Marble Canyon, Arizona
The Start Of My 2024 Road Trip
I took off on a three-week road trip and my first big stop was Lees Ferry Campground in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Now, I know what you're thinking. Why such a long road trip? How were you able to take that time off? Why would your first stop be Lees Ferry of all the places to go? And the answers to those questions are when I was planning my trip, any national parks I wanted to visit were just far enough away that I wouldn't be able to enjoy them if I took a week off and drove there. And when I finally decided on a place, there were way too many things to see in two weeks that it was impossible to cross any of them off the list. After chatting with my bosses (about a year in advance), I decided on three weeks. I was able to convince my bosses to let me take this time because I had just completed a year and a half of going to school and working full time to get my graduate degree, and I argued that this would be my graduation trip that most people take, it would just be a few months postponed. Now, I know this may not help you but I find that when you work at a good company and communicate with them, and have their trust, they don't mind you taking the time so long as you come back ready to work.
About the Campground
Now, why Lees Ferry? On the way to Zion, the route took me near Page, Arizona, which is a neat place to stop. This area is near to the famed Wave Hike and Antelope Canyon, as well as the well-known Horseshoe Bend in the Colorado River. There are a lot of unique destination stays popping up out here, some of which would be great for those interested in star-gazing and isolation. Because I car camp, I was looking for a campground nearby so I could check out all these cool things. I stumbled on Lees Ferry which is a First Come, First Served (FCFS) campground. I generally try to stay away from these, but it's still early in the season and I was arriving on Sunday, so I figured I'd be safe trying to snag a spot. And I was right, seeing as I arrived at 1:00 pm. However, as each hour passed, more and more people started to roll in and the campground was full by the end of the night.
As far as I'm aware, the campground operates on the honor system when there is no host on-site. There is a pay station on the road in where you can pay by card or a drop box at the entrance to the grounds where you can pay by cash via envelope. I would recommend finding a site before you pay, which is not what I did and I consider myself lucky. When you pay at the campground, your cash envelope has a ticket stub that you rip off and attach to a clip at the post in front of your site. This is how other campers know which site is taken and for how long if you are not there to watch it. I would recommend checking the stubs if the lots look full, not everyone remembers to take it off when they leave.
Most sites have a fire ring with a grill and a covered picnic table, all sites are gravel and fairly flat. The majority of sites are back-in, but there are a few pull-through and group sites available. In terms of view, there are good, better, and best sites. Sites on the lower end of the camp have a fantastic view of the Colorado River with almost no man-made objects in view. Sites on the upper end of the camp will have a smaller view of the river and will have to look at everyone below them. Which is good if you like people-watching. There are two sets of restrooms, but one appears to be out of order and under construction. There is potable water available in the bathhouse at the utility sink, and the restroom is heated enough that it wasn't miserable after a 40-degree night. There are no showers, but they are available in Marble Canyon, as is laundry if necessary. There is excellent cell service here, but there is no internet unless you bring your own. I have my antennas pointed southeast and my router is picking up 4G service.
What To Do Nearby
As far as how to stay busy, there are the sites mentioned above, which you will have to do independent research on to book a guide or to apply for permits, but there are also several other activities in the Lees Ferry area. Just down from the campground, there are two parking lots with trails that lead down to the Colorado. I believe both beach areas are used for fly fishing, but it is a really cool walk to go down and see the Colorado River and dip your toes into the little pools that form. If you hadn't guessed, this water is really cold. If you want to trek to something a little more private, there is Secret Beach. This beach is a little over a half of a mile walk from the Paria Beach parking lot and can offer a little more peaceful view.
Further into the canyon, there are three trails that you could explore, each with its own unique experience. Lonely Dell Trail will take you to the Lonely Dell Ranch Historic Site. A short easy trail with lots of history to see and read about. The Spencer Trail will take you straight up the canyon walls. And I do mean straight up. The trail climbs 1,500 feet in about a mile, and it is less than two miles long. However, if you move slowly and steadily, it isn't too bad on the way up. I thought it was worse on the way down quite frankly. If elevation gain isn't your style, you could continue down the Upper Ferry Trail instead of turning off to the Spencer Trail, and walk alongside the Colorado River. If you've done a little planning, you could be on one of those boats. There are several watercraft-based tours available in this area, from rafting to kayaking and paddleboarding.
My Experience
I had been looking at the weather as far out and as often as I could, and I was expecting a low in the 50s and a high in the 80s for my stay here. But on my drive over, I ran into a high wind advisory. Now, I spent several years in Lubbock which I thought made me immune to wind. I was very wrong. My shoulders were sore from driving against the wind, it was so brutal. Every time I tried to get out of my car I was fighting to open the door and then moving my appendages out of the way as fast as possible because it was almost immediately slammed shut. The wind wasn't joking and in the desert, it was kicking up all the sand it could. When I got to camp, I was out of luck on trying to make lunch. I had thrown my bacon on the grill while the wind had slowed down, but just as it started sizzling the wind picked up and then it didn't stop. It was whipping the lid off my cooler, throwing a gallon of water around, and getting dust into everything I owned. I packed up, stowed the grill, and climbed into my car to wait for it to settle down. According to the weather app, it was supposed to slow down to 29 mph gusts around 6:30 pm, which I thought I could handle to try and cook. The weather... was wrong. The wind did not die down and at times, it got so bad that I had to shut my trunk because I was worried the wind would be stronger than the hydraulics keeping it open. When 7 o'clock rolled around I gave up. It had started sprinkling by then and when I checked the weather, it showed that it would very soon be in the 30's. By then, I said it was time to close up shop and tucked myself in for the night. I turned on my movie and listened to the wind howl at 40+ mph, and the rain splatter. It wasn't long before I was passed out from the day's drive. That didn't stop me from waking up in the middle of the night to add on another blanket though. I'm not sure what temperature it got down to in the night, but I know when I went to the restrooms at 6:30 am, it was in the 40s.
My next day started off chilly, but there was no breeze to prevent me from cooking so I made a breakfast scramble of eggs, sausage, and seasoned potatoes. I consider it an improvement from the first time I made this because instead of being undercooked, everything was just a little bit burnt. But as I say back home, there isn't much that can't be fixed with cheese and sauce, which is exactly what I did. After that, I packed up and headed out to Spencer Trail. It was about a mile walk from the campground to the trailhead, but it is flat and if you take River Drive, there are not a lot of vehicles to pass you. The trail itself, as previously mentioned, wasn't too bad. It is very much uphill, but I took it slow and it didn't end up being too bad. The views only got better and it was crazy to see how far the canyons stretched. I started around 9:00 am up the trail and I could definitely see where this could be a risky decision in hotter weather. This trail will get full sun after the sun crests the canyon wall. I knew there was a chance for some high wind again, so I didn't spend too much time at the top and definitely didn't move slowly on the way down. As much as I was worried about gusts while on the side of a cliff, I was more concerned about not being able to make my chicken bacon ranch pizza that I had been craving since the first day I made it on the grill.
Thankfully, the wind was kind and gave me not just enough time to cook, but enough time to wash my hair (with my personal portable shower, there isn't one in the campground), do some stretching and yoga, and browse the internet a little. The wind did start picking back up though. While it was never as consistent as the day before, it was still picking up enough that I placed my chair behind my car to hide from it. All in all, I thought this was a great campground and would be a great stop on any trip.
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