Arizona Spring Break: Day 3: Grand Canyon, to Horseshoe Bend to Lake Powell

Breakfast at the famous El Tovar hotel was a real treat for the start of our day. Afterwards, we hiked to Ooh Aah Point - an easy, below-the-rim hike on the South Kaibab trail with a nice viewpoint. Our timeline and my knee couldn’t handle more serious hikes on this trip, but it was fulfilling hike a bit into the canyon and back out again, up a lot of switchbacks.

We then headed east and stopped at the Grandview Point, Lipan Point, and the Desert View Watchtower. Each spot afforded different perspectives into the canyon and views of the Colorado River. We had one stop outside the park looking down to the Little Colorado River - brown canyon walls and a brown river below. We then started throwing down the miles northbound on the two-lane Route 89. We detoured a bit to the Navajo Bridge at Lee’s Ferry and were impressed at how the old bridge (now for pedestrians) and the new bridge were supported into the canyon walls. The Colorado River looked beautiful and green thousands of feet below. This is essentially the eastern end and the beginning of the Grand Canyon. Just before reaching Page, Arizona, we stopped at the Horseshoe Bend overlook which in an incredible spot to see the river do a 180 degree turn. It is mind-boggling to contemplate how the river has been eroding the rock in that particular formation.

Finally, we drove north of Page to the Wahweap Marina and Campground on Lake Powell - the reservoir created behind the Glen Canyon Dam. The scale is massive and it is really refreshing to see actual blue water on a landscape that holds so many rocks. Our last time here was 2017 - we towed the Boston Whaler down with our camping gear on it and used it to explore all the nooks and crannies of Lake Powell. We are excited to go out on the lake tomorrow!

We set up camp overlooking the lake and had a slow, relaxing evening. The sun sets pretty early and we are enjoying a warm desert night. We are finishing it off with a fire and listening to Jack Johnson’s “Brushfire Fairytales.” It is a sweet ending to our day.