Fun Trips to Cool Places

From the sunset at Lone Rock Beach to the view from Horseshoe Bend, there's a magical feeling to the Lake Powell area. We went seeking water, and got an eyeful of scenes to float our boat.

There's an undeniable appeal to finding oases in the desert. About 170 miles to the north of Sedona sits Lake Powell, a fascinating area where you can find gorgeous rocks, the Colorado River, amazing sunsets, and even a beach.

Our itch for a watery time out was facilitated by custom outdoor tour operator Discovery Treks and its owner/lead guide Robert Fliegel. We asked him to put together a photogenic tour with lots of water views. His itinerary brought us to this area near Page, Ariz., not far from the Utah border.

Gear for this trip was lightweight casual attire, with a good pair of hiking boots a must. Anyone booking a tour such as this would get a checklist of items needed.

And so, our intrepid travelers gathered for a two-day, one-night excursion. As our photographer reported gleefully, the magic was apparent at sunset. "Every five minutes the sky would change completely, getting more beautiful as the time passed until the sun left the sky."

Waterworld: Lake Powell

About 15 minutes from Page, Ariz., sits Lake Powell, 186 miles of sparkling blue. The lake beckons lovers of the popular water activities -- fishing, boating, etc. -- but it's just as powerful if all you want to do is relax and drink it all in. The surrounding red cliffs just take your breath away. The lake was created in 1956, a byproduct of the construction of Glen Canyon Dam. Stretching up from Arizona into Utah, it has more than 2,000 miles of shoreline.

There was one intrusion of reality in this otherwise idyllic scene. Lake Powell has been hit by a severe drought, now stretching into its sixth year. The water level has dropped 130 ft., exposing land masses that would normally be under water and posing an ominous threat to the water supply in the Southwest. It's just a little damper on an otherwise gorgeous day.

No Pushover: Balanced Rock

A freak of nature? Remarkably, this orphaned piece of cliff came to a stop here to create this structure. Ultimately, according to signage at the site, the soft rock now protected by the umbrella of harder conglomerate will erode and the boulder will topple again to the ground, but apparently it's not as much of an anomaly as you might think; nearby piles of gravel mark the sites of former balanced rocks.

Up A Lazy River: Marble Canyon

The extremely colorful rocks of Marble Canyon are a particularly picturesque landmark near the beginning of the Grand Canyon. The Colorado River flows peacefully beneath the cliffs. The Navajo Bridge provides one vantage point from which to view the water below; for a chance to stretch out on the Colorado's banks, travel about 10 miles south of the bridge, where you'll come upon a number of routes that will take you to the river.

Hidden Gem: Upper Antelope Canyon

This is a stunner. Located on Navajo land, the Upper Antelope Canyon (also known as Corkscrew Canyon) is easy to miss -- but don't you dare. A narrow slit in the cliffs conceals a formation of remarkable beauty. Sunlight plays remarkable tricks against the sandstone. The diversity of colors, shapes and patterns is pretty remarkable for a space that's not that big -- and words really don't do it justice. This is one you really need to see for yourself; don't forget your camera (and a tripod helps).

1,100 Ft. High; Horseshoe Bend

Everyone in our party agreed that this was the most spectacular view on our tour. At about 1,100 ft. above the Colorado, on a rock formed by the elements over millions of years, it is invariably humbling.

"It gave depth and perspective to how small we really are. Just the massive depth of the canyon; the beauty of the river running through the rocks. It's phenomenal," said one of our featured pair of travelers.

"I felt so powerful standing up there. It was so quiet and I felt like I was a little tiny thing in a huge universe," said his counterpart. It was a fitting end to our tour, which shows how a volume's worth of memories can begin at just one Page.

Robert Fliegel: Our Faithful Guide

Robert Fliegel made his first trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon in 1990; before the year was over, he was calling Sedona home. Drawing on his academic background in geography and archaeology, he began guiding archaeology tours for a company in Sedona; by 1991, he launched his own tour company, Discovery Treks, which he still runs today.

He's no stranger to outdoor adventures. His personal travels have led him rafting and wildlife viewing on the Alaska Peninsula, back country skiing in British Columbia, to archeology studies on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, kayaking the Queen Charlotte Islands of Canada, climbing Haleakala Volcano in Hawaii, scuba diving in the Coral Sea, and trekking remote jungles of Papua New Guinea.

Feeding his own passion for the great outdoors, he now devotes his time to helping travelers make their own outdoor memories with custom tours. He says his favorite pastime is heading out into remote areas he's never seen and explore, researching new experiences for clients in Arizona and Utah. To learn more, see www.discoverytreks.com.

Sedona Monthly Features Archive Home

© 2006-2007 Bar225 Media Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sitemap

Internet Marketing by North Star Direct Marketing