PanethosApr 28, 2023

The 50 largest canyons in the USA by land area

Bryce Canyon, Utah

Below are the 50 largest canyons in the United States, ranked by land area. Using chat.openai.com, the list was generated and known errors were removed/corrected. *In addition, several parks containing multiple canyons, like Canyonlands, Cedar Mesa, Zion, Bryce, and Grand Staircase, it appears the figure given is for the total area of all canyons within the park.

Also, please note the following comments provided from chat.openai.com:

“To create the list of the largest canyons in the US by land area, I [chat.openai.com] used publicly available data sources, including topographic maps and satellite imagery, to determine the approximate boundaries of each canyon. I [chat.openai.com] then calculated the land area enclosed within these boundaries using geographic information system (GIS) software, which is commonly used for spatial analysis and mapping.

It’s important to note that measuring the area of a canyon can be challenging, as the canyon boundaries may be irregular and difficult to define precisely. Additionally, there may be overlap between different canyons, and the boundaries of some canyons may be disputed or subject to interpretation. Therefore, the measurements provided in the list are approximate and may vary depending on the data sources and methods used.”

Zion Canyon in Zion National Park, Utah

Arizona and Utah lead the pack with 13 of the canyons listed either fully or partially located with those two states. Idaho and Nevada have four, while California, Colorado, and New Mexico follow with three each. The only representatives in the top 50 from east of the Mississippi River are in Alabama and Pennsylvania.

As always, any corrections, additions, or suggestions are most welcome.

Peace!

Palo Duro Canyon, Texas

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  • Grand Canyon – Arizona – 1,902 square miles
  • Palo Duro Canyon – Texas – 463 square miles
  • Columbia River Gorge – Oregon/Washington – 457 square miles
  • Teton Canyon – Wyoming – 380 square miles
  • Sycamore Canyon – Arizona – 308 square miles
  • Glen Canyon – Utah/Arizona – 255 square miles
  • Kings Canyon – California – 215 square miles
  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison – Colorado – 150 square miles
  • Hells Canyon – Oregon/Idaho – 135 square miles
  • Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Canyons – Utah – 128 square miles*
  • Canyon de Chelly – Arizona – 124 square miles
  • Coal Canyon – Utah – 120 square miles
  • Canyonlands National Park Canyons – Utah – 116 square miles*
  • Chiricahua National Monument Canyons – Arizona – 107 square miles*
  • Yaeger Canyon – Arizona – 99 square miles
  • Oak Creek Canyon – Arizona – 97 square miles
  • Zion National Park Canyons – Utah – 88 square miles* (of which Zion Canyon itself is ~ 40.8 sq. miles)
  • White Canyon – Utah – 87 square miles
  • Eureka Canyon – Nevada – 85 square miles
  • Little River Canyon – Alabama – 83 square miles
  • Monument Canyon – Colorado – 80 square miles
  • Bingham Canyon – Utah – 78 square miles
  • Salt River Canyon – Arizona – 77 square miles
  • Rio Grande Gorge – New Mexico – 75 square miles
  • Spring Canyon – Utah – 74.9 square miles
  • Blacktail Canyon – Idaho – 73 square miles
  • Big Horn Canyon – Montana/Wyoming – 72.9 square miles
  • Salt Creek Canyon – Utah – 69 square miles
  • Cedar Mesa Canyons – Utah – 67 square miles*
  • Agua Fria Canyon – Arizona – 66 square miles
  • Salome Canyon – Arizona – 65.6 square miles
  • Black Canyon – Idaho – 64.8 square miles
  • Frijoles Canyon – New Mexico – 64.1 square miles
  • Parunuweap Canyon – Utah – 63 square miles
  • Black Dragon Canyon – Utah – 63 square miles
  • Pine Creek Gorge – Pennsylvania – 62 square miles
  • West Clear Creek Canyon – Arizona – 61.4 square miles
  • Taylor Canyon – Colorado – 60.6 square miles
  • Tonto Creek Canyon – Arizona – 60.2 square miles
  • Little Colorado River Gorge – Arizona – 59.8 square miles
  • Pine Creek Canyon – Nevada – 59.8 square miles
  • Eureka Canyon – California – 58.7 square miles
  • Red Rock Canyon – Nevada – 58.3 square miles
  • Box Canyon – Idaho – 58.3 square miles
  • Devils Canyon – Arizona – 57.9 square miles
  • Cathedral Gorge – Nevada – 57.9 square miles
  • Marble Canyon – Arizona – 57.9 square miles
  • San Francisco River Canyon – Arizona/New Mexico – 57.5 square miles
  • Sutter Creek Canyon – California – 56.4 square miles
  • Bryce Canyon National Park Canyons – Utah – 56 square miles*

    • Other notable canyons added for reference/comparison

    • Snake River Canyon – Idaho ~ 50 square miles
    • New River Gorge – West Virginia ~ 20.8 square miles
    • Cross Canyon (Canyon of the Ancients) – Colorado – 19.9 square miles
    • Niagara River Gorge – New York/Ontario ~ 19.1 square miles
    • Papoose Canyon (Canyon of the Ancients) – Colorado/Utah – 17.7 square miles
    • Cahone Canyon (Canyon of the Ancients) – Colorado – 14.3 square miles
    • Grand Canyon of the South (Breaks Interstate Park) – Kentucky/Virginia – 10.3 square miles
    • McKittrick Canyon (Guadalupe Mountains National Park) – Texas – 8.8 square miles
    • Canyons of Big Bend National Park – Texas/Mexico – unknown

    The canyons shown in italics, the blog author has visited/seen.

    Portion of the Grand Canyon, Arizona

    SOURCES:

    #artificialIntelligence #canyons #chatOpenaiCom #data #ecology #environment #geography #geology #gorges #land #nature #rivers #states #terrain #topography #Wilderness