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 Boat service at Lees Ferry continued for over 60 years before being superseded by a bridge in the early 20th century, which allowed for much more efficient automobile travel.
Pipe Spring National Monument in Fredonia, Arizona is rich with American Indian, early explorer, and Mormon pioneer history. The monument preserves a fortified dwelling protecting one of the very few water sources in the extremely arid and desolate Arizona Strip.
Dinosaur National Monument is located on the southeast flank of the Uinta Mountains on the border between Colorado and Utah at the confluence of the Green and Yampa rivers. Although most of the monument area is in Moffat County, Colorado, the Dinosaur Quarry is located in Utah, north of the town of Jensen, Utah. The nearest Colorado town is Dinosaur while the nearest city is Vernal, Utah. The park contains over 800 paleontological sites and has fossils of dinosaurs including Allosaurus, Deinonychus, Abydosaurus, and various sauropods. The Abydosaurus consists of a nearly complete skull, the lower jaw, and first four neck vertebrae.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was recently promoted to national park status becoming the nation’s 61st national park. The park runs for nearly 25 miles along the southern shore of Lake Michigan; it contains approximately 15,000 acres. Its visitors center is in Porter, Indiana. Located in the park are sand dune, wetland, prairie, river, and forest ecosystems. Several of the holdings of the national park are non-contiguous and do not include the 2,182-acre Indiana Dunes State Park, which is within the boundaries of the national park but is owned, managed, and protected by the state of Indiana. The national park is divided into 15 parcels of various acreage. The state park makes it seem to be a typical beach destination with sunbathers and swimmers during the summer months but the greater national park areas are dedicated to preserving and protecting the natural and historic legacy of area more fitting to the national park mandate.
The tallest dune in the park is Mount Baldy which is closed to the public while the park service tries to stabilize the dune due to the impact of erosion from so many visitors.
Chellberg Farm is a historic farmstead which in 1972 became part of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Chellberg Farm is significant as it represents the ethnic heritage of a nearly forgotten Swedish-American settlement. The farm includes a family home, water house with windmill, chicken coop/bunkhouse, and the original barn. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore has recently been promoted to National Park status making it the nation’s 61st national park.
