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| Horseshoe bend and Petroglyphs from the River, AZ | |
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| | Horseshoe bend and Petroglyphs from the River, AZ | | | |
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Horseshoe bend and Petroglyphs from the River, AZ
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| Kayak | 16.73 Miles |
916 AEG |
| | Kayak | 16.73 Miles | 7 Hrs 19 Mns | | 2.52 mph |
| 916 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | The main event for my weekend up north was a paddle from Glen Canyon dam back down to Lee's Ferry. We started the morning plenty early since we needed to make the hour-long drive from Page to the launch point with time to get all the gear set up before our scheduled backhaul service. Was surprised to find a queue of vehicles awaiting entry for the horseshoe bend overlook (they open at dawn) as passed by on our way out of town. We arrived at the boat launch to find no other vehicles parked in the dirt lot designated for folks who were planning on embarking for a day trip - though there were a few vehicles parked in the paved lot. There was a slight breeze as we got our watercraft inflated...and the front that was moving through promised to make things interesting with winds forecast for the day at 8-14mph and gusts to 22...an improvement over the previous day, but still potentially quite challenging.
When time came for our ferry up-river, we quickly got our gear loaded onto the pontoon boat, listened to the captain's safety talk and off we went. We decided to head all the way up to the dam, knowing if we needed to bail, we could signal a passing boat for a pickup - additionally, one of the members of our group rented a kayak from the backhaul service provider (Kayak Horseshoe Bend), and they let us know that if we hadn't returned by 4:30pm (and weren't close to the launch beach by that time), the backhaul service would be rounding up stragglers on their final runs back to the boat launch.
We enjoyed the ride up to the dam - temps were a little chilly, but with a windbreaker on and blankets on the boat, the ride up was plesant. The captain brought us up just a bit past the beach to get a good view of the dam before pivoting around to drop us off. Dam releases were at 6600 cfs first thing in the morning and increased to about 9000 cfs over the course of the day. I was glad to be able to unload the gear without having to hop down into the colorado river - water temps (as usual with the Colorado in these parts) were a brisk 55-ish degrees. While I was prepared with neoprene socks, I was glad to be able to shuck them off dry (though I suppose it would have been easier to get them off of me if they were wet now that I think about it). After getting everything needed for the day stowed on our watercraft, we launched from the beach...and were greeted with a strong headwind that would prove to be persistent for much of the trip downriver.
While we were not fortunate enough to have glass-smooth waters to navigate, the river and views were still beautiful. As we headed down-river, we played leapfrog with a group that was planning on camping overnight near the midway point, and passed several other folk that were packing up and leaving their overnight campsights. I also took the time to check out some springs on the way to Petroglyph Beach, where we stopped for a walk to check out the petroglyph panel and also took the time to eat lunch.
After refueling, we were back on our way. As we approached Horseshoe bend, we could see the hordes of people up top on the rim...horseshoe beach itself was was crowded with a decent number of people looking up at the rim along with plenty of tents and watercraft. The original plan included a stop at Waterholes canyon to explore up-canyon to the last rappel point (about 1.5 miles up from the river, if I remember correctly) - but a large group had beached just as we arrived, and the group I was with was more interested in continuing on to the finish. As we continued down-river, we saw plenty of waterfowl (mostly mallards and some canada geese along with a great blue heron), and a few wild horses.
There were certainly sections that were more challenging than others to paddle - between the river current and the wind, I was turned around in a circle more than once, and was actually taken up-river several times if I stopped paddling  . By the time late afternoon rolled around, the head winds picked up and were holding steady in the last mile or so before Lee's Ferry - high enough to form small whitecaps. I think we were all glad to round the final bend and see the "No Wake" buoys and the boat launch.
Even with the strong winds, it was a fantastic trip. We saw a fair bit more people as the day wore on - not just the backhaul boats, but also more folk out for the day that put in at lower drop off points. Even with the additional traffic, we had long stretches of the river to ourselves...aside from the occasional cussing at the wind, the trip was quite tranquil and meditative  . |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Fall Creek |
Dry |
Dry |
| | | Did not observe anything in the drainage at the confluence. |
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Paria River |
Light flow |
Light flow |
| | | Running chocolate brown, observed from the Lees Ferry Access Road crossing. | | _____________________
| Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
. By the time late afternoon rolled around, the head winds picked up and were holding steady in the last mile or so before Lee's Ferry - high enough to form small whitecaps. I think we were all glad to round the final bend and see the "No Wake" buoys and the boat launch. 
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