Page, Arizona (Part 1- Glen Canyon Recreation Area)

We left Tucson mid-April, and with two weeks before our due date in Sacramento, we opted to take the first week to explore the Lake Powell/Glen Canyon National Recreation area in Page, Arizona. Page is located in Northern Arizona, close to the border of Utah, and near the center of the geographically astonishing Colorado Plateau. Here can be found the most amazing rock formations, canyons, rivers, high desert, forests, natural bridges, hoodoos, and slot canyons, to name but a few of the stunning natural features concentrated in this part of the country. We did our best to explore this area as much as possible during our short stay. We took a walking tour through an unbelievably beautiful slot canyon on Navajo land; we took a 100-mile round trip boat ride on Lake Powell to a sacred and secluded natural bridge; we drove to various spots along the Colorado River for short hikes to unbelievably beautiful scenic viewpoints; we hiked in the arid desert to a hidden “hanging garden” oasis where a rock overhang sheltered a small but lush green patch of plant life; we drove to Lees Ferry to see the Vermilion Cliffs and for a hike in Cathedral Wash. And, because we couldn’t stop ourselves, we literally took 100’s of pictures!

In order to do this area justice on my blog, I have broken our visit into four parts. In this post, Part One, I am posting pictures of Lake Powell; Horseshoe Bend along the Colorado River; The Glen Canyon Dam; and the Hanging Gardens Hike.

(Coming up will be individual posts of our tour of the Lower Antelope Canyon; the boat ride to Rainbow Bridge National Monument (the highest natural bridge in the world); and our drive to Lees Ferry/Vermilion Cliffs and Cathedral Wash hike.)