After Bryce Canyon, my next destination was Lee’s Ferry, part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It’s in Arizona on the bank of the Colorado River.
Ah, but first I had to get there! According to the maps, Lee’s Ferry is about 160 miles from Bryce Canyon. If I were rolling down I-94, from Kalamazoo to Detroit, it would take about three hours. However, this route was full of elevation changes.
- Bryce Canyon, Utah 7,664 feet
- Mt. Carmel, Utah 5,203 feet
- Kanab, Utah 4,970 feet
- Jacob Lake, Arizona 8,000 feet
- Lee’s Ferry, Arizona 3,200 feet
That adds time to the trip, but the views can be spectacular. Of course, I had to stop at Jacob Lake Inn for the cookies. I had several people tell me that I had to stop. Who am I to reject the advice of random people?
Jacob Lake is the entrance to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Even though I was passing through at the end of April, the entrance wasn’t open yet. After seeing the snow in Bryce Canyon, I can imagine that the conditions might not have been right yet.
There was a pine forest around Jacob Lake. Tall pines. I would have liked to have stayed, but the campground wasn’t open yet, either.
Back on the road, I notice a pull off for a scenic view. The traffic was light and there was easy parking, so I pulled off to take a look.
Wow!
At the top of the stairs to the overlook, there was a cute little shelter. It mad me think of what an Airstream dinette would look like if it was designed by Fred Flintstone.
Back on the road, and there was another scenic pull off.
I was getting close to the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. The land sure does change quickly!
I stopped for a late lunch at a restaurant called Cliff Dwellers. It was also recommended by a random person.
Nourished and refreshed, it was time for the final push to Lee’s Ferry Campground.
I got there and found a pull-though site. I leveled the trailer and got unhitched and then went to pay my $18 nightly fee at the kiosk. It’s a small campground and no one was on duty – at least not this time of year. Someone in an official vehicle toured the camp several times a day, but no one was there to check us in and out.
The campground is perched on a bluff above the Colorado River. There are about three sites that have front row seats. I was tucked in the middle, but I still walked over to take a look.
Yep! That’s the Colorado River down there!
And, judging from the sign in the restroom, there is fishing in the river.
There are lizards up around the campsites.
I met a lizard sunning itself on my way back to the trailer. I had business to attend to back in the trailer, however.
COOKIES!