Camping – Page 2 – WANDERLUST FAMILY ADVENTURE

Curecanti National Recreation Area – Gunnison, Colorado

September 1, 2020 Joseph Candora Camping, Colorado, Hiking, Lake/Pond, Mountain, National Parks Service, North America, Rivers, United States

Curecanti National Recreation Area is a National Park Service unit located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Established in 1965, Curecanti is responsible for developing and managing recreational facilities on three reservoirs, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Morrow Point Reservoir and Crystal Reservoir, constructed on the upper Gunnison River in the 1960s by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to better utilize the vital waters of the Colorado River and its major tributaries. A popular destination for boating and fishing, Curecanti offers visitors two marinas, traditional and group campgrounds, hiking trails, boat launches, and boat-in campsites. The state’s premiere lake trout and Kokanee salmon fisheries, Curecanti is a popular destination for boating and fishing, and is also a popular area for ice-fishing in the winter months.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Lake Mead National Recreation Area – Boulder City, Nevada

August 31, 2020 Joseph Candora Arizona, Camping, Canoeing, Dam, Hiking, Lake/Pond, National Parks Service, Nevada, North America, United States

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area located in southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. Lake Mead NRA follows the Colorado River corridor from the westernmost boundary of Grand Canyon National Park to just north of the cities of Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona. It includes all of the eponymous Lake Mead as well as the smaller Lake Mohave – reservoirs on the river created by Hoover Dam and Davis Dam, respectively – and the surrounding desert terrain and wilderness. Formation of Lake Mead began in 1935, less than a year before Hoover Dam was completed. The area surrounding Lake Mead was established as the Boulder Dam Recreation Area in 1936 and the name was changed to Lake Mead National Recreation Area in 1947. In 1964, the area was expanded to include Lake Mohave and its surrounding area and became the first National Recreation Area to be designated as such by the U.S. Congress.

At the marina be sure to walk out onto the docks, not only can you admire the boats but the swarming fish waiting to be fed are a sight to behold.

Although boating is the main attraction there are hiking and camping opportunities available.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument – Gunnison, Colorado

August 31, 2020 Joseph Candora Camping, Colorado, Hiking, Mountain, National Parks Service, North America, Rivers, United States

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument was promoted to National Park status in 1999. There are two primary entrances to the park: the south rim entrance is located 15 miles east of Montrose, while the north rim entrance is 11 miles south of Crawford and is closed in the winter. The park contains 12 miles of the 48-mile long Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. The national park itself contains the deepest and most dramatic section of the canyon, but the canyon continues upstream into Curecanti National Recreation Area and downstream into Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area. The canyon’s name owes itself to the fact that parts of the gorge only receive 33 minutes of sunlight a day. The shear depth of the canyon is incredible and although very different is just as magnificent a sight as the Grand Canyon in its own unique way.

Marble Canyon – Arizona

August 30, 2020 Joseph Candora Arizona, Camping, Canoeing, Hiking, Historic Sites, Lake/Pond, Mountain, National Parks Service, North America, Rivers, United States

Marble Canyon is the section of the Colorado River canyon in northern Arizona from Lee’s Ferry to the confluence with the Little Colorado River, which marks the beginning of the Grand Canyon. Marble Canyon marks the western boundary of the Navajo Nation. In 1975, the former Marble Canyon National Monument, which followed the Colorado River northeast from the Grand Canyon to Lee’s Ferry, was made part of Grand Canyon National Park. The name Marble Canyon is a misnomer because there is no marble there. Although John Wesley Powell knew this when he named the canyon, he thought the polished limestone looked like marble. In his words, “The limestone of the canyon is often polished, and makes a beautiful marble. Sometimes the rocks are of many colors – white, gray, pink, and purple, with saffron tints.”

Lee’s Ferry – Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Arizona)

August 30, 2020 Joseph Candora Arizona, Camping, Canoeing, Hiking, Historic Markers, Historic Sites, Mountain, National Parks Service, North America, Rivers, United States

Lee’s Ferry is a common launching point for river runners starting their journey through Marble Canyon and then onward to the Grand Canyon. It is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Marble Canyon is also well known for the Navajo Bridge, where US Highway 89A crosses the Colorado River. This is one of the very few areas where you can reach the Colorado River by car. Due to its unique geography – the only place in hundreds of miles from which one can easily access the Colorado River from both sides – it historically served as an important river crossing and starting in the mid-19th century was the site of a ferry operated by John Doyle Lee, for whom it is named. Boat service at Lees Ferry continued for over 60 years before being superseded by a bridge in the early 20th century, which allowed for much more efficient automobile travel.

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