El Paso – Grand Canyon Airport
🌎 Countries along the route
🇺🇸 USA
Departure from El Paso Intl (KELP) – the airport is surrounded by the Franklin Mountains. Shortly after takeoff, you can see the urban expanse of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, separated by the Rio Grande River. The route heads northwest.
⛰️ Organ Mountains – granite peaks east of Las Cruces, appearing like a natural gateway into New Mexico.
🏜️ White Sands National Park – white dunes contrasting against the surrounding mountains. Bright, shimmering bands with fine structure, often showing visible roads between them.
Gila Wilderness – the first federally designated wilderness area in the USA. Mountain terrain covered with forests, deep valleys, and river courses. From above, the contrast between greenery and bare rock cliffs is striking.
Zuni Mountains – a range with rolling relief and forested ridges.
Painted Desert – a colorful mosaic of layered soil in hues of red, purple, and gray. Flying over this area feels like passing above the surface of Mars.
Petrified Forest National Park – fossilized wood and rock formations clearly visible even from higher altitude.
Little Colorado River Gorge – a chasm carved by the Little Colorado River, a direct prelude to the Grand Canyon. From above, it looks like a deep incision into the Earth’s crust.
South Rim Approach – approach from the southeast over the main viewpoints of the Grand Canyon. Pronounced stratified rock structures, deep canyons, and visible hiking trails.
Grand Canyon Airport (KGCN) – landing at a small regional airport only minutes from the canyon’s South Rim.
📍 Points of interest along the route
⛰️ Franklin Mountains – rocky ridge right next to El Paso.
Organ Mountains – steep granite peaks resembling organ pipes.
🏖️ White Sands – bright dunes in stark contrast with the dark mountains.
Gila Wilderness – green mountains with deep canyons.
🖼️ Painted Desert & Petrified Forest – colorful layers and fossilized trees.
Little Colorado Gorge – up to 1,200 m deep, with distinct horizontal rock layering.
Grand Canyon South Rim – monumental structure, one of the world’s visual icons.
- Distance: 956 km
- Total distance: 38,176 km
- Flight time: 2 h 39 min
- Total flight time: 124 h 02 min