YouTube/Google Maps

Did You Know You Can Float Through the Grand Canyon Without Being There?

To our delight, Google Street View added the Grand Canyon section of the Colorado River.

Now anyone can virtually float all 286 miles of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon without ever getting off their chair or turning off their mobile device. Google partnered with American Rivers to bring the 360-degree virtual photo tour of the river to the World Wide Web.

If you think the idea is strange, it most certainly is, but consider that most people will never get to experience floating down the Colorado River's Grand Canyon stretch. The Grand Canyon National Park service used to have a first come, first serve waiting list for float permits with wait times up to 20 years.

Nowadays, the park uses a lottery service for permits, but the odds of getting access to the river are just as slim. Now anyone can experience the river, albeit through a computer screen.

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If you've got a minute, check it out. It's a nice break from the virtual world, because it's actually showing you the beauty of the magnificent Grand Canyon.

To get the full interactive experience, visit Google.com/maps and type in the Colorado River, and then drop the yellow peg man anywhere on the Grand Canyon section of the river. You can float up and down the river with a 360-degree view of the surroundings.

Technology is pretty incredible.

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