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 Those with more time for viewing take the shuttle towards the west on the Hermits Rest Route, stopping at overlooks such as Pima Point. Fewer take the five-hour, 215-mile drive to the more remote North Rim on the opposite side of the canyon, which in the winter months is closed because of snow. Peering across a ledge into the canyon's abyss-like depths or seeing it from a distance are not the only ways to experience the Grand Canyon. There are trails to hike, mules or horses to ride, rapids to conquer, and the vastness of the canyon to comprehend in helicopters and small planes. Some people even live at the Grand Canyon! But available time and weather can be a limiting factor. This is where the Grand Canyon Movie at the IMAX theater (in the National Geographic Visitor Center, one mile south of the South Rim entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park) can help fill in the blanks. The seven-story, giant-screen presentation puts viewers right inside the canyon walls, sometimes only feet above the foaming waters of the Colorado River - a view no longer available on any commercial air tour because of FAA regulations. With its dramatic close-ups and almost dizzying twists and turns, the movie introduces the canyon from nearly every vantage point and showcases its history through dramatic reenactments. For visitors who don't have time to explore the Grand Canyon, this puts the enormity, beauty, history and majesty of the canyon in perspective - all in 35 minutes. Right outside the theater are replicas of the wooden boats used by Civil War Major John Wesley Powell, the first explorer to navigate the Colorado River in 1869. Today, large, inflatable river rafts (motorized or oar-powered) follow the route, providing an unforgettable adventure for people of all ages. 
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