Scale Explorer

Nature

How big is the Grand Canyon?

Grand Canyon · Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Average depth
≈ 1,600 m 1 mi approx.
Length
446 km 277 mi
Average width
≈ 16 km 10 mi approx.
Maximum width
up to 29 km 18 mi maximum
Show
Human, Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Fuji, Grand Canyon drawn to the same scaleHuman: height 1.61–1.75 m (too small to see at this scale). Golden Gate Bridge: total length 2,737 m. Mount Fuji: height above sea level 3,776 m. Grand Canyon: average depth ≈ 1,600 m.Human: 1.61–1.75 m (too small to see at this scale)Golden Gate Bridge: 2,737 mMount Fuji: 3,776 mGrand Canyon: ≈ 1,600 mMount Fuji3,776 mHuman1.61–1.75 m · too small to seeGolden Gate Bridge2,737 mGrand Canyon≈ 1,600 m

Human is too small to see at this scale and is marked with ▲.

Everything is drawn to the same scale, standing on the same ground line. Silhouettes are simplified outlines scaled to the measured dimension. A faded outline shows the top of a size range.

Compare Grand Canyon with something else →

Zoom out from an average adult to the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is too big to show next to an average adult in one picture, so here it is in 4 steps. Each step is drawn to its own scale and zooms out from the step before.

  1. Step 1 of 4 Human → Megalodon

    A megalodon is about 8.6–15 times as long as an average adult is tall.

    Human, Megalodon drawn to the same scaleHuman: height 1.61–1.75 m. Megalodon: maximum length (estimates) 15–24.3 m.Human: 1.61–1.75 mMegalodon: 15–24.3 mMegalodon15–24.3 mHuman1.61–1.75 m
    Step 1: Human and Megalodon at the same scale.

  2. Step 2 of 4 Megalodon → Great Pyramid of Giza

    The Great Pyramid of Giza is about 5.6–9.1 times as tall as a megalodon is long.

    Megalodon, Great Pyramid of Giza drawn to the same scaleMegalodon: maximum length (estimates) 15–24.3 m. Great Pyramid of Giza: current height ≈ 137 m.Megalodon: 15–24.3 mGreat Pyramid of Giza: ≈ 137 mGreat Pyramid of Giza≈ 137 mMegalodon15–24.3 m
    Step 2: Megalodon and Great Pyramid of Giza at the same scale.

  3. Step 3 of 4 Great Pyramid of Giza → Golden Gate Bridge

    The Golden Gate Bridge is about 20 times as long as the Great Pyramid of Giza is tall.

    Great Pyramid of Giza, Golden Gate Bridge drawn to the same scaleGreat Pyramid of Giza: current height ≈ 137 m. Golden Gate Bridge: total length 2,737 m.Great Pyramid of Giza: ≈ 137 mGolden Gate Bridge: 2,737 mGolden Gate Bridge2,737 mGreat Pyramid of Giza≈ 137 m
    Step 3: Great Pyramid of Giza and Golden Gate Bridge at the same scale.

  4. Step 4 of 4 Golden Gate Bridge → Grand Canyon

    The Golden Gate Bridge is about 1.7 times as long as the Grand Canyon is deep.

    Golden Gate Bridge, Grand Canyon drawn to the same scaleGolden Gate Bridge: total length 2,737 m. Grand Canyon: average depth ≈ 1,600 m.Golden Gate Bridge: 2,737 mGrand Canyon: ≈ 1,600 mGolden Gate Bridge2,737 mGrand Canyon≈ 1,600 m
    Step 4: Golden Gate Bridge and Grand Canyon at the same scale.

Dimensions

MeasurementMetricImperialNotesSource
Length 446 km 277 mi River miles along the Colorado River from Lees Ferry (mile 0) to the Grand Wash Cliffs (446 km) [1]
Average width ≈ 16 km ≈ 10 mi Average rim-to-rim width (16 km). Approximate [2]
Maximum width up to 29 km up to 18 mi Maximum rim-to-rim width (28.8 km). Maximum [2]
Minimum width 183 m 600 ft Narrowest rim-to-rim point, at Marble Canyon (180 m) [2]
Average depth ≈ 1,600 m ≈ 1 mi Average depth of the canyon (1.6 km). Approximate [2]
Maximum depth up to 1,800 m up to 6,000 ft Vertical depth from rim to river at the deepest point (1829 m). Maximum [1]

About the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a canyon in Arizona with the Colorado River running along its floor. Measured along the river from Lees Ferry to the Grand Wash Cliffs, it is 277 miles long. On average it is about 10 miles from rim to rim and a mile deep, but its size varies a lot: it narrows to 600 feet at Marble Canyon, widens to 18 miles in places and is about 6,000 feet deep at its deepest.

  • Near Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim, the canyon is a vertical mile (about 5,000 feet / 1,524 m) deep from rim to river. [1]
  • Grand Canyon National Park covers 1,904 square miles (4,931 square km). [2]
  • The average elevation of the South Rim is 7,000 feet (2,100 m) and of the North Rim 8,000 feet (2,400 m). [2]

How many fit?

  • ≈ 960 × Human · height lined up end to end match the Grand Canyon · average depth
  • ≈ 3 × One World Trade Center · height (architectural) lined up end to end match the Grand Canyon · average depth

Counts divide one sourced figure by another. "End to end" uses each object's main measurement; weight and volume rows appear only when both figures are sourced.

How it compares

  • 960× The Grand Canyon is about 960 times as deep as an average adult is tall. See side by side
  • 3× The Grand Canyon is about 3 times as deep as One World Trade Center is tall. See side by side
  • 1.9× The Grand Canyon is about 1.9 times as deep as the Burj Khalifa is tall. See side by side
  • 1/1.7 The Golden Gate Bridge is about 1.7 times as long as the Grand Canyon is deep. See side by side
  • 1/2.3 Mount Fuji is about 2.3 times as tall as the Grand Canyon is deep. See side by side
  • 1/3.7 Mount Kilimanjaro is about 3.7 times as tall as the Grand Canyon is deep. See side by side

Factors compare the average depth of the Grand Canyon with each object’s own main measurement (height for a human). Where a size varies, the factor is given as a range.

Notes on these figures

  • The NPS Park Statistics page gives the park's length as 278 river miles (447 km), the same as its figure for the Colorado River inside the park. The NPS FAQ gives the canyon as 277 miles (446 km) from Lees Ferry to the Grand Wash Cliffs, and that figure is used here.
  • The FAQ gives the maximum width as 18 miles / 29 km; the Park Statistics page gives 18 miles (28.8 km).
  • The drawing is an average cross-section: 10 miles (16 km) from rim to rim and 1 mile (1.6 km) deep, with a simplified outline of cliffs and terraces.

Sources

  1. National Park Service, Grand Canyon National Park, Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed 24 September 2026.
  2. National Park Service, Grand Canyon National Park, Park Statistics. Accessed 24 September 2026.

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