Page and the Grand Canyon

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Thu, 15 September – Page

One of the things I really like about the Bryce Canyon region is the dedicated paved bike paths that meander through the trees and across the landscapes. We first noticed the path in Red Canyon, which is a small state park about 20 miles out of Bryce. It’s actually a vivid red and quite a beauty in and of itself, and we stopped there for a short walk before continuing our exit. We wished we’d had an extra night to explore the little gem rather than just drive through it.

Back to the bike path. It goes all the way to Bryce Canyon and inside the park for miles. There must be at least 50 miles of bitumen. I’m so impressed at their commitment to fund such an extensive network for cyclists. If I ever came back to this region, I’d like to hire a bike for the day and ride around.

We left the Bryce region and continued south through Utah, following every manner of canyon you can imagine – red ones, yellow ones, grey ones. This part of Utah seems to be nothing but one canyon after another. We stopped at what looked like a forgettable town called Kanab for lunch. We followed signs to their city park and whoa – there in the backstreets at the base of a small canyon was a wonderful park with plush green grass, lots of picnic tables under trees and shelters, a small water park and extensive playground for kids, as well as basketball courts, baseball field and skate park. It really was a little oasis in a nothing town so I was surprised at this space of beauty. Well played, Kanab, well played.

We followed signs to Vermillion Cliffs, and as we left Utah and the canyons receded into the plains of Arizona, the scenery was changing every 30 minutes. From grassy plains to forested plateaus of pine trees, to the stark purple Vermillion cliffs that overshadow the Colorado river, to desert plains that stretched out for miles like the Aussie Outback, it was a beautiful 2hr drive. I can’t say enough how much I love a good USA road trip. There’s so much variety at every turn.

We eventually crossed the Colorado river and came into Page. It’s another lacklustre town but there is a lot to see in this area so it’s a good, albeit expensive, base. At sunset we drove out to Horseshoe Bend. This is where the Colorado River turns 270 degrees back on itself around a bend. The viewpoint is 300m above the river and apart from a small fenced viewing area, anyone can walk on the cliffs either side to get their preferred view. We were there with hundreds of other so it wasn’t exactly romantic or secluded, but it was easy to find our own patch of cliff edge for that perfect shot. I think after Angel’s Landing, I have formed a new fear of edges and ledges! Still, we both got close enough to get the shots but still be far enough away to be safe. Others were pushing the boundaries for their Instagram account, but hey, all power to them if they can control their nerves.

Whilst the ambience is touristy to the max, the landscape itself is striking. The canyon has sheer drops to the dark river below, with the river almost making an O-shape as it curves around a rocky peninsula in the middle. Sunset was at 6.38pm and we arrived at the park just after 6pm but hadn’t figured on the 15 minute walk so by the time we arrived we only had 2 minutes of sun before it sunk behind some low-laying clouds on the horizon. Our photos won’t be as good as they may have been 30 minutes earlier, but we still got some great shots and we snuggled as we watched the sun set on a magnificent landscape.

Fri, 16 September - Williams

Page may be a hole of a town but it packs a punch with lots of things to see and do. You come to Page to empty your wallet. Some of the paid tours include Antelope Canyon, Waterhole Canyon and Navajo Canyon Cruises and Lake Powell, as well as helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon. We had a parks pass so went to Lake Powell because it was free. Decades ago, the seven states of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California all agreed that they would build a series of dams to divvy up the water in the Colorado River. Arizona built Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell is what now exists because of the dam. There are lots of house boats, jet skis, ski boats and general pleasure cruisers unloading and loading from the massive boat ramp. It’s quite a hive of activity.

Unfortunately, the lake is very low compared to 10 years ago, approx. 200ft below its previous level. The lack of water has exposed new canyons that the boats now have to navigate around, when usually they would cruise over the top. They even had to build a new boat ramp because the original one no longer reaches the water line. It’s rather sad to see all these plateaus and canyons that should be under water, and I feel bad for the land that so much has been taken out of the Colorado River. I looked at booking a canyon cruise, but unfortunately they were half day tours and we didn’t have time to wait for a 1pm departure. I regret not prebooking something.

We jumped in the car and started our drive to Williams. The canyons morphed through various shapes and sizes and after 1.5hrs, it gave way to arid desert and then grassy plains, finishing with forested mountains near Flagstaff. The forests continued to Williams, which is one of the towns on the famed route 66, as well as being on one of the main transcontinental rail routes across the States. It’s a very cute cowboy/Western town full of life and tourists. We collected our tickets from the Railway Station and walked around town before Sabbath came in at sunset. We found a ma and pa type restaurant that sold no less than 50 different types of pie! Dwayne had pumpkin pie and I had key lime. They were both delicious!

Sabbath, 17 September – Grand Canyon

There is something romantic about the sound of a steam engine whistle and the clickety clack of their wheels. Given there are ever fewer people with the skills to maintain them, you never know how long before they disappear from the rail landscape, so we take opportunities to ride them whenever possible.

Today is the 121^st anniversary of the Grand Canyon Railway, delivering passengers from Williams to the Grand Canyon since 1901. The trip runs every day but on special occasions, they run a steam engine and today is one of those occasions. We’re being pulled by number 4960, which was restored in 1996 for $1.5M and 80,000 man hours. It’s a 2-8-2 config, and Dwayne tells me it’s a Mikado configuration.

It's 65 miles and 2.5hrs into the Grand Canyon from Williams and we ride in the Pullman class, which is a restored carriage from 1923. It’s the only carriage that has windows that open, which is both good and bad because it means we can put our head out to take photos, but it’s bad because it means no air conditioning. Luckily, the forecast was for 22C so it wasn’t an issue. There are 13 carriages, plus a café car, power car, diesel engine and steam engine.

We left at 9.30am, trundling our way across the landscape, enjoying the gentle sway of rail travel of yesteryear. We arrive at the Grand Canyon at 12pm and have 3hrs to explore. We eat our humble lunch of cheese and tomato on a bread stick before hitting the rim trail from the Train Depot to the Visitor Centre – approx. 4.2km one way.

The Grand Canyon is…grand, but not pretty. Its size is unmatched, being 1.6km deep and 272 miles long. There’s no denying the many layers and levels are impressive, stretching as far as the eye can see. The statistics are mind boggling and looking at the GC, the brain can’t quite compute the vastness.

I didn’t realise when we crossed the Colorado River back on Thursday at the base of the Vermillion Cliffs, that the small canyon we saw was the head of the Grand Canyon. If we’d known that, we would have stopped at the river crossing and taken note of how it all starts.

It's extraordinary but it’s not as picturesque as other NPs like Zion and Bryce. It’s arid in the actual canyon and whilst it has forest on top, it doesn’t have the postcard moments that other NPs have. I’m glad we’ve seen it and I wish we’d had time for a helicopter tour down into the Canyon, but the day was less about the canyon and more about riding the rails. I feel that the Grand Canyon treats you like an observer but the other parks welcome you to get amongst it.

The only real way to enjoy it is a helicopter or mule trip down into the valley. Or for the truly insane, a 6 hour hike to the bottom followed by a 12 hour hike back up.

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Photos

Lake Powell - Arizona's water source
These canyons that the boats are navigating around, used to be underwater 10 years ago.