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Backcountry River Permit System Implemented For Lees Ferry Area At Glen Canyon NRA

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By Compiled From N... - May 21st, 2023

The Colorado River below Lees Ferry/Kurt Repanshek file

You'll soon need a permit if you plan to boat on the Colorado River between the Glen Canyon Dam and Lees Ferry. The National Park Service at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area will begin requiring the free permit on June 1 for that 16-mile stretch of river.

“This Glen Canyon stretch of the Colorado River is experiencing increased visitation and changes in visitor use," said Superintendent Michelle Kerns in a release. "This free river permit system will provide visitor use information to inform decisions about future management of the area and improvements needed to address visitor needs. The Colorado River has been identified as one of the most endangered rivers in our nation due to impacts from climate change."

One permit per group is required and an unlimited number of permits are available. Permits are free of charge, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on an unlimited basis. They are available at a self-serve kiosk in the parking lot above the Lees Ferry launch ramp. Permits do not reserve campsites or place any restrictions on allowable activities within the river. Visitors must submit the white original copy of the permit at the permit kiosk and keep the yellow carbon copy on their person. Permits are not required for visitors hiking or fishing along the riverbank or for concessioner-operated float trips. However, visitors utilizing back-haul services will be required to obtain the permit.

River runners launching Colorado River trips downriver through Grand Canyon National Park are not required to have the free Lees Ferry Backcountry River Permit but must obtain a river permit from Grand Canyon National Park prior to launching. 

Lees Ferry is 42 miles (61 km) from Page, Arizona, via U.S. Highway 89 south and U.S. Highway 89A west. The park entrance is in Marble Canyon, just west of Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center. A paved road leads five miles (eight km) to the Lees Ferry area. Services available at Lees Ferry include a National Park Service campground, dump station and public Colorado River launch ramp. There is a gas station, store, and post office at Marble Canyon, next to the park entrance. More services are found west on U.S. Highway 89A.

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