Lees Ferry and Lonely Dell Ranch

Where the Grand Canyon begins

⏱ 2-4 hours👤 All ages$

The site's story starts with a crossing. Mormon pioneers needed a way over the Colorado to reach Arizona, and a ferry was established here in the early 1870s; it later took the name of John D. Lee, who ran it until his past caught up with him. For more than fifty years ferry boats carried wagons and, later, automobiles across, sometimes at deadly cost in high water — the last ferry sank in June 1928, killing three men, just months before the new Navajo Bridge opened to traffic and made the crossing obsolete. Lonely Dell Ranch, just up the Paria, shows how families lived at this remote outpost: irrigated orchards that still bear fruit, a stone ranch house, log cabins and a small cemetery. Down at the river, an old stone fort, the ferry landing and the boiler and hull of Spencer's 1910s steamboat — built to haul coal for a failed gold-recovery scheme — are scattered along the River Trail.

For an active visit, the River Trail runs about two miles round trip with little elevation gain; the Spencer Trail branches off and climbs more than 1,500 feet up the cliffs in steep switchbacks to a stunning view of Marble Canyon's opening, but it is shadeless and unsuitable for summer heat. Fishing guides and walk-in anglers work the river for trout, and kayakers paddle upstream on backhaul services to float back down through Glen Canyon. Note that a free backcountry permit is required for any watercraft between the dam and Lees Ferry, and a seasonal closure protects osprey nesting near Kayak Beach in spring and summer.

Practicals: from Page, take US 89 south and US 89A west across Navajo Bridge, then turn right onto the Lees Ferry road. The NPS campground has a dump station (its upper loop is currently closed for renovation). Bring drinking water for Lonely Dell and the trails. Morning light on the Vermilion Cliffs is spectacular; summer middays are very hot. Combine with Cathedral Wash, which shares the access road, and Navajo Bridge for a full half-day. Anglers and early risers can sleep at Marble Canyon Lodge, ten minutes away, to be on the water at first light.