Elves Chasm, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Inside the Grand Canyon there’s a small side canyon where a miniature waterfall stair-steps down a shelf of mossy rock and tumbles into a wildflower-fringed pool a little larger than a child’s wading pool. The canyon is called Elves Chasm, and no Zen landscape artist could improve upon its beauty.

The day I visited, during a dory trip down the Colorado River, one of our boatmen, a strapping Polish lad named Andre, lingered a short way down the chasm while we passengers scrambled up to the waterfall. As our small band sat there in silence, contemplating the perfection of the setting, Andre, our very own Kokopelli, began playing a wistful melody on a recorder. The music echoed off the rocks, intertwining with the splashing of water. That moment was as close as I will ever come in this life to the serenity of heaven.

—Paul Martin

Paul Martin is Traveler’s executive editor.