Water in the Desert

In the arid Arizona Strip southwest of Kanab, Utah, Pipe Springs National Monument honors native and immigrant cultures that settled around a spring on the high desert. Rangers give guided tours every half-hour of the stone fortress known as Winsor Castle. The structure was built by Mormon pioneers protecting a year-round natural spring. A museum also features the culture of the Kaibab-Paiute tribe who have inhabited the region for centuries.

Our destination for the day was Page, Arizona and Lake Powell. Since we arrived boatless we choose the Canyon Adventure boat tour for a nearly three-hour lake experience. The waters of Lake Powell flow into dozen of desert canyons. On this tour we went up Navajo Canyon and the narrower Antelope Canyon to a spot where we could almost reach out and touch the walls. A watery day in the desert.