Download free topo maps of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Use the adjoining 7.5 minute quadrangle legend to locate the Utah maps you need.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (NRA) is located across the two states of Utah and Arizona. It is bordered by the Navajo Indian Reservation and by National Parks and National Monuments to the north and to the west, making access to many points of interest in any direction. The NRA was established as a conservation unit which would give visitors ample recreation to be administered by the National Parks Service; and to provide a reservoir created by the Glen Canyon Dam which formed Lake Powell. Establishment of the NRA also preserves scientific and historic features within the 1.2 million acres of scenic desert and canyons. This immense region spreads hundreds of miles from Lees Ferry, Arizona to the Orange Cliffs in Utah. The spectacular scenic landscape contains an extraordinary chronicle of prehistoric man in this environment. Lake Powell covers some of this archeological information and has in recent years given a voice to those who comprehend the innate value of those sites that have been lost; a chasm between the fine line of anthropologic study and the need for controlling the water. Glen Canyon's history reaches back well over 11,000 years ago and longer, when older groups of nomadic hunters passed through the region. Of five periods of present archeological divisions, the Archaic Period is evident in Glen Canyon. The hunter-gathers, with sandals and artifacts found by archeologists, evidence their existence here; and the Formative Period when permanency was in evidence including agriculture, domestic, social structures and pottery making. During more recent times the mass of humanity that traveled through or settled in nearby regions also left their mark whether homesteaders or American Indian. Today the region offers marinas, campgrounds, houseboat rents and small airports. Water sports abound, in addition to hiking, backpacking, mountain biking and even golfing is available. Four Visitor Centers are available; one "True GRIT" is a floating houseboat, while the others offer opportunities to explore history and science of the region. Learn about Defiance House and rock art, tour Glen Canyon Dam, the Navajo Bridge and learn its history, or the Mormon trail through Hole-in-the-Rock, and the bizarre, disturbing Mormon history at Lees Ferry. Or sign up for a volunteer program to help remove graffiti from the canyon walls. With millions of visitors each year, there are always a few that do not respect the integrity of the surroundings of this remarkable region with its diversity of plants and wildlife that have adapted to the unique conditions of this semi-arid landscape, or the import of the history which it contains.