Grand Canyon · Sports & events

The classic crossing runs roughly May to October, when the North Rim road is open. The Park Service actively discourages doing it and returning in one day.

Commercial trips run the Colorado from spring into autumn, three days to three weeks. Private permits come by a lottery with a wait measured in years.

Ninety minutes south at 7,000 feet, Flagstaff hosts altitude camps for distance runners and a university whose cross-country programme punches far above its size.

Skiing on the San Francisco Peaks above Flagstaff from roughly December to April, with lifts to 11,500 feet and a summer scenic chairlift.