Marble Canyon Mecca

Rich and I rescheduled our trip to Vegas for another time. We packed the car and headed 4 hours to Northern Arizona to Lees Ferry/Marble Canyon. The weather was perfect for hiking on Friday and Saturday.

Before you get to the lodge, you must cross the Navajo Bridge. We parked the car and walked the old bridge that connects the gorge. A view of the Colorado River 475 feet below is not for the weak. The silence of the area left you listening to the river below. We were not fortunate enough to see the California Condors that live in the area. A couple we spoke with said seven of them like to sit on the bridge. Bummer.

We checked into the Cliff Dwellers Lodge. Stunning views of the Vermillion Cliffs. The rooms were clean,spacious and a great rate ($55 a night). The lodge caters to fly fisherman, so the front of the lodge by the end of the day is wader drying heaven.

The restaurant at the lodge is awesome. Rich had the best ribs ever! The ahi salad was a real treat. You have two food choices in this area. Cliff Dweller Restaurant or the Lees Ferry Motel. They cater to fisherman, hikers and any other crazy outdoors person you may encounter. The food must be good for the outdoors man type. The service was great and the company in the 8 table restaurant was friendly.

We hiked Lonely Dell Ranch on Saturday afternoon. The Loney Dell was home to families that operated Lees Ferry. It was really remarkable to think people lived in the surroundings the area posed. About a mile behind the ranch is Paria Canyon. It offers spectacular views of red rock along the river bed.

After our hiking, we stopped by the Lees Ferry Motel for some lunch. The husband and wife team working in the restaurant were so pleasant. They love the area and homeschool all three of their children. Their children have great opportunities to work with the river guides and anglers in the area. What an experience. Food and company were so welcoming, we decided to have dinner their as well. Two ribeye dinners please! They gave us a tour of the Lees Ferry Motel. The rooms were so cute. It is a definite stay then next time we venture north.

The silence of the canyon at night is soothing. We had almost a full moon to view, so it made stargazing a little difficult. The moon reflecting on the cliffs was something out of a movie.

As much as we wanted to hike on Sunday, snow on the cliffs left us wondering what the drive home would be like. It rained until we reached Flagstaff. Then the snow fell, and fell and fell. My last driving experience in snow was....was....was....11 years ago. I must say, it looked lovely, but I don't miss shoveling it or driving in it.

We made it home and refreshed. View the photos for yourself and image the silence.