In this collaborative project, the University of New Mexico (UNM) and Arizona State University (ASU) will create a paved 3-km long walking trail along the south rim of Grand Canyon in partnership with the National Park Service. The "Trail of Time" is to be marked as a time line with one meter corresponding to one million years of Earth history, along with interpretive wayside exhibits. This place-based geoscience exhibition using Grand Canyon as an immersive environment is designed to help visitors gain an understanding of the magnitude of geologic time, as well as key processes and events in the geologic evolution of the region. An online Virtual Trail of Time and printed materials will also be developed.
The "Trail of Time" will reach a large percentage of the four to five million people each year who visit the Grand Canyon, including many who would be unlikely to attend an exhibition at a science museum. It also offers new methods of interpretation, with the potential to impact many other sites within the large National Park Service system. The evaluation of learning in this natural setting should add to our knowledge of outdoor interpretation, as well as how best to communicate the concept of deep time.
