Which US national park contains the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River?

Grand Canyon National Park contains the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River.

The park stretches across northwestern Arizona, where the Colorado River has cut through the Colorado Plateau to create one of Earth’s best-known gorges. The canyon reaches about 277 miles in length, up to 18 miles in width and more than a mile in depth in places.

The area first received federal protection as a forest reserve and later became Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908. Congress established Grand Canyon National Park on February 26, 1919, after earlier proposals failed. The park was enlarged in 1975 when nearby national monuments were incorporated.

UNESCO designated the park a World Heritage site in 1979 for its geological formations, dramatic landscape and ecosystems. Canyonlands also contains spectacular Colorado River scenery, but it is in Utah and protects a different canyon system. Zion and Bryce Canyon are likewise Utah parks and do not contain the Grand Canyon itself.