Day 3 National Parks Summer Road Trip
So long Flagstaff! Today’s destination is the Grand Canyon North Rim! It’s 208 miles and almost 3 and a half hours, if you don’t stop to see everything, and we stop to see everything! One of my favorite and most anticipated stops was the Navajo Bridge, which crosses the Colorado River just down from Lees Ferry, which is the start of the Grand Canyon!
The Navajo Bridge is located in Marble Canyon on US 89A, and is actually two arch bridges. Headed into the National Park, just after you cross over the river, you’ll see a turn off for a parking area. We stopped and enjoyed a quick picnic lunch from our ice chest, then took a walk out on the original bridge, which was opened in 1929 but now only used for pedestrians since the new bridge was opened in 1995. There’s of course no shade, and it was crazy hot! Crazy hot was kinda the theme of this whole trip. But what a view! We watched as boats went under us, and while we didn’t see them, we heard the California Condors that nest under the bridge!
The California Condors, which are extremely endangered, so much that every chick is tagged so they know exactly how many there are and if anything happens to them, were reintroduced in the wild at nearby Lees Ferry, and some of them have stuck around!
When we could no longer stand the heat, we headed into the gift shop and picked up a book and a few stickers. There are bathrooms here, also.
I love reading about places we go when we travel, and for this part of our trip I read Kevin Fedarko’s A Walk in the Park, (affiliate link) which was just released earlier this year. It’s his memoir of his through-hike in the Grand Canyon, and even if we hadn’t been on this trip, it’s a great read!
More Things To Do Nearby:
If I had the time, I would have loved to have traveled down to Lees Ferry. It’s the only place where you can drive down to the Colorado River, and where most of the rafting outfitters put in for trips! There’s a campground that’s first come on sites, operated by the NPS. There is also hiking, including the 5.6 mile out and back Paria Canyon Trail and Buckskin Gulch, said to be the longest slot canyon in the world.
I promised my husband that on our next trip we would go fishing! Lees Ferry Anglers Fly Shop offers guide fishing trips and boat rentals.
Cliff Dwellers Restaurant is supposed to be wonderful, and probably a definite step up from the ham sandwiches we had in the car! They also have a lodge.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
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