Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

A gateway to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is Page, Arizona. Its where the Glen Canyon dam is located. Page was founded in 1957 as a housing community for the workers during the construction of the dam.

Lake Powell

The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area encompasses 1.2 million acres. Lake Powell was created by the Colorado River and the Glen Canyon dam.  Its primarily located in Utah. Lake Powell is the second largest man made reservoir in the United States, Lake Mead is the largest. The dam was dedicated by Lady Bird Johnson in 1966. It took 11 years for the dam to fill.

The lake was named after a one arm civil war veteran, John Wesley Powell. He explored the river with three wooden boats in 1869. The Colorado River and its many tributaries, including the Dirty Devil, Paria, Escalante, and San Juan rivers, carve through the Colorado Plateau to form the unique landscape.

The deep blue water against the dramatic eroded red rock canyons and mesas was stunning.

We rented a 22′ 260 horsepower boat and went 50 miles from the Wahweap Marina. In the morning, the water was smooth, but by late afternoon the winds were 20 mph and there was 2-3 feet chop making the going very slow (twice as long to get back than to get there). Sandy couldn’t see the bouys because of the waves so thank God a local boat was headed back and we were able to follow them.  Poor Jake hated the ride back.  We’ll see if we can ever get him in a boat again!  It would have been fun to explore all of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, but we would need to rent a houseboat!

Rainbow Bridge

Its one of the world’s largest natural bridges. Rainbow Bridge spans 275 feet, reaching a height of 290 feet above Bridge Creek and ranging from 33 to 42 feet thick. Rainbow Bridge can only be reached by boat.

Wahweap RV and Campground

This was a very nice campground. Our site was huge, 50 amp service, good water pressure, sewer, but spotty internet. There is also a marina, lodge, and restaurant on site. Our view was of Lake Powell. We had some amazing sunsets.

This black-tailed jackrabbit frequently sat in front of the RV, driving Jake crazy.

Lees Ferry

Its is the only place within Glen Canyon, and in over 700 miles, that someone can drive to the Colorado River. Its the start of the Grand Canyon and where river runners launch their boats for trips into the canyon.

Mormon settlers first crossed the Colorado River here in 1864. In 1870, Major John Wesley Powell, Mormon church President Brigham Young, and Mormon leader John Lee were in an expedition in the area. Lee  was sent to establish a ferry crossing. He was a polygamist. Lees ferry was key for wagonloads of Mormon colonists crossing the Colorado River into Arizona. Lee was excommunicated from the Mormon church following a bizarre massacre by the Mormons, including Lee, of the Baker-Fancher party crossing the Utah Territory. Lee was the scapegoat for it. Approximately 120-140 men, women, and children were massacred in 1857. Lee was executed in 1877 for his role in the massacre, the only Mormon ever held accountable.

Balanced rock is a huge boulder that broke from the cliff above. The softer rock underneath had eroded faster than the top.

Lower Antelope Canyon

While we were waiting to go into Lower Antelope Canyon, we were entertained with a Navajo Hoop Dance. It was very impressive.  He worked the rings into a butterfly and large wings for himself.

From the surface, Lower Antelope Canyon doesn’t look like much.

But underground, its amazing.

Antelope Canyon is named after the herds of antelope that once roamed in the area. We did not see any during our stay.

Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon located east of Page, Arizona on Navajo land. The Lower and Upper Antelope Canyons are only accessible by Navajo guided tours.

The canyon was formed by flash floods during monsoon season, eroding the Navajo Sandstone. The erosion caused a flowing smooth look to the narrow canyon.

The Lower Antelope Canyon hike is longer and involves more climbing of stairs, and is therefore a more difficult hike than Upper Antelope Canyon. Upper Antelope canyon is known for stunning light beam photographs.

We exited through a narrow crevice.

Horseshoe Bend

Its a horseshoe shaped bend of the Colorado River. The rock walls contain hematite, platinum, and garnet creating some amazing colors even at noon. The parking lot was overfilled past capacity and there were 2 tour buses, but the view was incredible. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area was spectacular. We could have easily spent another week exploring the area.