Glen Canyon Dam
Glen Canyon Dam was completed in 1964, taming the waters of the Colorado River and creating massive Lake Powell, a popular recreation area along the Utah/Arizona border. Lake Powell is about 186 miles long and attracts almost 3.5 million visitors a year.
The Carl Hayden Visitor Center is located at the dam, and tours of the dam are available.
The dam is located at Page, Arizona, just a few miles south of the Utah border. It was constructed to allow electrical power generation, store water for the arid southwestern United States, and provide recreation opportunities.
It is a concrete arch dam with a crest length of 1,560 feet. It contains 4,901,000 cubic yards of concrete. The dam is 25 feet wide at the crest and 300 feet wide at the maximum base. Construction started in 1956 and was completed in 1964. The dam was dedicated in 1966 by Ladybird Johnson.
Lake Powell took 17 years to fill to full pool. The lake has a storage capacity of 27,000,000 acre-feet, making it the second largest man-made reservoir in the US.
Carl Hayden Visitor Center at Glen Canyon Dam
Summer hours (call for days) 8 am – 6 pm MST
Winter Hours (November through February) daily, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm MST; Rest of year open daily 8 am – 5 pm MST
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day
Visitor Center attractions include tours of the dam, exhibits, video shows and a relief map of the entire Glen Canyon area. There are restrooms and a bookstore.
Glen Canyon Dam Tours
The Glen Canyon Dam tour begins at the Carl Hayden Visitor Center with an elevator ride that will take you 528 feet deep into the interior of the dam. One stop along the tour is the gallery where a digital counter registers the money collected from the sale of power. Tours of the dam are $5. As a federal power plant facility, security measures are in place. While no bags, purses, knives, weapons or food are allowed on the tour, wallets, cameras and clear water bottles are welcome.
The Glen Canyon Natural History Association provides the tours of the dam. Tours are approximately 45 minutes long. Each tour is limited to 20 persons (including infants and children.) Tour reservations are on a first come, first served basis; reservations may be made up to 24 hours in advance and must be reserved and paid for in person at Carl Hayden Visitor Center.
For information about tour times call (928) 608-6072.
Tour Fees |
|
| Adults (17+): | $5.00 |
| Juveniles (7-16): | $2.50 |
| Children (0-6): | Free (with paying adult) |
| Seniors (62+): | $4.00 (with I.D) |
| Military & Dependents: | $4.00 (with I.D) |
| School Groups (K-12): | $0.50 each child |
| Tour Groups: | $5.00 each |
| Elderhostel Groups: | $5.00 each |
| College Groups: | $5.00 each |
