) along the southern rim of Grand Canyon from South Kaibab Trailhead in the east to Hermits Rest in the west. Most people won't hike the whole trail in one go, but walking short sections of the rim can…
Bright Angel Trail
~2 min drive
The most popular hiking trail into Grand Canyon, the Bright Angel Trail lets hikers walk in the footsteps of the canyon's Indigenous peoples, miners, and early tourists, as they descend into the canyon's depths. Offering outstanding views, morning and afternoon shade, resthous…
South Kaibab Trail
~4 min drive
Know Before You Go Before heading down into the canyon, consult the signs at the trailhead, and scan the QR code for trip planning, current weather, water availability, and trail information/closures. (or visit our Key Hiking Messages webpage). Trail Reopenings and Current C…
Mohave Point
~4 min drive
Another spectacular point for watching sunset, Mohave Point offers excellent views of the Colorado River deep in the canyon below. From here you can also see the Salt Creek, Granite, and Hermit rapids. Below this viewpoint, 'The Alligator' named by Emery Kolb points across th…
Hermit Trail Grand Canyon
~9 min drive
Louis D. Boucher, the "hermit" of Hermit Creek basin, lived in this area for 20 years. Boucher built the Boucher Trail (west of the Hermit Trail) and seasonal residences at Dripping Springs and near Boucher Creek. Though socially active in the South Rim community, residents la…
Trail of Time: Headquarters Portal (Parking Lot A)
~0 min drive
To get to this portal, walk the spur trail near Park Headquarters and parking lot A. It is a 0.4 mile (0.65 km) to the portal at the junction with the Canyon Rim Trail, (Trail of Time). This portal sits at 1,000 million (1 billion) years ago along the Trail of Time, a period…
Grandeur Point
~0 min drive
This location offers one of the better views of the layers and depths of the canyon in the area around Grand Canyon Village. It also provides especially fantastic aerial views of the switchbacks on the upper and middle portions of Bright Angel Trail, as well as a view of 3-Mil…
Trail of Time: The Main Trail of Time Portal
~1 min drive
Starting from Yavapai Geology Musuem and walking west, once you have walked the short Million Year Trail 150 yards(136 m), you will encounter the second Trail of Time portal, which marks the beginning of the main Trail of Time, that represents the two billion year timeline of…
Zuni Trail
~1 min drive
0.3 mi · Easy
Grand Canyon's Rocks Are Incredibly Old
~1 min drive
Geologically speaking, Grand Canyon is considered to be a "young" feature, much of it having been eroded in just the last 5-6 million years. But the ages of Grand Canyon's rocks are a different matter entirely, spanning over 1.5 billion years of Earth's history. The oldest kno…
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