Things to do nearGlen Canyon National Recreation Area

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area was established in 1972 and encompasses nearly 1.25 million acres straddling the Utah-Arizona border. The landscape is defined by the Colorado River's ancient work, which sculpted hundreds of miles of sinuous canyon walls from Navajo sandstone. The construction of Glen Canyon Dam in the 1960s created Lake Powell, one of the largest reservoirs in the United States, transforming the canyon into a destination equally suited to boaters and hikers.

On the water, visitors can join boat tours that thread through flooded canyon arms, revealing wave-carved grottos and natural bridges unreachable on foot. Anglers pursue striped bass and walleye across the reservoir's broad reaches, while swimmers cool off in coves sheltered by sheer stone walls.

On land, trails fan out across slickrock benches and into narrow slot canyons. The area sits within a remarkable region: nearby Horseshoe Bend offers one of the Colorado Plateau's most photographed overlooks, just a short drive away. Backcountry routes lead to ancient Ancestral Puebloan granaries and pictograph panels, offering a window into thousands of years of human presence in this canyon country.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area rewards those who linger. Its combination of water, wilderness, and geological spectacle makes it one of the most versatile and visually stunning public lands in the entire Southwest.