New Exhibits At Grand Canyon Visitor Center Will Help With Trip Planning, Understanding Cultural And Natural History

The Glen - an historic boat from the park’s museum collection -- is part of an exhibit highlighting past efforts to preserve Grand Canyon and the Colorado River from the construction of a series of dams. NPS photo.

A makeover of the exhibits at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center near Mather Point on the park's South Rim will make it easier to plan a backcountry trek, and to learn about the canyon's cultural and natural histories.

The exhibits include opportunities for interactive trip planning, a large map of the canyon that allows users to view video footage from locations around the park, and exhibits highlighting the cultural and natural history of the canyon.

According to Grand Canyon Chief of Interpretation Judy Hellmich-Bryan, “These new exhibits build on the park’s new interpretive orientation film, and on improvements completed last year in the Mather Point and visitor center plaza area, to make the Grand Canyon Visitor Center an educational and inspiring first stop for visitors.”

Along with more traditional exhibits, Grand Canyon history and river enthusiasts will enjoy seeing the Glen - an historic boat from the park’s museum collection, which is part of an exhibit highlighting past efforts to preserve Grand Canyon and the Colorado River from the construction of a series of dams.

For those who like things a little more high-tech, the exhibits also include a Science on a Sphere component that uses technology developed by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to project 360-degree global imagery that tells the story of the development of the canyon.

The exhibits, which cost approximately $2.2 million to design, fabricate and install, were designed by EDX of Seattle, Washington, and fabricated and installed by Color-Ad of Manassas, Virginia. The exhibits were funded through the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, which allows recreation fees collected in a park to be used to enhance the park’s visitor services.