Descending Sheep Panel

GPS planning file and map.

The Descending Sheep Panel is a site along the Colorado River between Page and Lees Ferry, Arizona that we haven't visited yet. The site can only be accessed by water. If you Google 'Horseshoe Bend rafting tour' you can find a company one of which currently charges $129 for a half day trip to Petroglyph Beach.

Included with this post is the GPS file and map that we plan to use for our first visit. If you don't want to wait for us to get around to it feel free to try the GPS file and map for yourself. With no guarantee, of course, but they most often prove valuable for us.

Navajo Bridge

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.1 - 0.8 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 3551 - 3571 feet
Cellphone: 3-5 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center
Fee: none
Attractions: Historic bridge, California Condors

Navajo Bridge is located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near Marble Canyon, Arizona. The historic bridge spans the Colorado River below Lee's Ferry as it begins its flow into the Grand Canyon. Navajo Bridge was opened in 1929 to replace Lee's Ferry which was the only means of crossing the Colorado River anywhere along the Arizona Strip. California Condors can be spotted frequently perched on the girders below the original bridge and its replacement that was opened in 1995.

Upper Cathedral Wash

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 3 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 3438 - 3720 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr. 45 mins.
Trailhead: Cathedral Wash
Fee: $20/vehicle
Attractions: Scenic wash

The Upper Cathedral Wash trail is located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near Lees Ferry, Arizona. The trail begins at the point where Cathedral Wash passes under the Lees Ferry Road and continues up the wash toward the Vermillion Cliffs. This post follows the main channel of the wash for 1.5 miles before turning around at a large boulder jam which was about 600 feet from the boundary of the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.

Lower Cathedral Wash

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 1 - 3 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: ~3100 - 3448 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 3 hrs. 45 mins.
Trailhead: Cathedral Wash
Fee: $20/vehicle
Attractions: Scenic canyon

Lower Cathedral Wash is located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near Lees Ferry, Arizona. The trail begins where the Lees Ferry Road crosses Cathedral Wash. From there it follows the shallow canyon downstream to the Colorado River. The lower part of the trail near the Colorado River is within the boundaries of the Grand Canyon National Park. Due to the dangers of flash flooding the wash should be avoided when thunderstorms are present in the area.

Lonely Dell Ranch

Rating:
Round Trip Distance: 0.25 - 1.2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 3105 - 3150 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Lonely Dell Ranch
Fee: $20/vehicle
Attractions: Historic pioneer ranch

The Lonely Dell Ranch is located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area at Lees Ferry, Arizona. The ranch served as the homesites for those that worked on the ferry. Lonely Dell sits a short distance from the Paria River near its confluence with the Colorado River. The ranch was built in 1871 by Mormon pioneer John D. Lee, a practicing polygamist, who built cabins there for two of his families. Lee was executed in 1877 for his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre whereupon the Mormon Church bought the rights to the ferry and granted them to Warren Marshall Johnson and his families who took up residence at Lonely Dell.