Marble Canyon near Page, Arizona is glorious at sunset

Marble Canyon is about 40 miles from Page, Arizona. Its where the mighty Colorado river begins its journey into the vast expanse of Grand Canyon downstream. Most rafting trips down Grand Canyon originate at Marble Canyon.

On a late afternoon in March, after we had been amazed by the glorious lights of Antelope Canyon and Waterholes Canyon, we found ourselves driving further away from Page towards Marble Canyon. From Highway 89, after you have passed the famous Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado river, you take a diversion, and kind of head backwards along Highway 89A, running parallel to Highway 89. The vista from Highway 89A, where you are surrounded by colorful cliffs, is stunning.

Soon you arrive at the Navajo Bridge across Marble Canyon. Turns out that the original bridge was built in 1920s, and now there is a second, nearly identical, bridge that replaces it for primary traffic. You realize that the single span bridges are quite extraordinary feats of engineering, as you look down at the Colorado river from the bridge.

It was near sunset time as we came to the bridge. The orange and yellow limestone cliffs around Marble Canyon were taking in the sun's rays and reflecting gold into the waters below. The river was still like a mirror, but majestic in its calm.

Just down from the Marble Canyon, by the bank of the Colorado river, is Lee's Ferry. That is where Grand Canyon river rafting tours start. Lee's Ferry is named for its notorious settler, John D. Lee, who established a ferry at the site. Lee was later executed for his participation in the Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1857, but the site still bears his name. The Ferry was shut down in the 1920s when the Navajo Bridge was built.

The sun was nearly below the horizon as we decided to move on to see the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.