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Photo by Alan Roberts
Grand Canyon West
By Deborah Wall
The annual migration of millions of tourists to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon has the National Park Service working overtime to accommodate visitors and to keep the land from deteriorating under the impact of so many visitors. But 150 miles to the west, the Hualapai Nation takes well-deserved pride in its million acres of uncrowded, nearly pristine Arizona wilderness. Among them lie 108 choice miles along the Colorado River with a front seat to the canyon's West Rim.
It's easy to turn this road trip into a bus tour, a helicopter ride, and even a river cruise all in a day, as I did.
Driving south into Arizona from Las Vegas, it's a straight shot down U.S. Route 93 to take a left onto Pearce Ferry Road, which is paved. Even after turning onto the gravel Diamond Bar Road, I found the route well-maintained and easy driving. It seemed I had entered a wonderland of nature as I drove through a thick forest of Joshua trees, with the colorful Grand Wash Cliffs as a backdrop.
"It's the densest band of Joshuas you'll ever see," said Don McClure, planning and environmental coordinator for the federal Bureau of Land Management's Kingman office. Because of its national significance, the BLM has given the area a special classification as an area of critical environmental concern.
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The March/April 2003 Issue is out. Find it at Las Vegas bookstores today.
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