Glen Canyon / Lake Powell National Recreation Area

Glen Canyon offers many hiking opportunities, including treks into the canyons of the Escalante River and the trails into Rainbow Bridge National Monument. 1.25 million acres is probably going to keep you busy discovering the intricacies of desert wonders.

ADDITIONAL THINGS TO DO

Lake Powell, the second largest reservoir in North America, is 186 miles/299 kilometers long and has 1,960 miles/3058 kilometers of shoreline. Hundreds of side canyons, inlets and coves sheltering Indian ruins and natural wonders make Lake Powell a paradise for houseboating, photography, and general exploring. See our detailed info about the Lake Powell area.

Lake Powell offers some of the nation's finest fishing, for striped bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, catfish, crappie and northern pike. Other recreational activities include boating, water skiing, wake boarding, scuba diving and swimming. Boat tours to Rainbow Bridge National Monument are conducted daily throughout the year from Wahweap Marina.

The best way to enjoy all that Lake Powell has to offer is by houseboat. Lake Powell houseboats vacations are very popular, plan in advance as houseboat rentals often become limited during the peak season.

A fabled place called Cathedral in the Desert is located in the Glen Canyon area and is normally covered by Lake Powell water. The Cathedral emerged for a brief time in 2005, because droguht had lowered the lake's level, but it is again covered by water. This page offers a description of the Cathedral and a short video clip.

There are seven visitor centers or contact stations located in the area. Visitors are encouraged to stop by and learn how to visit the monument with minimum impact to the fragile desert environment. Only the Carl Hayden Visitor Center located next to the Glen Canyon Dam (near Page, Arizona) is open year-round. During the summer months, the National Park Service offers evening slideshow presentations at the campgrounds at Bullfrog and Wahweap.

Many people prefer to visit Lake Powell in the spring or fall because temperatures are moderate. In the summer, temperatures can reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, 43 degrees Celsius. But summers are definitely nice if you intend to play in the water.

Seven marinas are flung out along the lake's shorelines. Bullfrog, 70 miles south of Hanksville, and Wahweap, 7 miles north of Page, Arizona, have lodges for overnight accommodations. The new Antelope Point marina near Page will also offer lodging. Campgrounds and/or housekeeping trailers are available at Hite, Halls Crossing, Bullfrog and Wahweap marinas. Camping is also allowed along most of the lake's shoreline. (People camping on the shoreline need to bring and use portable toilet facilities.)

The John Atlantic Burr Ferry, operating between Bullfrog Marina and Halls Crossing, saves drivers 130 miles. The ferry, which accommodates cars, motorhomes and buses, operates year-round with reduced.