| Glen Canyon National Recreation Area | |
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IUCN Category V (Protected
Landscape/Seascape)
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| Location | Kane, San Juan, Garfield, and Wayne counties, Utah & Coconino County, Arizona, USA |
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| Nearest city | Page, Arizona, Bullfrog, Utah |
| Coordinates | 36°59′37″N 111°29′13″W / 36.99361°N 111.48694°WCoordinates: 36°59′37″N 111°29′13″W / 36.99361°N 111.48694°W |
| Area | 1,254,429 acres (5,076 km²) |
| Established | October 27, 1972 |
| Visitors | 1,832,378 (in 2004) |
| Governing body | National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation |
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (shortened to Glen Canyon NRA or GCNRA) is a recreation and conservation unit of the National Park Service (USA) that encompasses the area around Lake Powell and lower Cataract Canyon in Utah and Arizona, covering 1,254,429 acres (5,076 km²) of mostly desert. The recreation area borders Capitol Reef National Park and Canyonlands National Park on the north, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on the west, and Grand Canyon National Park on the south.
The Glen Canyon NRA was established in 1972 "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 a national park may carry more emphasis on natural preservation). As such, the area has been developed for access to Lake Powell via 5 marinas, 4 camping grounds, two small airports, and houseboat rental concessions.
The southwestern end of Glen Canyon NRA in Arizona can be accessed via U.S. Route 89 and State Route 98. State Route 95 and State Route 276 lead to the northeastern end of the recreation area in Utah.
The current Lake Powell lies above Glen Canyon, which was flooded by the Glen Canyon Dam, completed in 1966.
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Lake Powell has nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of fish-holding shoreline and provides opportunity to fish for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and striped bass that swim in the midst of the recreation area.
Lake Powell National Golf Course Championship is an 18-hole course sitting on a high mesa overlooking the Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell, and Vermillion Cliffs.
Several local marinas make available for tourist houseboats, powerboats, jet skis, kayaks, fishing gear, and related equipment.
With over one million visitors per year, it is inevitable that some will deface the rock faces of the canyon. The Glen Canyon NRA has implemented a voluntourism program wherein volunteers sign up for a five-day houseboat trip to remove graffiti from the canyon walls.[1]
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Glen Canyon [1] is a vast United States National Recreation Area in Utah's Canyon Country.
Glen Canyon is an mind-bogglingly vast canyon in deep red rock country, which has been filled with North America's largest man made lake, Lake Powell. Surrounded by nothing but red slick rock, the crystal blue lake is strikingly out of place and looks like it belongs on Mars. Lake Powell would be totally deserted were it not for its popularity with house-boat owners, who sail around this dead and beautiful expanse. The desert surrounding the lake is mostly uninhabited except for grazing long horn steer, jackrabbits, and lizards.
Getting into Lake Powell pretty much requires a boat launched from a local marina, as the lake is surrounded by steep sandstone cliffs—that is, unless you are very ambitious.
A number of companies provide guided tours of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell that include transportation from the surrounding areas. Some companies will provide bus travel from nearby towns while others begin in the Glen Canyon/Lake Powell Area. Some will provide just a brief tour with small stops, while others may take you on a hike, and arrange all your meals.
Rainbow Room, Lake Powell Resort, 100 Lakeshore Drive, Page, AZ 86040. With a stunning 180 degree view of Wahweap Bay, this fine dining establishment is open March 15 - October 31 for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Glen Canyon is definitely BYOB territory and you had better bring gallons of water for your trip.
Most all lodgings on or near Glen Canyon are located in Page, which is two miles away from the lake on top of the butte.
Wahweap RV Park & Campground at Lake Powell, Lakeshore Drive, Page, AZ 86040. 888-272-7191. Located in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, this is one of the nicest campgrounds in the National Park System. With a stunning view of Wahweap Bay, there is an eco-friendly campground store, coin operated showers and laundry room. All camp sites have charcoal grills and picnic tables. Only a short distance to boat launch ramps, swim beaches, boat tours and small boat rentals.
The Park Service requires that you register before camping in the backcountry, mostly just so that they know who is where when in case of an emergency. But while it is in your best interest to do so, registering is pretty much optional as the area is very lightly patrolled and pretty much anywhere is a campsite.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has a severe desert climate and it is very dangerous to head out into this wild expanse without proper preparations and gallons of water. If you are the least bit unsure as to what constitutes "proper preparations," visit a National Park Service visitor center before heading into the backcountry.
If driving in the area, carry extra gas and plan your route to take into account the very long distances between gas stations. If driving on dirt roads, be aware of your limits (and your car's), and prepare for the possibility that either the road could wash out in the case of a storm, or that your car could break down dozens of miles from civilization, with no cell phone service, in the unforgiving desert climate.
As with most of Canyon Country, flash floods are a sporadic, but ever-present danger. Be sure to avoid parking in a wash and never head into a canyon before checking the current weather report—far-off rainstorms will flood canyons even if they are miles away from the downpour.
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Category: Outline articles
   | Glen Canyon Natural History Association - Glen Canyon Natural History Association - Home |
| | An independent guide to Glen Canyon - Home | Oh, Ranger! |
| | Official National Park Service Concessionaire Site - Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas - America's Favorite Houseboating Destination |
| | Graffiti Removal and Intervention Team - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area - Graffiti Removal and Intervention Team (U.S. National Park Service) |
| | Glen Canyon National Recreation Area - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area - National Parks Gallery |
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