John Wesley Powell Memorial Museum

   In 1869 John Wesley Powell led an expedition down the Green River in Wyoming to the Colorado River and through the rapids of the Grand Canyon. The trip took three months and was the first recorded passage through the entirety of the Grand Canyon.

  The museum is not just about Powell. The canyon attracted miners and adventurers. The sport of river running started in the early 1900s and stories of many of the early “river rats” are featured in the museum. The geology of the canyon, fossilized dinosaur tracks, life in Page while the dam was being built and Native American culture is also covered.

  The museum is accessible.

  RVs will fit in the parking lot but if it’s full parking is also available  one block north on 7th Ave. A free dump and fresh water is located on 7th Ave. too.
Museum    36.91922, -111.45978

Glen Canyon Dam

  Glen Canyon Dam is one of the newest dams on the main channel of the Colorado River. It was completed in 1966 and forms Lake Powell, the  second largest artificial lake in US. The dam provides hydroelectric power and the lake supplements the water stored at Lake Mead. Six states and Mexico share the water that is stored in the Colorado River reservoirs.

  The dam site has a visitor center and overlooks. Guided tours ($)of the dam are given daily beginning at 8:00 AM. The Glen Canyon Bridge has walkways on both sides with great views of the dam and the canyon.
        
  The visitor center, some of the overlooks, and the bridge are accessible. We didn’t take the dam tour but the tours that we’ve taken in the past at other dams have all been accessible.

  The parking lot has long RV spaces.
Dam   36.93674, -111.48704

Lone Rock Beach Primitive Camping

   Lone Rock is part of Lake Powell National Recreation Area. The campground has portable toilets, a dump station and fresh water but no tables or numbered campsites. Camping is along the shore slightly above the lake and sandy beach. Stay on the gravel to avoid getting stuck in the soft sand. There’s also a camping area located high above the lake and near the dump station where the ground is hard.
             
   The gravel and sand make rolling around very difficult so this isn’t a wheelchair friendly place. If we camp here again we’ll stay in the higher camping area which has a great view.

Campground     37.01871, -111.54107

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

  Best Friends was established in 1984 when the founders, in a mission to save as many unwanted animals as possible, bought a canyon north of Kanab, Utah and started building facilities for the animals. The sanctuary cares for about 1,700 animals daily, finds new families for many of them, and provides a lifetime home for the ones that can not be adopted for various reasons. Dogs, cats, horses, birds, rabbits, pigs, and an assortment of other animals all live at the sanctuary. It’s an amazing place where the animals receive excellent care.

   Free guided tours are given four times a day. We went on a general tour which is a two long bus tour through the gorgeous scenery of the canyon with two stops at animal facilities. Other tours center on individual areas of the sanctuary  Advance registration is recommended. Because of the large amount of visitors there is not a lot of interaction with the animals but arrangements can be made for people who want to volunteer or adopt an animal.

  The sanctuary is not completely accessible. Two short, accessible parking spots are located at the visitor center. We were given a private tour in a shuttle bus with a wheelchair lift. We visited the center for newly arrived dogs which is not a regular stop and we did not visit the cats.

  A RV parking lot is next to the car parking lot. The easiest way to get to the ramp to the visitor center is to exit the lot and wheel up the paved road. There’s also a drop off loop at the visitor center but it may be too tight of a turn for RVs.
        
  We ate lunch at the sanctuary cafe which serves an all-you- can-eat buffet featuring a main dish, salads and desserts. Everything is vegetarian or vegan and very good. There are no directional signs to the cafe and the website does not have much information but it is opened to staff and visitors. The entrance has a step up and there isn’t a ramp. Vehicles are limited to 30’ due to short parking spots.

  We boondocked a few miles north of the sanctuary on BLM land. Dirt roads along Hancock Road provide great boondocking spots but the ground is sandy and it’s very easy to get stuck. If you’re unsure park and walk in first. The road we chose is solid as long as you stay on the main path and don’t go in very far.

  An added bonus of our visit was the chance to meet a long time internet friend and CRVL member who is lucky enough to work at the sanctuary. Thanks Steve, it was a pleasure to spend time with you!
 Sanctuary   37.12513, -112.54352     Boondocking                          37.1431, -112.58482

Little Hollywood Movie Museum

   The museum is located out the back door of a large gift shop. The movie set buildings have been arranged to form an old west town. Stop in the first building and watch the two short films explaining how the sets were constructed and which movies they appeared in. The whole area is small so it doesn’t take very much time to visit but it’s interesting to see how different the real thing is from the way it appears to be in the movies - buildings that are just an elaborate front propped up by two by fours, stucco bricks that are really fiberglass and a stone building made of stryrofoam.
        
