27 deep canyons in the world

1. Glen Canyon, near Page, Arizona, US

Within Glen Canyon National Park, which is over 1.2 million acres area-wise, Horseshoe Bend is a spot along the Colorado River where the river bends so sharply, it almost completes a circle.

Image by Eddie 11uisma

2. Sumidero Canyon, Chiapas, Mexico

In some places, Sumidero’s vertical canyon walls reach 1,000 meters. The Sumidero Canyon National Park gets 300,000 visitors every year for waterfall sightseeing, hiking, swimming, fishing, mountain biking, and spelunking.

Image by Igor Pardini

3. Coyote Buttes, between Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona, US

“The Wave” in the Coyote Buttes North Area of Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area is a section of multicolored carved sandstone that looks like it was taken out of a page of Dr. Seuss’s Oh the Places You’ll Go.

Image by Gabe Farnsworth

4. Kali Gandaki Gorge, Nepal

Because all canyons and gorges are different, from the slope of their walls and their rim height above sea level, it’s difficult to determine a list of the “deepest” canyons in the world. Kali Gandaki Gorge, in the Himalayas, is proclaimed as such, if the depth is the measured by highest peak of the mountains on either side minus the elevation of the river — a depth of over 19,000 feet.

Image by Andrew Castellano

5. Bryce Canyon, Utah, US

Bryce Canyon’s iconic landscape is composed of pillars of sedimentary rock called hoodoos. Bryce has the highest concentration of hoodoos in the world. The is also a really good for stargazing, with a 7.4 magnitude night sky, meaning the sky is so clear, you can see on average 7,500 stars. (For comparison, LA and New York have 2 magnitude night sky ratings).

Image by Dan Sorensen

6. Cheile Turzil, near Turda, Romania

This canyon is 2,900 meters long, in some points 300 meters high, and is home to over 1,000 species. Cheile Turzil is one of the most popular spots for climbing in Romania.

Image by Sergiu Bacioiu

7. Colca Canyon, near Arequipa, Peru

The Colca Canyon is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, at a depth of 13,650 feet.

Image by Kim Schandorff

8. Blyde River Canyon, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Blyde River Canyon is 16 miles long and 2,500 feet deep, the second largest canyon in Africa.

Image by Irene

9. Palo Duro Canyon, near Amarillo, Texas, US

The second largest canyon in the United States, the “Grand Canyon of Texas” is 120 miles long with depths up to 997 feet. Georgia O’Keefe often visited and painted the canyon when she taught at West Texas State Normal College.

Image by R Hensley

10. Fish River Canyon, southern Namibia

At 100 miles long and up to 1,800 feet deep, Fish River Canyon is the largest canyon in Africa and the second largest in the world. It’s a popular tourist attraction in Namibia — check the 53-mile Fish River Hiking Trail, which takes 3-5 days to hike.

Image by Stefan Magdalinski

11. Waimea Canyon, Kauaʻi, Hawaii, US

Waimea Canyon is 10 miles long and 3,000 feet deep, formed initially by a volcanic collapse and then by erosion. Waimea means “reddish water” in Hawaiian, for the color of the canyon’s soil.

Image by Dale LaFollette

12. Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon), Chihuahua, Mexico

Copper Canyon is actually six canyons formed by six different rivers that eventually empty into the Sea of Cortez. Parts of the canyon are inhabited by the Huichol people, who travel once a year over 300 miles out of the canyon to the peyote fields in San Luis Potosí in an arduous “peyote pilgrimage.” The total area covered is 25,096 square miles, with depths of over 6,000 feet.

Image by Matt Mawson

13. Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park, Texas, US

Santa Elena Canyon is one of the most popular spots in Big Bend National Park — you can hike above the Rio Grande and/or paddle the river. There are 31 known species of snakes in the park, so you’ll probably never see me hiking there.

Image by longhorndave

14. Fjaðrárgljúfur, Südosten, Iceland

At 328 feet deep and just over 1 mile long, Fjaðrárgljúfur isn’t a huge canyon, but there’s a hiking trail along one rim that leads down to the base. The nearest landmark to the canyon is Heiðarsel, a deserted farm.

Image by Johan Wieland

15. The Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, US

The Grand Canyon runs 277 miles long, up to 6,000 feet deep, and 18 miles wide. It’s the largest (longest) canyon in the world. Theodore Roosevelt established the Grand Canyon Game Preserve in November 1906, and it became a national park in 1919.

Image by B Rosen

16. Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, Tibet

The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is also considered by some the deepest in the world. It’s most extreme depth is 19,714 feet. Hydropower lobby groups who’d like to harness the power of the Yarlung Zangbo River were disappointed this year when the Chinese government earmarked money to develop the area for tourism.

Image by Bob Jiang

17. Antelope Canyon, Page, Arizona, US

Antelope Canyon is on Navajo Land near Page, Arizona. It can only be visited with a permit and a guide from the Navajo Nation. It’s one of the most photographed slot canyons in the US.

Image by James Neeley

18. Eldgja (Fire Gorge), near Landmannalaugar, Iceland

Eldja is called Fire Gorge because it’s a volcanic canyon. At 270 meters deep and 600 wide, it’s the largest such canyon in the world.

Image by Martin Ystenes

19. Zion Canyon, Utah

Zion is home to the world’s largest arch: Kolob Arch, with a span of 310 feet. Wildlife you can see there includes golden eagles, mule deer, and mountain lions.

Image by ingridtaylar

20. Itaimbezinho, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Located in Aparados da Serra National Park, Itaimbezinho is 5.8 kilometers long and up to 2 kilometers wide and 700 meters deep. In the Tupi-Guarani language, “ita” means “stone” and “aimbe” means “cut.”

Image by Richard Adler Cheles

21. Buckskin Gulch, Utah, US

Also located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area, Buckskin Gulch is the deepest slot canyon (narrow canyon) in the Southwest US. Permits are required for day hiking and backpacking overnight. Because only 20 overnight permits are issued each day, they’re often booked months in advance.

Image by John Kupersmith

22. Charyn Canyon, Kazakhstan

Close to the Chinese border, Charyn Canyon reaches depths of up to 300 meters. Like many of the canyons on this list, it’s inside a national park. Charyn National Park is one of the newest, created in 2004.

Image by Vladimir L

23. Gorge du Verdon, France

25 kilometers long and 700 meters at its deepest, the Gorge du Verdon is named for the turquoise river that runs through it. Tourists from the nearby French Riviera can kayak, hike, or rock climb some of Verdon’s multi-pitch routes.

Image by Flemming Søgaard

24. Nine Mile Canyon, eastern Utah, US

Nine Mile Canyon is actually 40 miles long — it’s named for a creek that runs through it. The canyon has over 1,000 rock art sites containing 10,000 images. In more recent history, fur trappers, ranchers, and now natural gas developers have occupied the land in Nine Mile Canyon.

Image by Michelle Pilling

25. Canyon De Chelly, Arizona

This canyon has been inhabited for around 5,000 years and is the longest uninterrupted stretch on the Colorado Plateau. It became a National Monument in 1931 and sits within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation.

Image by katsrcool

26. Mides Canyon, Tunisia

Mides Canyon might look familiar if you’ve recently seen The English Patient (they filmed the desert scenes there). The Tunisian canyon system covers over 5,000 square kilometers.

Image by Chris Murphy

27. Dadès Gorge, Morocco

Located between the Atlas Mountains and Anti-Atlas range, the gorge valley is home to many Berber villages. The Berbers — an indigenous ethnic group of North Africa — originally settled the area for defensive reasons.

Image by rosino