Beautiful River Trail Hike At Lee’s Ferry
Lees Ferry can be found near Vermillion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona and is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
The area provides visitors with a ton of activities from swimming, boating and fishing to some great hikes. One of these hikes is the historic and scenic River Trail. This two mile out and back hike takes you along the banks of the Colorado RIver.
The trail begins at the gravel parking lot next to the boat launches. At the start of your hike you will get to explore the remains of the American Placer Corporation Office and the old fort that was built to protect this important river crossing.
Continue down the trail to see the remains of an old steam boiler, the Spencer Bunkhouse and USGS Guesthouse. Interpretive signs along the way provide detailed history on the area and artifacts still visible today.
Soon you will come to a split in the trail.
To continue on the River Trail go straight ahead. The Spencer Trail splits off the main trail to the left at this junction. The Spencer Trail climbs 1700 feet in elevation up the cliff behind Lees Ferry Fort and is a total of 4 miles long. We did not feel like doing that much work so we skipped it.
After the split you will come across the sunken Spencer’s Steamboat. It’s function was to carry coal, but it turned out to be a failure and was abandoned on the shore. You can see it’s remains in the water below.
Truthfully, it just looks like a hunk of metal and I don’t even think it’s the whole ship just a piece of it.
The trail continues winding down along the river, but eventually comes to an end against a cliff. You will past a few more old buildings and signs on your way to the end.
It was here that we sat on the banks of the river for the next 30 minutes and just soaked in the views. Our dog, Dexter, and cat, Everest, played on the river’s edge and just explored the area. We all had snacks as we dipped our toes in the very cold water and watched the boats pass by.
It really was a perfect end to a beautiful hike.
This really was an incredibly beautiful hike.
The blue waters of the Colorado river were lined in a green oasis which was a stark contrast to the red rocks of the Vermilion Cliffs surrounding us. We even got to watch wild horses grazing on the banks of the river. In all our travels we have not seen wild horses yet so that was very cool.
This area is a popular launching spot for kayakers, canoers and boaters who want to ride down the Colorado River. There’s even a beach here which is actually part of the Grand Canyon National Park. When visiting be sure to explore Lonely Dell Ranch as well.
If you are in the area I highly recommend checking out this unique spot.
The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area does require a fee to enter, but if you have an America the Beautiful Pass (which you should purchase if you travel a lot) it’s free.