Marble Canyon

On flat ground at the base of the Vermilion Cliffs there are numerous rocks and boulders ranging in size from dust particles to the size of a school bus. These are chunks of the cliffs that have broken off and then sculpted and eroded by water and wind.

In the lower views at right, Indians have used some boulders to build shelters.

We come next to the Colorado River and the river crossing point at Lees Ferry. Lees Ferry is the only location upstream of the Grand Canyon, for many miles, that is accessible by vehicles.

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The photos above and below show the Vermilion Cliffs, adjacent to Marble Canyon. The cliffs, in the background above, are massive sheer-walled deposits of red Navaho sandstone, the same material that makes up the formations at Zion Nat. Park. The cliffs stretch for over 30 miles and delineate a desolate wilderness that is home to many species of birds, including California condors. (The condors are huge birds, almost 10 ft wingspan, which have been reintroduced into the region after becoming virtually extinct.)

Above: one of the houses and the orchard at Lonely Dell, the farm at Lees Ferry. Below: At the river front where the ferry operated in the 1870s, the remains of Lee’s buildings are still standing.

At right: an old National Park Service photo showing a covered wagon crossing the Colorado River at Lees Ferry.

Above: the Colorado River at Lees Ferry. The ferry is named after John D. Lee, a Mormon settler, who, with his 17 wives, established the ferry in 1871 while in exile following his role in the massacre of 70 emigrants near St. George, Utah. (This was the Mountain Meadows Massacre; Lee was eventually executed.) Lee established a farm near the ferry, which is now being operated by the National Park Service as an historical site. One of his wives called the farm Lonely Dell, the name still used. (It’s hard for us to picture the dell as lonely, with 17 women and lots of kids running around.)

Because of its location and its accessibility (vehicles can drive right down to the river), Lees Ferry is the starting point for raft trips through the Grand Canyon. Here one of the rafts used for the trips is preparing to dock and pick up passengers.

Welcome to our web page, in which we highlight some of our favorite photographs of Arizona’s Marble Canyon, the nearby Vermilion Cliffs, and Lees Ferry.

These places stand as spectacular gateways to the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. On its journey southwest, the Colorado River widens to form Lake Powell as a result of the Glen Canyon dam, and then it continues to flow through Marble Canyon before entering the Grand Canyon at Lees Ferry. Marble Canyon is so named because of its colorful rocks.

With this brief visit we say goodbye to the scenery of Marble Canyon. Please click here to move next to our page on the Grand Canyon.