Lees Ferry, UT - Mar 2009

We had driven by the area around Lees Ferry a couple of years ago when we were visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The nearby and very dramatic Vermilion Cliffs National Monument made such an impact on me that I added a note to our "travel ideas" list to someday return here for a visit. This year, on our way to Zion National Park, it seemed like a great place to stop and explore. Here is a boat making its way down the Colorado River -- on its approach to the boat ramp at Lees Ferry.

While researching the area for places to camp, I discovered that Lees Ferry was named after John Doyle Lee who is an ancestor of mine (great-great-great grandfather -- which is not much to brag about since the man, being a good Mormon of that time, had 19 wives and 64 children.) John was sent by the church to create a ferry crossing over the Colorado River so the pioneers could continue their push from Utah into the Arizona territory. Not much is left at the sight of the ferry crossing, but this stone building that used to be the fort at the lower river crossing location.
Anyway, it was another reason to check out the area and walk on the ground where my ancestors lived nearly 140 years ago. His first wife Aggatha Ann died before John came to Lees Ferry, but a few of her eleven children lived here including one of her sons -- my great-great grandfather Joseph Hyrum Lee.

This sign was at the site and described the history of the ferry crossing.

This is the view from one of the windows of the fort -- just thought it was an interesting photo. The rock walls were built very thick to provide some shelter from the heat and cold.

Nowadays, the area provides rafters with a place to launch as they make their way down the Colorado River and into the Grand Canyon. Professional raft tours are allowed on the river, but very few private boats are allowed. Here are a few getting ready to leave on their adventure.

We stayed at the Lees Ferry Campground -- part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The campground has about 40 sites -- no hookups, but there are bathrooms and water and a dump station nearby. The views are outstanding -- some sites are right at the edge of a bluff and overlook the Colorado River.

Frank and the dogs enjoying the view from our site. We could see the Colorado River (at the base of that large mountain) from our patio.

A short walk from the campground took us down to a river access point. This is the Paria Riffles -- the first of many white water rapids along the Colorado River.

We drove from the campground to Lees Ferry (a couple of miles away.) From the parking lot at Lees Ferry there is a pretty trail that meanders alongside the river. We wandered up the trail about a mile and enjoyed the views along the river.