Grand Canyon and Colorado River from Toroweap Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The last thing seen by Wile E. Coyote

We'd say, 'Don't look down', but that'd kind of be missing the point: Verticality is what put Toroweap Overlook on the map. Situated on the Grand Canyon's elevated north rim, it offers an unmatched view down a sheer 914-metre drop straight to the Colorado riverbed.

The river itself is one of the US Southwest's most important rivers, flowing for almost 2,400 kilometres through 11 national parks including this one. Along the way, it irrigates countless farms, generates loads of hydroelectric power, and provides drinking water to around 40 million people. All that consumption means that for decades the Colorado has mostly trickled out before emptying into its historic delta in Mexico's Sea of Cortez.