Largest Canyons in the US

It’s difficult to simply rank the “largest” canyons in the US. Because the physical scale of a canyon can be evaluated in different ways, defining the “largest” depends entirely on whether the focus is on vertical drop or linear distance. The following tables categorize and rank the top ten canyons in the United States across these two distinct metrics: maximum vertical depth from rim to riverbed, and continuous geological length.

Deepest Canyons:

Rank	Canyon Name	Location	Primary Carving River	Max Depth (Feet)
1	Hells Canyon	Idaho / Oregon	Snake River	7,993
2	Kings Canyon	California	Kings River	7,700 – 8,200
3	Grand Canyon	Arizona	Colorado River	6,093
4	Desolation Canyon	Utah	Green River	5,000
5	Columbia River Gorge	Oregon / Washington	Columbia River	4,000
6	Waimea Canyon	Hawaii	Waimea River	3,000
7	Linville Gorge	North Carolina	Linville River	2,800
8	Black Canyon of the Gunnison	Colorado	Gunnison River	2,722
9	Zion Canyon	Utah	Virgin River	2,640
10	Bighorn Canyon	Montana / Wyoming	Bighorn River	2,500

*Note: Kings Canyon measures 8,200 feet deep when calculated from the peak of Spanish Mountain down to the river confluence, though its sheer inner gorge averages closer to 7,700 feet.

Longest Canyons:

Rank	Canyon Name	Location	Length (Miles)	Avg/Max Width
1	Grand Canyon	Arizona	277	10 miles (avg)
2	Hells Canyon	Idaho / Oregon	125	10 miles (max)
3	Palo Duro Canyon	Texas	120	6 miles (avg)
4	Desolation Canyon	Utah	84	6 miles (avg)
5	Columbia River Gorge	Oregon / Washington	80	3 miles (avg)
6	Black Canyon of the Gunnison	Colorado	48	1,100 feet (min)
7	Nine Mile Canyon	Utah	40	0.2 miles (avg)
8	Kings Canyon	California	20	0.5 miles (avg)
9	Zion Canyon	Utah	15	0.5 miles (avg)
10	Waimea Canyon	Hawaii	14	1 mile (avg)