| Glen Canyon National Recreation Area | |
|---|---|
 Reflection Canyon | |
 | |
| Location | Kane,San Juan,Garfield, andWayne counties,Utah &Coconino County, Arizona, United States[1] |
| Nearest city | Page, Arizona,Bullfrog, Utah |
| Coordinates | 36°59′37″N111°29′13″W / 36.99361°N 111.48694°W /36.99361; -111.48694 |
| Area | 1,254,117 acres (5,075.23 km2)[2] |
| Established | October 27, 1972 |
| Visitors | 5,206,934 (in 2023)[3] |
| Governing body | National Park Service,Bureau of Reclamation |
| Website | Glen Canyon National Recreation Area |
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (shortened toGlen Canyon NRA orGCNRA) is anational recreation area and conservation unit of the United StatesNational Park Service that encompasses the area aroundLake Powell and lowerCataract Canyon inUtah andArizona, covering 1,254,429 acres (5,076.49 km2) of mostly rugged high desert terrain. The recreation area is named forGlen Canyon, which was flooded by theGlen Canyon Dam, completed in 1966, and is now mostly submerged beneath the waters of Lake Powell.
Glen Canyon NRA bordersCapitol Reef National Park andCanyonlands National Park on the north,Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument on the west,Vermilion Cliffs National Monument and the northeasternmost reaches ofGrand Canyon National Park on the southwest, and theNavajo Nation on the southeast. The southwestern end of Glen Canyon NRA in Arizona can be accessed viaU.S. Route 89 andState Route 98.State Route 95 andState Route 276 lead to the northeastern end of the recreation area in Utah.
Glen Canyon NRA was established "to provide for public use and enjoyment and to preserve the area's scientific, historic, and scenic features." The stated purpose of Glen Canyon NRA is for recreation as well as preservation (whereas anational park may carry more emphasis on natural preservation). As such, the area has been developed for access to Lake Powell via five marinas, four public campgrounds, two small airports, and numeroushouseboat rental concessions.
In February 1957 Utah SenatorArthur V. Watkins requested Secretary of the InteriorFred A. Seaton study the possibility of anational recreation area at the reservoir formed byGlen Canyon Dam.[4] In June 1958, theNational Park Service and theBureau of Reclamation agreed on administration and development of the upstream and downstream areas of theColorado River either side ofGlen Canyon Dam. The area, according to Secretary Seaton, would be designated the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.[5]
In January 1959, PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower proposed a budget that included $43,500 for the construction of roads in Glen Canyon NRA. That March, the National Park Service announced plans for GCNRA including the expenditure of $16.5 million over the next 10 to 15 years.[6] In April 1959, a Department of Interior source stated James Milford Eden, Superintendent ofOrgan Pipe Cactus National Monument, would be named the first Superintendent of GCNRA.[7] That May, Eden set up office in a trailer near what would become today’s Wahweap Marina.[8] That October, the National Parks Advisory Board toured Glen Canyon Dam. Superintendent Eden was on the tour, accompanied byFrank Masland Jr., Chairman of the Advisory Board.[9]
In March 1960, Eden presented a map of the tentative boundaries of GCNRA, including the road toLees Ferry fromHighway 89 and lands just west and south of the northwest side ofNavajo Bridge.[10] On June 1, 1960, GCNRA received a used WWII 24-ton LCMLanding Craft Mechanized from theU.S. Navy. It was the second boat the new Recreation area had, the first was a “trim little boat” called thePark Ranger.[11] The Park Service opened the campground at Wahweap Marina on December 6, 1961. It had 57 camping sites.[12] In July 1962, GCNRA let out bids for construction of NPS housing inPage, Arizona and at Wahweap Marina.[13]
In September 1962, theUS Senate Public Works Commission authorized $3,000,000 fora bridge to cross the Colorado River just upstream from the confluence with theDirty Devil River.[14] That November, GCNRA let bids to operate a concessions contract for the operation of a marina near the bridge calledHite Marina. Recreation facilities at Lees Ferry were also planned.[15][16] In August 1963, Utah SenatorFrank Moss introduced legislation to create Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The area in Moss’s Bill encompassed 1,430,000 acres of land and intended to establish by law the recreation area designated by the Interior Order of 1958.[17] The final bill passed by Congress, Public Law 92-593, was for 1,236,880 acres and was signed into law by PresidentRichard Nixon on October 27, 1972.[18]
The geology of the area is dominated by theGlen Canyon Group, consisting of theNavajo Sandstone,Kayenta Formation, andWingate Sandstone.[19] The entirestratigraphic section includes rocks dating from theCretaceous toPennsylvanian periods.[20]
A well-known rock formation named the Double Arch existed over Lake Powell. It collapsed on August 8, 2024.[21]
Lake Powell has nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of fish-holding shoreline and provides opportunities to fish for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and striped bass that swim in the waters of the recreation area.
Several local marinas and sports outfitters provide houseboats, powerboats, jet skis, kayaks, fishing gear, and related equipment to visitors.
With millions of visitors to the recreation area each year, it is inevitable that vandals will deface the rock faces of the canyon. Glen Canyon NRA has implemented avoluntourism program wherein volunteers sign up for a five-day houseboat trip during which they help remove graffiti from the canyon walls.[22]
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is located [...] in Garfield, Kane, San Juan, and Wayne Counties, Utah, and Coconino County, Arizona.
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