Surrounded by Bass and Serpentine Canyons, topographic relief is significant as it rises over 3,400 feet (1,000 meters) above the nearby Colorado River in 1.5 mile.

To the east are the isolated towers, buttes, temples, and side canyons which are the essence of its visual appeal, and to the west an absence of such striking scenery.

[5] This natural line of demarcation also happens to be where the granite of the inner gorge disappears, such that buttes did not form once the river flowed only through the sedimentary rocks.

[2][7] Dick Pillar is a red sandstone pinnacle at the northeast tip of Grand Scenic Divide.

[8] It is unofficially named after Scottish geologist Robert Dick, whose work contributed to the progress of understanding Grand Canyon rock.