
Colorado River, from Navajo Bridge, US 89A, Arizona
One of my favorite drives in northern Arizona crosses the line on the map between the Navajo Nation and the upper reaches of Grand Canyon National Park.
Navajo Bridge is a long steel span on US 89A that crosses the Marble Canyon portion of the Colorado River gorge. Actually there are two bridges: the new one and the old one. The old one serves as a tourist attraction, and a spectacular one at that. On the west end of the bridge is the National Park Service Visitor Center, with bookstore and restrooms. On the east end is the Navajo Nation, with numerous Indian artists selling their authentic jewelry.
Walking out onto the old bridge affords excellent views of the Colorado River beneath. In this photo we can notice some things. The calm flow of the river, the reflection of the Arizona blue sky above. The red rock canyon walls. The bright green strips of vegetation hugging the river’s edge, beyond which it’s immediately desert again.
Upriver from here is Lee’s Ferry, the famous put-in spot for all those river rafting expeditions into Grand Canyon. They will float languidly into this view before eventually entering the deeper portions of the canyon, with their whitewater rapids hazards and thrills.
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