As Lake Powell recedes, Glen Canyon reveals its secrets

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As Lake Powell recedes, Glen Canyon reveals its secrets

A slot canyon beckons within Forbidding Canyon.
Once accessible by water, now tourists have to hike to Defiance House. Because of the drought, ancestral Puebloans would now recognize access paths to the prehistoric site. Lake Powell flooded over 2,000 archaeological sites. Now, some are reappearing.
As Lake Powell’s waters drop, dead trees emerge as haunting ghosts of a once-submerged ecosystem. Ed Abbey claimed that Lake Powell had become a graveyard, but with the prolonged drought, ecological restoration is occurring in side canyons.
Cathedral in the Desert, named by John Wesley Powell, is now accessible because Lake Powell is at only 46 percent of capacity. Boaters can motor into an area once closed because of higher water levels.
After water recedes in the side canyons, a host of native plants return.
A late afternoon reflection in Davis Gulch showcases the beauty of Glen Canyon.
Trash Trackers Eric Martinez and Tiffany Mapel hike up Forbidding Canyon to see aspects of Glen Canyon that once were flooded.
As reservoir waters recede, underwater trash re-appears such as this abandoned outboard motor.
As the waters of Lake Powell recede slot canyons appear again in Glen Canyon such as this narrow cleft in the sandstone of Explorer Canyon.
Beside a canyon seep, vegetation flourishes in areas that once were under water
Tiffany Mapel, a Durango teacher and devoted Trash Tracker, takes an afternoon hike to explore Glen Canyon.

As Lake Powell recedes, Glen Canyon reveals its secrets

A slot canyon beckons within Forbidding Canyon.
Once accessible by water, now tourists have to hike to Defiance House. Because of the drought, ancestral Puebloans would now recognize access paths to the prehistoric site. Lake Powell flooded over 2,000 archaeological sites. Now, some are reappearing.
As Lake Powell’s waters drop, dead trees emerge as haunting ghosts of a once-submerged ecosystem. Ed Abbey claimed that Lake Powell had become a graveyard, but with the prolonged drought, ecological restoration is occurring in side canyons.
Cathedral in the Desert, named by John Wesley Powell, is now accessible because Lake Powell is at only 46 percent of capacity. Boaters can motor into an area once closed because of higher water levels.
After water recedes in the side canyons, a host of native plants return.
A late afternoon reflection in Davis Gulch showcases the beauty of Glen Canyon.
Trash Trackers Eric Martinez and Tiffany Mapel hike up Forbidding Canyon to see aspects of Glen Canyon that once were flooded.
As reservoir waters recede, underwater trash re-appears such as this abandoned outboard motor.
As the waters of Lake Powell recede slot canyons appear again in Glen Canyon such as this narrow cleft in the sandstone of Explorer Canyon.
Beside a canyon seep, vegetation flourishes in areas that once were under water
Tiffany Mapel, a Durango teacher and devoted Trash Tracker, takes an afternoon hike to explore Glen Canyon.