Glen Canyon Dam – Page, Arizona

About Glen Canyon Dam

Glen Canyon Dam sits on the Colorado River just outside Page, Arizona, on the border between Arizona and Utah. Construction began in 1956 and was completed in 1966, the result of the Colorado River Storage Project, a federal effort to regulate water flow and generate hydroelectric power across the American Southwest. The dam stands 710 feet tall and stretches 1,560 feet across the canyon, making it one of the largest concrete arch dams in the United States.

Behind the dam sits Lake Powell, the reservoir created when the Colorado River backed up against the structure over the years following its completion. At full capacity Lake Powell holds enough water to cover the entire state of Pennsylvania to a depth of one foot. The reservoir stretches nearly 186 miles upstream into Utah and is surrounded by the red rock canyon country of the Colorado Plateau. It is one of the largest man-made lakes in the country and the centerpiece of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

The dam and the reservoir it created are not without controversy. Glen Canyon itself was considered by many who saw it before the flooding to be among the most beautiful canyon landscapes in the American Southwest. The waters of Lake Powell submerged hundreds of side canyons, archaeological sites, and stretches of the Colorado River that can never be seen again. The debate over the dam, its costs, and whether it should eventually be decommissioned has continued in conservation circles for decades.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area encompasses more than 1.25 million acres of canyon country stretching across the Arizona-Utah border. It is managed by the National Park Service and includes Lake Powell, the dam, and the surrounding canyon landscape. The recreation area offers boating, fishing, hiking, camping, and some of the most dramatic desert scenery in the American West. Wahweap Marina near Page is the main hub for most visitor activity on the lake.

Know Before You Go

• Region: American Southwest / Colorado Plateau / Arizona-Utah Border
• Location: Page, Arizona, on US Highway 89 at the Colorado River
• Address: 691 AZ-98, Page, AZ 86040 (Carl Hayden Visitor Center)
• Coordinates: 36.9369° N, 111.4838° W
• Cost: $30 per vehicle for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. America the Beautiful pass accepted.
• Hours: The dam bridge on US 89 is open at all times. Carl Hayden Visitor Center hours vary by season.
• Phone: (928) 608-6200
• Managed By: National Park Service / Bureau of Reclamation
• Attraction Type: National Recreation Area / Dam / Reservoir
• Activities: Scenic driving, boating, fishing, hiking, dam tours, visitor center
• Notes:
  • The Carl Hayden Visitor Center sits right at the dam and offers free guided tours of the interior. Worth stopping for if you have the time.
  • The bridge on US 89 crosses directly over the dam and gives you a clear view of the downstream face and the canyon below. Even a drive-over is worth slowing down for.
  • Lake Powell water levels have dropped significantly in recent years due to drought conditions across the Colorado River Basin. Check current conditions before planning a boating trip.
  • Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend are both within a few miles of Page and worth adding to any stop in the area.
• Additional Resources: NPS Official Site | Bureau of Reclamation

My Visit

We were driving north on US 89 out of the Grand Canyon, headed toward Zion and whatever came next. The road follows the canyon country up through the Navajo Nation and then you come around a bend and there it is. The dam. The bridge crosses right over it and you are looking straight down at the Colorado River far below and the downstream face of the dam dropping away beneath you.

We did not stop. It was day one of a long week and we had a lot of road ahead of us. But even at highway speed with the windows down and the canyon country going by, the scale of the thing is hard to miss. The river is a long way down. The walls of the canyon frame the whole structure and the reservoir behind it stretches back into the distance further than you can see from the bridge.

I have been around the area since but have not gone back to the dam itself. The Carl Hayden Visitor Center sits right at the structure and offers tours of the interior, which is on the list for the next time I am passing through Page. The photos from that drive are good ones. The canyon light on that stretch of 89 in the afternoon is something.

Worth the Stop

If you are driving US 89 through Page you are crossing the dam whether you plan to or not. Slow down on the bridge and look both directions. Downstream the canyon drops away below you. Upstream Lake Powell stretches back into the red rock as far as you can see. If you have an extra hour the Carl Hayden Visitor Center is free and the dam tours run regularly. Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend are both close enough to make a half day of the whole stop.