Existing comment:
The Colorado River:
The Colorado River, as seen here 2,000 feet below Dead Horse Point, carved out this entrenched meander of canyon walls over the course of 10 to 15 million years.
Relatively recent human activity has reshaped sections of the river. In 1869, a one-armed American Civil War veteran, John Wesley Powell, led the first successful expedition of the yet uncharted waters.
Later, advances in technology made it possible to dam the river's canyons, creating reservoirs such as Lake Powell (named after the famous explorer), and divert water to cities in the desert.
A Long Journey:
Starting from snowmelt over 9,000 feet above sea level in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the 1,450-mile-long Colorado River flows down through Utah and Arizona before reaching the Sea of Cortez. |