Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area
/Lake Powell

Overview -

Map - Description - Lake Powell - Camping/Lodging - Nearby


Things to Do

Marinas | Fishing | Kayaking | Hiking | Biking | Auto Tours | Video

 

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, established in 1972, provides a dramatic example of one of nature's most inspiring settings, combined with a monumentally ambitious human project. Impounded behind the Bureau of Reclamation's Glen Canyon Dam, waters of the Colorado River and tributaries are backed up almost 186 miles, forming Lake Powell.

photo Glen Canyon Dam

The lake has 1,986 miles of shoreline, and by the time the dam was completed in 1963, it took another 14 years to fill the lake. Since then, Lake Powell has proven to be a premier attraction for millions of visitors from all over the world. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area comprises more than a million acres in southern Utah and northern Arizona surrounding Lake Powell.

 

The lake has 1,986 miles of shoreline, and by the time the dam was completed in 1963, it took another 14 years to fill the lake. Since then, Lake Powell has proven to be a premier attraction for millions of visitors from all over the world. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area comprises more than a million acres in southern Utah and northern Arizona surrounding Lake Powell.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is open year-round. The highest visitation is in the summer season. In the winter months, Glen Canyon's visitor centers and Lake Powell's marinas have reduced services.

Seasons & Hours

photo Carl Hayden Visitor Center Lake Powell

  • Carl Hayden Visitor Center, Page, AZ, daily, Memorial Day - Labor Day, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; daily, November through February, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., rest of year, daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Attractions: Free tours of the dam, exhibits, video shows, a relief map of the entire Glen Canyon area. Restrooms and a bookstore. Potential Junior Rangers are invited to come earn a badge.New dinosaur exhibit at the Carl Hayden Visitor Center! The National Park Service and Bureau of Reclamation bring you the Museum of Northern Arizona's Therizinosaur: the Mystery of the Sickle-Claw Dinosaur exhibit, on display for a year beginning March 2011.

     

  • Bullfrog Visitor Center, Bullfrog, UT:Bullfrog, UT, intermittently beginning in May. Call 435-684-7423 for exact times. Attractions: Exhibits relating to geology and the human and natural history of Glen Canyon. Ancestral Puebloan ("anasazi") and pioneer artifacts. A life-size model of a slot canyon. Bookstore, restrooms, medical clinic (May thru early October only)

  • Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center, near Lees Ferry, daily mid-April - October, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends only, early April and November, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Attractions: Bookstore, outdoor exhibits, and self guided walks across the historic Navajo Bridge.  This is a popular spot to look for a California Condor.

Wahweap Marina and lodge photo
Wahweap Marina and lodge, 5.5 miles from the Carl Hayden Visitor Center

The Glen Canyon Natural History Association operates park bookstores. Regularly scheduled ranger programs are available seasonally.

Special Events / Programs

Call the park for specific dates and times of special events.

  • January: Hole-in-the-Rock Commemoration
  • March: Lake Powell Marathon (Wahweap)
  • April: Lake Powell Hot Air Balloon Regatta (Wahweap)
  • July: Fireworks display at Wahweap and Bullfrog
  • November: Parade of Boat Lights (Bullfrog)
  • December: Parade of Boat Lights (Wahweap)
    New Year's Eve Ball (Wahweap)

Accessibility

    Visitor Centers and other public buildings within the recreation area are accessible. Concession facilities are accessible.

Special Needs

    Shuttle vans are available at Wahweap, Bullfrog, Halls Crossing and Hite. A medical clinic, staffed by a Physician's Assistant, is open in Bullfrog from approximately May 15 to October 1.

Glen Canyon NRA / Lake Powell
P. O. Box 1507
Page, Arizona 86040
Headquarters: (928) 608-6200
24 Hour Emergency (800) 582-4351

 

 
Related DesertUSA Pages

 

Share this page on Facebook:


DesertUSA Newsletter -- We send articles on hiking, camping and places to explore, as well as animals, wildflower reports, plant information and much more. Sign up below or read more about the DesertUSA newsletter here. (It's Free.)

The Desert Environment
The North American Deserts
Desert Geological Terms

SEARCH THIS SITE
FREE DESERTUSA NEWSLETTER

Enter Email:


Shop desert store

 

Catnip






 
 
 
Copyright © 1996- DesertUSA.com and Digital West Media, Inc. - -