Why is it the "Black Canyon"? It turns out that the canyon is so narrow and so deep that some areas at the bottom are lucky to get 5 minutes of sunlight each day.

The canyon floor sits between 2,000 and 2,800 feet below the rims, while the canyon is only 1,000 feet across. It's truly amazing what one river and 2 million years can accomplish.

The canyon was actually formed when forces uplifted the land by several miles. Streams began running off the uplifted land, carving the canyons as they went.