  The gift shop is accessible but the town is not due to loose gravel and steps.

   The parking lot is large enough for any RV.
Museum   37.04822, -112.5342

Pipe Spring National Monument

  Pipe Springs, fed by rain and snow melt in the mountains, has been a source of water for nomadic tribes for centuries. In 1870 Brigham Young, president of the LDS church, decided that the arces of grassland and the year round flow of water made it a good place to establish a cattle ranch. Cheese, butter, and cattle were sent to St. George twice a month. This venture lasted for 8 years before a lack of rain and overgrazing made it unprofitable.

  The land surrounding Pipe Springs has been returned to the Kaibab PaiuteTribe. The monument site which consists of the ranch house, out buildings, a paved trail, and a visitor center is managed jointly by the park service and the Kaibab PaiuteTribe.

  The site is partly accessible. The visitor center is completely accessible. The paved trail is accessible. The ranch house, built similar to a fort with an enclosed courtyard and narrow exterior windows, is not accessible due to steps. The ranch house can be seen by guided tour which starts in the courtyard. Some of the ranger talk can be heard from the courtyard. The out buildings all have steps or high thresholds.


  The parking lot has long RV spaces.

  We stayed at the Kaibab Paiute RV Park which is 1/2 mile north of the monument. The park has been undergoing renovation. There isn’t a restroom and shower building yet but there is a pota-potty. Few sites have tables. All have full hookups. Most have a sideways slope so leveling is necessary The ground surface is loose gravel which makes rolling around a bit difficult.
      
Monument    36.8621, -112.73704     Campground   36.86702, -112.73591

Little Black Mountain Petroglyphs

   A drive of about 4.5 miles along a rough dirt road is necessary to get to the petroglyph site but it’s worth the journey. The BLM website recommends high clearance vehicles. We saw passenger cars that made it there okay however there were some spots that could cause damage to a car’s undercarriage. It should not be attempted with a large RV or trailer.
      
  The site has over 500 petroglyphs and some of them are at least 6,000 years old. The site may have been a religious or spiritual gathering spot because there aren’t any grinding holes or other signs that people stayed for long periods of time.  Natural erosion has created very cool rock formations.


 
  We were pleased to find that the 1/2 mile gravel and dirt trail to some of the best petroglyphs is fairly accessible. It has a slight uphill grade so wheelchair users may need to have some help.

  The surrounding area is BLM land so we looked for spot that showed prior usage and boondocked just a short distance from the petroglyph site. If you have a large RV boondocking is available near the beginning of the road to the site. Most of this land is state trust land and a permit is required. These are now available online for $15.00. The permit is good for a year and allows access to all Arizona state trust lands for hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, picnics, photography, bird watching, sightseeing and other activities. Camping is limited to 14 days per year. 

  The site is in Arizona but the only way to get there is from St. George, Utah.
Petroglyphs    36.98277, -113.50309   Boondocking   36.97993, -113.5035
 

McQuarrie Memorial Museum

   St. George was founded in 1861 by members of the LDS church who were sent by Brigham Young to establish a  cotton growing community. Cotton was grown for about 50 years but was never a successful crop. The museum has information about growing cotton and raising silk worms along with donated artifacts including examples of beautiful needlework and many portraits of early settlers. Little written information is provided but the volunteers are very helpful. Photography is not permitted.

  The museum is accessible. The lower level is accessed by a ramp. Call the number posted on the sign or have a member of your party alert the volunteers. The ground floor door is accessed by following the sidewalk around the front of the building to the opposite side.

   RVs can be parked in the spots at the rear of the museum.
Museum      37.11045, -113.58147

St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm

  The museum building has been built to surround slabs of sandstone containing 1000s of dinosaur tracks that were discovered when the owner of the land, Dr. Sheldon Johnson, began leveling the property in 2000.  Dr. Johnson donated the land to the city so that the tracks could be conserved and studied.

  The museum is fairly small with a lot of detailed information about the species of dinosaurs that made the tracks and the conditions that had to be present for the tracks to form. Tracks from other animals such as horseshoe crabs and centipedes have also been found.

  The museum is accessible but most of the walkways have a up or down slope.

The parking lot is small. Short RVs will fit. It may be possible to park longer RVs in the bus spaces.
Museum     37.1013, -113.53446

Baker Dam Campground

  There are only 16 sites in this campground but most of them are really nice – very big, fairly flat, nice views, and enough trees and bushes to provide privacy. The lake is small and the road down to it is very steep.

  None of the sites are marked as accessible but most are usable. The ground surface is fine, crushed stone so wheeling around is a little difficult. The vault toilets are accessible.
Campground      37.3771, -113.64488