--- title: See Vintage Grand Canyon Photographs for National Parks Week description: In 1947, LIFE Magazine devoted a dozen pages to the grandeur of the gorge canonical: https://time.com/4283873/grand-canyon-1947/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-15T12:00:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:40.345Z og:title: See Vintage Grand Canyon Photographs for National Parks Week og:description: In 1947, LIFE Magazine devoted a dozen pages to the grandeur of the gorge og:url: https://time.com/4283873/grand-canyon-1947/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt20bd3b6aa8acf124/69888dfc0a4a22af619c9221/160406-grand-canyon-03.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Grand Canyon 1947 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: See Vintage Grand Canyon Photographs for National Parks Week twitter:description: In 1947, LIFE Magazine devoted a dozen pages to the grandeur of the gorge twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt20bd3b6aa8acf124/69888dfc0a4a22af619c9221/160406-grand-canyon-03.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Grand Canyon in Color: Stunning Photographs From 1947  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Apr 15, 2016 12:00 PM UTC  Grand Canyon National Park, 1947. Grand Canyon National Park, 1947.Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Apr 15, 2016 12:00 PM UTC It could take up to five days for a tourist on muleback to reach Havasu Canyon in 1947\. But take one look at the brilliant blue-green water of Havasu Falls, and it’s obvious why so many have decided to make that particular Grand Canyon excursion. As LIFE[ put it ](https://books.google.com/books?id=MEIEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false)back then, “A tourist usually visits the Grand Canyon only long enough to realize how much more he could see and learn if he stayed longer.” That image was one of the few photographs printed in color for a story LIFE ran that September about the Grand Canyon and its geology, history and wildlife—and, last but not least, its appeal to tourists. The couple of color images that made it into the magazine, however, represented just a slice of what LIFE kept to itself or printed in black and white; a few of those unprinted images can be seen here. Grand Canyon National Park was established in 1919, and by the time that article was published, about a half a million visitors made their way there each year. Today, that annual count is [ten times](http://www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks/grand-canyon-national-park) higher, with a whopping 5 million tourists exploring one of America’s greatest natural wonders. As [National Park Week](https://www.nps.gov/findapark/national-park-week.htm) kicks off on Saturday, with its offer of free park admission, the 2016 tally is sure to be on its way up there once again. _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk)_._  Caption from LIFE. Havasu Falls, at the canyon's western end, are in the Havasupai Indian Reservation, which can be reached by a 14-mile horseback trip from the South Rim. The Indian name, Havasupai means "people of the blue-green water," derived from the brilliant color of the lime-impregnated water of Havasu Creek. Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Grand Canyon National Park, 1947. Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Grand Canyon National Park, 1947. Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Grand Canyon National Park, 1947. Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Grand Canyon National Park, 1947. Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Grand Canyon National Park, 1947. Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Grand Canyon National Park, 1947. Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Grand Canyon National Park, 1947. Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Grand Canyon National Park, 1947. 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