Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Photo: Shane McDermott

A watersports mecca, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is famous for the blue waters of Lake Powell.

Grab a canoe, kayak, or motorboat and play in the second largest reservoir in the United States! Or, hike along the Escalante River, visit side canyons, and sleep under the stars.

The completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 forever changed the Colorado River. As water levels rose, the spectacular Glen Canyon was replaced with the deep, glassy waters of Lake Powell. Today, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (NRA) provides endless recreational opportunities for over 2 million visitors every year.

Visiting Glen Canyon

The construction of Glen Canyon Dam gave rise to Lake Powell, and more than 10 years after the Colorado River backfilled behind the 710-foot-high dam, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area was born. The reservoir stretches 186 miles upstream, and has 2,000 miles of shoreline, providing some of the best water-based recreation in the Southwest. More than 2 million people enjoy the cobalt blue waters that make the reservoir an international destination.

The park has several concessioners that offer boat and canyon tours, equipment rentals, and guided fishing trips, among other things. While boating is by far the most popular activity, you can also immerse yourself in the surrounding slickrock wilderness that makes up the rest of the recreation area—by jeep and mountain bike, and backpacking and canyoneering.

Cyclical drought has caused water levels in Lake Powell to drop, a change you can easily see in the growing bathtub ring of white mineral deposits on the canyon walls. While lower water levels make launching more difficult, it also exposes beaches, arches, and side canyons that were previously under water.

Three visitor centers provide information and services throughout Glen Canyon NRA—Bullfrog Visitor Center, Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center, and the main Carl Hayden Visitor Center at Glen Canyon Dam. If you’re interested in learning about this engineering marvel, you can sign up for a tour of the dam at the Carl Hayden Visitor Center.

Getting there

The Carl Hayden Visitor Center at Glen Canyon Dam is located in Page, Arizona. The nearest boat launch from there is 3 miles north on Hwy 89. Turn right and follow signs to Wahweap Marina.

Along with Wahweap, there are another four marinas at various locations uplake: Antelope Point, Dangling Rope, Halls Crossing, and Bullfrog. For directions to these places and to Hite (another access area at the upper end of the lake), refer to the Glen Canyon website.