Exploring Lee’s Ferry

Lee’s Ferry is a small campground situated between the Vermilion Cliffs and the Colorado River. All sites are first come/first served so we were happy to get a spot Thursday afternoon (4/25).  The campground completely fills up almost every day. No wonder, with gorgeous red cliffs as far as the eye can see and the cool green Colorado inviting you play.

The beautiful Vermilion Cliffs.

A thunderstorm moves in.

The Colorado River was a short walk from the campground.

There are no hook-ups, so when the temps hit the high 80’s we grabbed our chairs and Riley and headed for the river. The water is released from the base of Glen Canyon Dam and it is COLD, averaging about 44°. Fun to splash around, and Riley enjoyed it, but that’s way too chilly for swimming.

Happy boys having fun at the river. 

The area also has an interesting history. Lee’s Ferry is the only place for hundreds of miles where the Colorado can be accessed and crossed from either side of the river. It has served as a military outpost for 19th-century settlements in Utah, a failed gold dredging effort, and more recently has figured prominently in the southwestern states water disputes. It's also marks the boundary between the Upper and Lower Basins of the Colorado River, and is a popular place for Glen Canyon and Grand Canyon rafting trips.

A Glen Canyon rafting tour approaches Lee's Ferry.

Remnants of a failed gold mining scheme.

Where did it get its name? From John Doyle Lee, who came to the crossing in 1870 with the goal of setting up a permanent ferry service for Mormon settlers heading south to Arizona. Lee had 18 wives and 56 children.  In 1857, along with other church leaders, Lee took part in the Mountain Meadows massacre.  A group of Mormons dressed as Indians and local Paiutes attacked a passing non-Mormon wagon train from Arkansas, killing over 120 men, women and children. The Mormons who orchestrated and participated in the massacre blamed it all on the Native Americans (of course). Eventually the truth came out, but only John Lee was ever tried in a court of law. He was convicted and executed in 1877. Although John Lee only ran the ferry for six years, the name stuck. Wow, named after a mass murderer, the stuff you learn by visiting our national parks!

Willows now grow along the banks where the ferry ran. 

Some of the old buildings were repurposed, others have fallen into ruin.

The Navajo Bridge was completed in 1929 and replaced the ferry. The original bridge was closed to vehicular traffic and opened only for pedestrian use once a second bridge, constructed to accommodate today's larger, heavier vehicles, was opened in 1995. We visited the dual spans on Friday and were thrilled to see a California Condor hanging out on the bridge. The park ranger said there are now over 90 Condors in the Vermilion Cliffs release area; each one is tagged and tracked.

Navajo Bridge, the 1929 original on the left is now a pedestrian bridge.

Looking down.

California Condor showing off on the bridge. You can see he's tagged #54.

View of the Colorado and Vermilion Cliffs from the bridge.

We also stopped along the road to get a closer look at these balanced rocks. They reminded me a lot of the formations we saw on the Toadstools hike. Many of these “mushrooms” were huge!

Balanced rocks.

That is one big mushroom! :)

We're always amazed that the huge boulders balanced at impossible angles don't just fall over!

Now I want to take you along on one of those hikes where you wonder just what you were thinking. Rog had read about the Cathedral Wash hike and there was some mumbled mention of rock scrambling and a 30’ pour over. I should have been paying more attention. Lol. The trailhead afforded fantastic views of the cliffs, so we're off to a great start.

Just wow.

The views from the trailhead were awesome!

The hike begins with a tunnel under the road. Notice there is mud on the ceiling. Remind me to be nowhere near here if there’s any chance of a flash flood! It’s a beautiful day and the wash is lovely. 

Mud on the ceiling, I don't want to imagine the raging torrent that deposited that!

Cathedral Wash starts out broad and open.

As you continue, the canyon walls get higher....

... and narrower. 

We hike about ¾ of mile in and stop. Yep, that’s a pour over. Yep, it’s at least a good 30’ down. I see no clear path. Well, dang that was a short hike. Rog is sure there’s a way down, the hike is an out-and-back totaling about 3 1/2 miles round trip. The turnaround point is where the wash empties out into the Colorado River.

The pour over. Do you see a way down? Me neither!

Rog starts hunting for a route down. I’m thinking no way; you have got to be kidding. Of course, my darling husband assures me that we don’t have to do this if it makes me uncomfortable. Uncomfortable? I’m so far out of comfort zone I can’t even see it anymore! But dang if I’ll wimp out without trying, so down we go. The first scramble down wasn’t quite as bad as it looked. But now where to?

Down we go!

We walk along a narrow ledge, duckwalking under the overhang and find another spot to scramble down a few more feet. After a few more descents over boulders and ledges, we make it to the floor of the wash! Yay me.

Now where to?

More scrambling to get to the next ledge.

Duckwalk and then another scramble down.

At the bottom of the pour over.
We made it (this far). Lol.

But we’re not home free yet. The rest of the hike is a leisurely walk between high canyon walls, with interesting rocks and geologic features punctuated by scary scrambles as the wash continues its descent to the Colorado.

More fun along the way.

Nothing boring about this hike!

A friendly local and more water carved canyon.

Finally, we hear rushing water and know the end is close. Ta-da! We made it - the lovely Colorado River!  I sat down on the bank to relax and took my shoes off to soak my tootsies in the cold water. Ahhhhh…was it worth it? You bet. But now we have to turn around and do it all again going uphill! Arrrrrrgh.  

The Colorado River marks the end of the trail.
Ahem. Actually it's just the mid-point, we still have to go back!

A break before the return trip.

A cool reward after a challenging hike. 

Our next stop is Kanab, UT where we'll see if we're lucky enough to win the lottery. No big money payout, but a chance to see the internationally famous Wave. Cross your fingers!