Historic District River Trail
in Arizona
Throughout the 1800 and 1900s, Lees Ferry was backdrop to a mix of Westward expansion dreams and failed schemes. Because of its strategic location along the Colorado River, unlikely groups overlapped on these shores. Miners, traders, U.S.
government scientist, Church elders, and the occasional outlaw shared the trials of frontier life here. Walk the River Trail to glimpse the myriad people and purposes that left a mark on Lees Ferry. Great Expectations Prospector Charles H.
Spencer made an outsized impact on Lees Ferry in his short time here. A better salesman than miner, Spencer never succeeded in extracting minerals the way he succeeded in exciting investors. When he staked his claim at Lees Ferry, financial investors and hardworking miners when along for the ride, but never struck it rich with Charlie.
- States
- Arizona
- Trail type
- National Recreation Area trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Flagstaff, AZ · 115 mi · ~3.3 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 36.8665°, -111.5853°
About Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
This trail is inside Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, a national recreation area managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $30 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/historic-district-river-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/glca/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Historic District River Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Great Western Trail - Arizona
25 miles from this trail's centroid
Hayduke Trail #10
31 miles from this trail's centroid
South Canyon Trail
31 miles from this trail's centroid
Hayduke Trail #9
42 miles from this trail's centroid
Nankoweap Trail
42 miles from this trail's centroid
Ken Patrick Trail
49 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.