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Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Coordinates: 36°59′37″N 111°29′13″W / 36.99361°N 111.48694°W / 36.99361; -111.48694
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Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Reflection Canyon
Map showing the location of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Map showing the location of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Map showing the location of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Map showing the location of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
LocationKane, San Juan, Garfield, and Wayne counties, Utah & Coconino County, Arizona, United States[1]
Nearest cityPage, Arizona, Bullfrog, Utah
Coordinates36°59′37″N 111°29′13″W / 36.99361°N 111.48694°W / 36.99361; -111.48694
Area1,254,117 acres (5,075.23 km2)[2]
EstablishedOctober 27, 1972
Visitors5,206,934 (in 2023)[3]
Governing bodyNational Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation
WebsiteGlen Canyon National Recreation Area
Golden Cathedral

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (shortened to Glen Canyon NRA or GCNRA) is a national recreation area and conservation unit of the United States National Park Service that encompasses the area around Lake Powell and lower Cataract Canyon in Utah and Arizona, covering 1,254,429 acres (5,076.49 km2) of mostly rugged high desert terrain. The recreation area is named for Glen Canyon, which was flooded by the Glen Canyon Dam, completed in 1966, and is now mostly submerged beneath the waters of Lake Powell.

Glen Canyon NRA borders Capitol Reef National Park and Canyonlands National Park on the north, Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument on the west, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument and the northeasternmost reaches of Grand Canyon National Park on the southwest, and the Navajo Nation on the southeast. 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.

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 five marinas, four public campgrounds, two small airports, and numerous houseboat rental concessions.

Geology

The Permian through Jurassic stratigraphy of the Colorado Plateau area of southeastern Utah that makes up much of the famous prominent rock formations in protected areas such as Capitol Reef National Park and Canyonlands National Park. From top to bottom: Rounded tan domes of the Navajo Sandstone; layered red Kayenta Formation; cliff-forming, vertically jointed, red Wingate Sandstone; slope-forming, purplish Chinle Formation; layered, lighter-red Moenkopi Formation; and white, layered Cutler Formation sandstone. Picture from Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah.

The geology of the area is dominated by the Glen Canyon Group, consisting of the Navajo Sandstone, Kayenta Formation, and Wingate Sandstone.[4] The entire stratigraphic section includes rocks dating from the Cretaceous to Pennsylvanian periods.[5]

Double Arch

A well-known rock formation named the Double Arch existed over Lake Powell. It collapsed on August 8, 2024.[6]

Recreation

Lake Powell has nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of fish-holding shoreline and provides opportunities to fish for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and striped bass that swim in the waters of the recreation area.

Houseboat and powerboat in Knowles Canyon on Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah

Several local marinas and sports outfitters provide houseboats, powerboats, jet skis, kayaks, fishing gear, and related equipment to visitors.

Graffiti Removal and Intervention Team (GRIT)

With millions of visitors to the recreation area each year, it is inevitable that vandals will deface the rock faces of the canyon. Glen Canyon NRA has implemented a voluntourism program wherein volunteers sign up for a five-day houseboat trip during which they help remove graffiti from the canyon walls.[7]

See also

Rainbow Bridge National Monument

References

  1. ^ "NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona and Utah". National Park Service. Retrieved 2024-09-29. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is located [...] in Garfield, Kane, San Juan, and Wayne Counties, Utah, and Coconino County, Arizona.
  2. ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-12-14. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  3. ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  4. ^ "Summary of Geologic History". Archived from the original on 2009-12-26. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  5. ^ "Stratigraphic Columns" (PDF). Nps.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-09. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  6. ^ Mayorquín, Orlando (2024-08-10). "Famed Double Arch Collapses in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  7. ^ "Graffiti Removal and Intervention Team". Glen Canyon NRA. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
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