We really didn’t know too much about the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area other than it contained Lake Powell, a manmade lake created with the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam. It turns out that this place is perfect for anyone wanting to hike, bike, boat, swim or pretty much do anything outdoors. And the best part for us was that we arrived with perfect weather, bright sunshine and temps in the 80’s and 90’s. This weather continued through our entire visit. We started off with a trip over to the dam where we took some pictures looking down into the Colorado River on one side and across the dam to Lake Powell on the other. We also took a short trip over to a scenic overlook that gave us some more great views. Next, it was time for some tours. Our first tour put us on rubber rafts and took us down the Colorado River about 8 miles. This trip actually started with a bus ride through a 2 mile long tunnel built through the sandstone mountain from the top of the dam and down to the river. Once at the river, we boarded our rafts and began the float down the Colorado. We were surrounded by 2000 foot cliffs all around us and the views were breathtaking. We made one stop along the way where we were able to hike into a remote area to see some petroglyphs that were thousands of years old. After that we continued our trip downriver until we arrived at an area known as Horseshoe Bend. At that point we began an enjoyable return trip upriver at a much greater speed using the engines on board. The sun was hot but the spray was cool. The next day started with a tour through Upper Antelope Canyon. This place is a sacred canyon that exists on Navajo land and the tours were run by the Navajo Indians. The canyon is a dry slot canyon, very narrow at times and only about a quarter of a mile long. It was a beautiful canyon and certainly worth a visit but there were so many people there that it took away some of the beauty. Our guide was very helpful in getting us some great pictures however. You’ll see what I mean once you see them in our photo album. Later that day, we took still another tour. This time is was out of the Antelope Point Marina where we boarded a very comfortable tour boat that took us out into Lake Powell and over to Antelope Canyon, a gorgeous canyon where the tour boat maneuvered its way through a series of tight turns and stunning views before returning to the marina. This portion of Antelope Canyon is actually a continuation of the Upper Antelope Canyon we saw earlier today. All in all, we enjoyed all three tours very much. Between the three we were able to experience the Colorado River, the Navajo Desert and Lake Powell, all totally different environments, all breathtaking. On the way back from the marina, we made one last stop in order to view Horseshoe Bend, our turnaround point on the Colorado River Tour from 1600 feet above the river. It turned out to be a lot more of a hike than we thought it would be but the view was spectacular and it was great to see where we had been just a couple of days earlier from a much different perspective. On our last day in the area, we decided to go to the beach with Stella. We had an absolutely beautiful beach day and found a great spot over at a place called Lone Rock. The three of us had a wonderful time running and splashing through the water before it was time to return to the campsite and get ready for the next day of traveling. This really is a wonderful area. Next time we return, we’re thinking about renting a houseboat for a few days. Who wants to join us?
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