Marble Canyon

History This was one of the few places for hundreds of miles where a wagon could reach the Colorado River from both sides. John D. Lee came to the crossing in 1870 to set up a ferry for Mormon settlers heading south into Arizona, and the ferry formally began in January 1873. Lee was a fugitive. He had taken part in the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre, and he was arrested, tried and executed at Mountain Meadows on March 23, 1877. The ferry kept running under other operators until 1928. That June the ferryboat sank while carrying materials for a new bridge five miles downstream, and three men died. For the next months travelers had to drive around the canyon, a detour the Park Service puts at 800 miles. The bridge opened on January 12, 1929. At the time it was the highest steel arch bridge in the world.

What to See Start at the Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center, on the west side of the river. It is open all year. You can walk across the 1929 bridge, now closed to cars, and look down on the river and across at the 1995 bridge that replaced it. Watch the steelwork and ledges for California condors. The birds are released in the nearby Vermilion Cliffs and often roost at the bridge.

The Lees Ferry road starts just west of the bridge. At the end of it are the historic ferry crossing, the stone buildings and boiler left from Charles H. Spencer's failed gold-mining venture of 1910, and Lonely Dell Ranch, where the ferry families grew their own food. The ranch has an orchard where you can pick fruit for your own use. The River Trail is about 2 miles round trip, while the Spencer Trail climbs more than 1,500 feet up the cliffs. Lees Ferry is also where anglers come for trout on the cold river below the dam.

The Vermilion Cliffs The cliffs north and west of the community are part of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. This is 280,000 acres of plateau, canyon and sandstone, including Coyote Buttes, home of the formation known as The Wave. The monument has no paved roads and no visitor center. Most of its roads need a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle. Hikes at Coyote Buttes North and South and overnight trips in Paria Canyon need permits.

On the River The 16 miles of river between Glen Canyon Dam and Lees Ferry are calm, cold and clear. Anglers fish for trout, and kayakers paddle upstream and float back, or hire a backhaul boat to carry them up. Every group taking a boat or kayak on this stretch needs a Lees Ferry backcountry permit. It is free, and you get it from the self-service kiosks near the launch area. Everyone in a hand-propelled craft must wear a life jacket. Boats may not go past the buoys about a quarter mile below the dam. If you'd rather not paddle, the Park Service lists a smooth-water raft trip from Lees Ferry up to Horseshoe Bend and back.

Fees Lees Ferry is inside Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which has an entrance station on the Lees Ferry road. The private-vehicle pass costs $30 for seven days, and the stations take cards only.

Getting There From Page, take US 89 south and US 89A west, about 42 miles. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is 85 miles west and south via US 89A and State Route 67. Check the North Rim's current status with the Park Service before you go.