See the Colorado River from Lipan Point on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Grand Canyon began forming at least 5 to 17 million years ago and now exposes a geologic wonder, a column of well-defined rock layers dating back nearly two billion years at the base. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (1800 meters or 6000 feet), 446 km long (277 miles) and up to 29 km wide (18 miles).