04 Jun Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

On May 11, I packed my car and drove for seven hours to the deserts of Arizona. I had seen pictures of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area before but nothing would have prepared me for the immense beauty that would welcome me as I drove into Page. The red rock that is so characteristic of this part of the country frames the Colorado river in a way that makes you stop your car and forget that you have to check in to your housing in 10 minutes!

Page is a small town located on the border of Utah and Arizona. It is surrounded by both federal lands (NPS, BLM) and tribal lands (Navajo Nation, San Juan Southern Paiute) and it’s where you will find the headquarters of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (GCNRA from now on). Most of my work, however, will be deep in the backcountry of the 1.2 million acres managed by the GCNRA. The park lies within the Colorado Plateau and it is composed of bluffs, mesas, buttes and canyons. With in the landscape you can find a diversity of wildlife, spectacular flowers, fossils, and evidence of the indigenous folk who called this place home for thousands of years.

Temperatures around here reach the triple digits, but the Colorado River and Lake Powell with their cold water provide a break from the heat to the residents and tourist of Coconino county. With its endless dirt roads, waterways, and trails I cannot wait to explore the area and fall in love (some more) with this place.