We Found A Beach In The Middle Of The Desert
Recently we were boondocking in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument and while exploring saw a sign for Lee’s Ferry so we decided to check it out.
This area is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and does require a fee to enter. We have an America the Beautiful Pass which is also honored so decided to head on in. We took the drive through the scenic cliffs and eventually found ourselves in front of a beach right in the middle of the Arizona desert!
We have been traveling in New Mexico and Arizona all year and for the majority of it have been stuck in the desert. Don’t get me wrong we’ve been having a great time, but almost four months boondocking in the desert gets to you after a while.
I’m a water baby at heart and love swimming and kayaking and have really missed camping on the shore of a lake or river. One look at this beach and river had my heart fluttering!
I’m not the only one who loves the water, Dexter is a big fan of it himself.
Although he doesn’t like to swim (he freaks out the moment water hits his ears) he loves running on the water’s edge. He also absolutely loves the sand. Jamey and Dexter spent a long time running up and down the beach playing in the sand and getting their feet wet.
Everest is also a sand lover, but not so much the water. He got too close this time and got his front feet wet which resulted in him jumping nearly a foot in the air, lol.
Everest also gets overheated quickly for some reason, so after he was finished playing he just hung out under the umbrella for a while. People watching is one of his favorite pastimes so he spent the rest of our time there doing just that.
Even though the water was definitely frosty I couldn’t resist taking a dip. I spent 10 minutes digging out one of our inter tubes we have stored in the back of the truck so I could float on the Paria river. Jamey and I took turns blowing up my tube then off to the water I went.
Within moments my butt was numb. It was so so cold. I was in heaven. I lasted about 20 minutes before having to retreat, because I couldn’t feel my feet anymore. It was completely worth it! It was 88 out that day so for a little bit I got to escape the heat and spend some time in my natural element.
This little stretch of sand is known as Paria Beach. Just up the way is where the Paria river meets the Colorado River whose waters rush by the beach.
There is also a very popular and heavily used boat launch moments from the beach. It is a launching point for many rafters, kayakers and paddleboarders traveling on the river all the way to the Grand Canyon. The beach is actually considered part of Grand Canyon National Park.
The entire area is gorgeous and the views sitting on the beach or floating in the water are incredible. Jamey is not as big of a fan of the water as I am, but even he took the time to lay on the beach and dip his toes in.
We saw a ton of people on various watercraft float down the river in front of us and were completely jealous. We would of loved to get our kayaks on the water and floated for the afternoon. I see a trip on the Colorado river in our future for sure.
So if you’re in the area I highly recommend stopping by this little desert oasis. Besides beach fun Lees Ferry also has numerous hiking opportunities and we were told the fishing is exceptional. We saw many a fisherman casting their lines into the water.
Every area we travel in we seem to find one little thing we weren’t expecting. This has got to be one of my favorite surprises in a while. I think I’m gonna have to leave the desert and find a nice lake to boondock on for a while. I didn’t realize how much I’ve really been missing the water till now.