The view from Desert View Point in Grand Canyon National Park is a spectacular panorama. At right is Desert View Watchtower, a National Historic Landmark, designed by architect Mary Colter and completed in 1933. Inspired by towers constructed elsewhere in the Southwest by ancestral Puebloan people centuries ago, the Watchtower provides amazing 360 degree views of its surroundings. To the left of the tower, the Grand Canyon unfolds in all its splendor. Visible at the center of the photo is the Colorado River, winding through the canyon bottom, a vertical mile below the rim. The National Park Service works to protect Grand Canyon for future generations, so that all may experience its beauty.