Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Guide

Glen Canyon NRA offers a wide variety of hiking options to RV campers within the park, from quick strolls, to day hikes, and multi-day backpacking trips. Hikers who take walks in the park are exposed to amazing recreational opportunities along the trails that guarantee memorable experiences. Opportunities to explore the slickrock hills, many side canyons, and passageways through the washes in the park are among the top things that attract hikers to the park. Pets are allowed on the hiking trails.

All the trails in the park are not maintained, so hikers are advised to exercise caution. Moreover, you should bring plenty of water, because finding shade may be difficult.

The geologic wonders of Glen Canyon NRA are best experienced by kayaking on Lake Powell. A variety of kayaking opportunities are available in the park, such as whitewater kayaking, downlake kayaking, uplake kayaking, and sea kayaking. These can take anything from a couple of hours to days meaning paddlers get to pick which one interests them.

While paddling, you are advised to have safety equipment including personal flotation device, emergency blanket, and high energy snack bars.

Kayak trails are also available in the park.

Lake Powell is well-known as a great swimming destination, particularly in summer. As a result, RV campers look forward to swimming in the lake whenever they are visiting Glen Canyon NRA. No lifeguards are on duty at the park, and neither are there designated swimming beaches in Lake Powell or on Colorado River. Consequently, safe swimming is recommended in the park. The boat launch areas and marinas in the park are closed to swimming as they pose safety threats to everyone in the water.

Angling in Glen Canyon NRA is an activity that has long been popular among visitors and campers. Lake Powell in the park offers angling enthusiasts unbeatable experiences as abundant fish thrive in its clear waters. Measures are in place within the park to protect endangered fish species. However, that does not hinder recreational fishing pursuits by campers.

Fish species available in the park include crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish. You’ll be able to catch as many striped bass and walleye as you want, but there are limitations to the quantity of the other fishers that can be caught.

The most popular activity in Glen Canyon NRA, by far, is boating! The park attracts about two million boaters who visit Lake Powell to enjoy this water-based recreational activity.

Five marinas are available on Lake Powell, four of which are equipped with boat ramps for launching private boats. Public launch ramps are also available in the park in areas such as Antelope Point, Halls Crossing and Bullfrog.

If you wish to engage in boating at Glen Canyon NRA, you must carry all required equipment listed in federal and state regulations in your vessel. Safe boating practices in the park are also mandatory.

At Glen Canyon NRA, you’ll be able to watch birds in their various colors and sizes beat their wings and sing from your campsites, along the park’s trails, or at the backcountry sites.

There are 315 documented bird species in the park, a unique diversity enabled by the large open water habitat of Colorado River and the colonization of Lake Powell by aquatic and migrating riparian birds. What’s interesting to note about Glen Canyon NRA is that the park has a low breeding bird population, with only 80 confirmed native breeding species. Yet, the bird diversity is still very high. So, get you binoculars because you won’t get enough of the birds.