Qualla: Glen Canyon Dam: The Drowning of a Wonder

Glen Canyon Dam: The Drowning of a Wonder: Introduction

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Fennimore, J. -- Photographer, Public domain. Glen Canyon was, by many accounts, one of the most spectacular landscapes in the American Southwest - a sandstone wonderland of alcoves, arches, and side canyons along the Colorado River, described by those who saw it as rivaling or exceeding the Grand Canyon in beauty. Almost no one saw it. Then the Bureau of Reclamation built a dam. Lake Powell flooded Glen Canyon beginning in 1963, burying the wonder beneath 186 miles of reservoir. The Sierra Club's failure to prevent the dam radicalized a generation of environmentalists. Now, as prolonged drought drops Lake Powell to record lows, Glen Canyon is re-emerging - side canyons accessible again, beaches visible for the first time in decades, a drowned landscape slowly returning to light.

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Image: Fennimore, J. -- Photographer | Public domain

Glen Canyon Dam: The Drowning of a Wonder: The Canyon

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Kent G. Budge, CC0. Glen Canyon was carved by the Colorado River through Navajo Sandstone - the same formation that creates Monument Valley and the Wave. The main canyon and its hundred-plus side canyons held arches, natural bridges, alcoves with hanging gardens, ancient Pueblo ruins, and rock forma...

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Image: Kent G. Budge | CC0

Glen Canyon Dam: The Drowning of a Wonder: The Dam

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Llez (H. Zell)., CC BY-SA 3.0. Glen Canyon Dam was authorized by the Colorado River Storage Project Act of 1956, part of a compromise that saved Dinosaur National Monument from a different dam. The Bureau of Reclamation needed water storage and hydroelectric power for the growing Southwest. Construction began ...

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Image: Llez (H. Zell). | CC BY-SA 3.0

Glen Canyon Dam: The Drowning of a Wonder: The Loss

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Reinhard Schön, CC BY-SA 3.0. What was lost is difficult to convey because so little documentation exists. Photographs by Eliot Porter and others capture fragments: Cathedral in the Desert, Gregory Natural Bridge, Music Temple. The Sierra Club published 'The Place No One Knew' after the canyon was drowned - a...

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Image: Reinhard Schön | CC BY-SA 3.0

Glen Canyon Dam: The Drowning of a Wonder: The Return

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Andreas F. Borchert, CC BY-SA 4.0. Since 2000, drought and overallocation have steadily dropped Lake Powell's water level. By 2022, the reservoir held less than 25% of capacity. Side canyons emerged from beneath the water. Cathedral in the Desert became accessible again. The landscape is not pristine - bathtub rin...

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Image: Andreas F. Borchert | CC BY-SA 4.0

Glen Canyon Dam: The Drowning of a Wonder: Visiting Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jason Hickey, CC BY 2.0. Glen Canyon Dam is located near Page, Arizona. The Carl Hayden Visitor Center offers dam tours and exhibits. Lake Powell provides houseboating, fishing, and recreation through Glen Canyon National Recreation Area; facilities at Wahweap and other marinas serve visitors. As lake le...

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Image: Jason Hickey | CC BY 2.0