On Lake Powell
The bathtub ring indicates how low Lake Powell is, which enabled us to travel to Cathedral in the Desert.
At the Entrance to the Escalante Arm
John Wesley Powell missed this, the first time down the Colorado.
On the Escalante
The Escalante Arm of the Colorado, en route to Cathedral in the Desert.
Final Passage to Cathedral in the Desert
Our boat approached Cathedral in the Desert very slowly.
Arriving
This is as far as the boat could go.
The Cathedral in the Desert
At the entrance, first glimpse into the slot canyon.
The High Sandstone Walls
Looking up from the center of the Cathedral.
Looking into the Cathedral
The perspective in from the entrance.
The silt build-up at the entrance
In 2021, flash floods delivered all this silt to the Cathedral.
Eidelweiss
The grandchildren of Utah ski legend Junior Bounous — 96-years old and having visited since before the dam was completed — serenade him with “Eidelweiss,” which filled the Cathedral with beautiful harmonies.
High Cathedral Walls
The figures in the distance show how immense the entrance is. This is the first time since the 1960s that you can stand there on dry land..
The Waterfall
This is the centerpiece of Cathedral in the Desert, its altar — the waterfall.
Leaving the Cathedral
Reflection of the canyon surrounding Cathedral in the Desert.
The Crowds Are Coming
Boats arriving as we left.
Heading to Davis Gulch
Davis Gulch
Up Davis Gulch
In homage to Elliot Porter.
Glen Canyon Returns
Just a year after this was all underwater, life is returning to Glen Canyon.
LaGorce Arch
The backside of LaGorce Arch, up Davis Gulch.
Davis Gulch II
In The Gulch
Glen Canyon in 2021.
Cathedral In the Desert 2021
All these images were taken on a single day in October 2021, on a visit to Cathedral in the Desert and nearby Davis Gulch. Both locations are within Glen Canyon, approximately two hours by motorboat from the Bullfrog Marina which, in 2021, was for a time the only operating marina in Lake Powell. Until earlier this year, Cathedral in the Desert had been, but for a few rare moments, drowned under Lake Powell for nearly 60 years. Because of climate change and its henchman, drought, Lake Powell is more than 150 feet below its high level, and marvels such as Cathedral in the Desert, and nearby Davis Gulch, are emerging from what Edward Abbey referred to, sardonically, as “water storage.”
For more background, please see this essay on our sister site, Tulip Frenzy.