Quiz on The Grand Canyon

In which US state is the Grand Canyon located?

• Arizona ✓ (Correct answer)
• Colorado
• Nevada
• Utah

Source: Despite the Colorado River flowing through it, the canyon sits entirely within Arizona.

Which river is responsible for carving the Grand Canyon?

• Rio Grande
• Colorado River ✓ (Correct answer)
• Mississippi River
• Snake River

Source: The Colorado River has been grinding through the rock for millions of years.

What is the official protected status of the Grand Canyon?

• National Forest
• State Park
• National Park ✓ (Correct answer)
• Nature Reserve

Source: It became a National Park in 1919 after years as a protected monument.

Roughly how deep is the Grand Canyon at its greatest depth?

• About 1 mile ✓ (Correct answer)
• About 3 miles
• About 5 miles
• About 8 miles

Source: Over a mile straight down, deep enough to stack several skyscrapers.

What is the Grand Canyon Skywalk made of for its see-through floor?

• Steel mesh
• Wood planks
• Plexiglass tiles
• Glass ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: The horseshoe-shaped glass walkway juts 70 feet out over the canyon edge.

Which rim of the Grand Canyon draws the most visitors?

• North Rim
• South Rim ✓ (Correct answer)
• East Rim
• West Rim

Source: Open year-round, the South Rim sees roughly 90% of all park visitors.

Which animals traditionally carry tourists down into the canyon?

• Horses
• Camels
• Donkeys
• Mules ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: Sure-footed mules have hauled visitors down the steep trails for over a century.

The Grand Canyon is often ranked among the Seven Natural Wonders of what?

• The World ✓ (Correct answer)
• North America
• The United States
• The Ancient World

Source: It regularly appears on lists of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Approximately how many people visit the Grand Canyon each year?

• About 1 million
• About 6 million ✓ (Correct answer)
• About 20 million
• About 40 million

Source: Around six million visitors a year make it one of America's busiest parks.

Which critically endangered bird was reintroduced to the Grand Canyon?

• California condor ✓ (Correct answer)
• Bald eagle
• Whooping crane
• Peregrine falcon

Source: California condors were reintroduced near the Grand Canyon in 1996 and now soar above its rims.

In which 1983 road-trip comedy does a family briefly stop at the Grand Canyon?

• Home Alone
• The Hangover
• National Lampoon's Vacation ✓ (Correct answer)
• Wedding Crashers

Source: Clark Griswold's quick, distracted glance at the canyon is one of the film's best gags.

Compared to the rim, the canyon floor is typically what?

• Much colder
• Much hotter ✓ (Correct answer)
• About the same
• Much wetter

Source: The inner gorge can run 20°F hotter than the rim, like dropping into a desert.

About how long is the Grand Canyon from end to end?

• 188 miles
• 233 miles
• 277 miles ✓ (Correct answer)
• 322 miles

Source: It stretches about 277 river miles, far longer than most people picture.

What is the leading reason hikers need rescue in the Grand Canyon?

• Snake bites
• Getting lost
• Falling rocks
• Dehydration ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: Heat and dehydration trigger far more rescues than dramatic falls.

In which century did the first Europeans lay eyes on the Grand Canyon?

• 16th century ✓ (Correct answer)
• 18th century
• 19th century
• 20th century

Source: Spanish soldiers reached it in 1540, then it stayed largely unexplored for 300 years.

Roughly how old are the oldest exposed rocks at the canyon's bottom?

• 250 million years
• 700 million years
• 1.2 billion years
• 1.8 billion years ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: The dark Vishnu Schist at the bottom is nearly 1.8 billion years old.

The Grand Canyon is home to a uniquely colored rattlesnake. What color?

• Blue
• Green
• Yellow
• Pink ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: The Grand Canyon pink rattlesnake's hue camouflages it against the reddish rocks.

What gives the canyon's famous waterfalls their vivid blue-green color?

• Dissolved minerals ✓ (Correct answer)
• Algae blooms
• Sky reflection
• Glacier melt

Source: Dissolved calcium carbonate and magnesium create that surreal turquoise tint.

The famous turquoise waterfalls deep in the canyon sit on whose tribal land?

• Navajo
• Hopi
• Havasupai ✓ (Correct answer)
• Apache

Source: The Havasupai's blue-green Havasu Falls lure hikers miles into a side canyon.

Roughly how long ago did the Colorado River begin carving the canyon?

• 1 million years
• 6 million years ✓ (Correct answer)
• 35 million years
• 70 million years

Source: The mainstream estimate puts the carving over the last 5 to 6 million years.