I’m not a religious man, but let me tell you, witnessing a sunset at the Grand Canyon is something of a religious experience.
Thousands of people gather at points all along the rim to watch the disk disappear behind the horizon.
No matter what the conditions — unless it’s too clouded over to see the sun — it’s always a stunning show. And not just watching the sun itself, but even more so the other theatrical features.
The glow it casts upon the buttes and ridges and cliffs within the canyon. And a glow that evolves as the evening transpires. First golden, then orange, then red, and sometimes culminating in a deep pink if the atmospheric dust is just right.
And if clouds make an appearance — as long as they allow the sun to break through, which they normally do — they glow through the same gold to pink color transition.
On the evening I took this photo, a couple dozen visitors milled about at Grandeur Point to enjoy the show. For most of them, it was likely the only time they would ever get to see a Grand Canyon sunset.
They were indeed treated to an above-average show. The thunderstorm on the left — deep blue and if you look closely, pouring rain for miles — moved south at just the right time to let the rest of the sky light up.
Sometimes we’re not so lucky, and the clouds snuff out any sunlight during the 45-minute window when the magic happens.
I once gave a “sunset” tour to a fine group of twenty-somethings from the East Coast and the Canyon was fogged in for pretty much the whole evening. They were lucky to get a spectacular glimpse when the fog lifted for a few moments — but no sunset to speak of.
Hopefully those poor folks get a chance to come back for another go at it.
And so it’s not lost on me that I’m fortunate to have witnessed upwards of 50 sunsets at the Big Ditch, and likely will take in quite a few more before my time on this planet expires.
You see, it’s my favorite place to enjoy a sunset. I’ve seen sunsets all over the West, from alpine lakes high in the Rockies to standing on the beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean, but doing it at the Canyon has its own layer of special.
So friends, if any of you haven’t done it yet, do everything in your power to make it happen before your time runs out. You won’t regret it.
-Jake
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