Lee's Ferry hike

[domromer]

I'm going to Lee's Ferry to camp and fish this weekend. Can anyone recommend a hike close by. Something that doesn't require a permit, is not too hard and the dogs can come along.

[PaleoRob]

Up the Paria, if its just a day-trip, doesn't require a permit (IIRC). If you've got a boat, there's a couple things upriver as well that are dog friendly.

[hikeaz]

I'm going to Lee's Ferry to camp and fish this weekend. Can anyone recommend a hike close by. Something that doesn't require a permit, is not too hard and the dogs can come along.

Lees Ferry is the only place visitors can drive to the Colorado River in over 700 miles of Canyon Country, right to the first “rapid” in the Grand Canyon.

A natural corridor between Utah and Arizona , Lees Ferry figured prominently in the exploration and settlement of Northern Arizona. Lees Ferry is now a meeting of the old and the new.

The Lees Ferry and Lonely Dell Ranch Historic District offers a glimpse of the old western life from the pioneers in the late 1800’s, through the miners at the turn of the century, to the ranchers of the 1940’s. Two self-guided walking tours interpret two different parts of the district: the Ferry and the Ranch.

Lees Ferry continues to be a center of modern activity. Here at the very start of the Grand Canyon, adventurous river runners launch their boats for trips down the canyon. Fishermen enjoy world-class trout fishing upstream to Glen Canyon Dam. Backpackers finish their 4 or 5 day hike through the Paria Canyon Wilderness Area here. Day-hikers explore slot canyons and desert ridges.

Lees Ferry is 42 miles (61 km) from Page via Hwy 89 and Hwy 89A. It is 85 miles (125 km) from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon via Hwy 89A and Hwy 64. The Lees Ferry Junction and Park Entrance is just west of Navajo Bridge . A paved road leads 5 miles (8 km) to the Ferry area. A National Park Service campground, ranger station, and public launch ramp are the only services available at Lees Ferry. There is a gas station, store, post office, motel and restaurant at Marble Canyon , next to the park entrance. More services are found west on Hwy 89A.

NAVAJO BRIDGE INTERPRETIVE CENTER

Start your visit to Lees Ferry at the Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center . Open from April through October, its staff provides information on the area. A bookstore sells maps and educational material. Exhibits show the construction of the Historic Bridge in 1928. The bridge replaced the dangerous and difficult ferryboat crossing five miles upstream. Visitors can walk across the old bridge to view Marble Canyon and the Colorado River 470 feet (143 m) below.

LEES FERRY HISTORIC SITE


Just upstream from the Lees Ferry Launch Ramp is the ferry-crossing site and several historic buildings.

A “Walking Tour Guide” may be purchased at the entrance to the area. It tells the story of the different ferryboats and the pioneers, miners, Indians, and tourists who crossed here from 1872 until 1928.

Of special interest is Charles H. Spencer’s attempt to extract gold from the clay hills here in 1910. Two of the stone buildings, a steam boiler, and the remains of a sunken paddlewheel steamboat remain from his efforts.

The complete tour is about a 1-mile (1.6-km) roundtrip. Take drinking water with you.

LONELY DELL RANCH HISTORIC SITE


This historic ranch, near the mouth of the Paria River , was home to the families who operated Lees Ferry.

In the 1870’s and 1880’s, the place was so isolated that the families working at the crossing needed to be self-sufficient, growing food for themselves and their animals. Hard labor changed the barren desert into a green oasis.

The main ranch buildings are about 700 feet (213 m) up the dirt road from the parking area. A “Walking Tour Guide” may be purchased at the entrance to the ranch. The complete tour of the orchard, log cabins, stone ranch house, and pioneer cemetery is about a 1-mile (1.6-km) round trip. There are picnic tables and shade trees at the ranch. Take drinking water with you.

HIKING AT LEES FERRY


This is rugged country. Temperatures can be extreme, ranging from 0° in the winter to 115° F in the summer (-18° to 43°C). Flash floods are possible during stormy weather and can occur even when the sky is clear overhead. Carry plenty of water – at least one gallon (4 L) per person per day. Ask at the ranger station for further information and current hiking conditions. Tell someone where you are going and when you will return.

River Trail - This trail starts at the launch ramp and follows the old wagon road past the fort to the upper ferry-crossing site. A “Walking Tour Guide” is available. The two-mile round-trip walk takes about an hour. Fishermen’s trails continue upstream another half a mile, but there is no access into lower Glen Canyon .

Paria Canyon Trail – This trail starts at the Lonely Dell Ranch parking area and continues 45 miles upstream to Hwy 89 in Utah . Overnight hikes require a permit from the Bureau of Land Management. Day hikers can enjoy the unique geology of the area. Please use the 14-day parking lot if you will be out overnight.


Cathedral Canyon - Parking for this hike is at the second pullout from Hwy 89A, along the Lees Ferry Road . This two-mile (3.2-km) round-trip hike is not along a defined trail. You must find your own way down the intermittent stream bed, or wash, inside a narrow slot canyon with interesting rock formations. Be alert for flash floods. There is a rapid and beach along the Colorado River at the mouth of the canyon.

Spencer Trail – This historic trail climbs 1700 feet up the cliff behind the Lees Ferry Fort. It is not regularly maintained but is passable to careful hikers. Views down Marble Canyon are memorable.

Other hikes include Rider Canyon, Soap Creek and Water Holes Canyon.
Soap & Rider go to the Colorado offering fishing opportunities.

[Lizard]

I highly recommend Cathedral Wash, although it would not be appropriate to bring a dog on this hike:

http://www.toddshikingguide.com/Hikes/A ... nyon13.htm

[Ben]

In response to domromer's reply: Near Lee's Ferry there are two hikes. Cathedral Wash starts just past Cathedral Butte on the south side of the road and less than one mile from US89A. Park near the information stand and walk the wash down to the Colorado River. It deepens quickly abd has tons of fossils.... The second hike is Spencers trail. It is short, but steep. The top gives you some of the best views the palnet has tyo offer. Well worth the labor of climbing..