ANGELS' STATION

"Wait in this place where the shadows run from themselves." Angels Window, at North Rim Grand Canyon (Arizona USA) along the road to Cape Royal (el 7,865'). You can see the Colorado River through this window, 5,000 vertical feet below and six miles distant. During the uplift of the Kaibab Plateau about 70 million years ago, stress and strain caused the rock to fracture, forming vertical joints that intersect the horizontal bedding planes. Weathering along these planes and joints has eroded a hole in the Kaibab limestone, and enlarged it to form this window. Vishnu Temple (7,533') is the tall pyramid-shaped summit to the south, and the Colorado River can be seen to the southeast. The rapids created by Unkar Wash lie far below. Unkar Wash disappears into the depths of the canyon directly below Angels Window. The North Rim lies on the southern edge of the much higher (8,000'+) Kiabab Plateau, and is officially open to travel from mid-May to mid-October. Weather in the Grand Canyon varies according to elevation. Average annual precipitation on the North Rim is 27 inches (59 cm), with a typical snowfall of 144 inches. Summer monsoons bring sudden downpours and lightning to this area. (Photo credited to Bob Clemenz - 1991)