Are we really in the Grand Canyon? When we take a narrow view of this panorama we might think we are in some lush and fertile land. But, when we zoom back out we realize we are in an oasis within the desert of the Grand Canyon. This is Vasey's Paradise. Vasey's Paradise was named by John Wesley Powell during Powell's 1869 expedition. Dr. George Vasey was a friend of Powell's as well as a botanist for the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Vasey never visited the spring which was named in his honor. Vasey's Paradise is here because of fresh, clean water. The source of the water is from long-term ground water from snow melt and rain on the north rim that has filtered down through the soil and rocks over many years. The water issues from the cliff face through three small holes one of which forms the waterfall we see in this panorama. In wetter years and seasons there is a second, much larger water fall just to the left of the one see here. You can see the dark gray stain of the larger water fall on the cliff face. In extremely wet years, water may also flow from the hole farthest to the left in this panorama. The water creates a small stream that flows the few hundred feet before entering the Colorado River. You can view this and other Grand Canyon panoramas, including maps and more detailed descriptions, at GCPano.org. GCPano.org