After we left Horseshoe Bend we drove to Lee's Ferry.   It is a site on the Colorado River located about 45 minutes from Page.   It  was the former site of a ferry  built in 1871 which was eventually  replaced by the Navajo Bridge in 1928.  In the late19th and early 20th century it was the only crossing of the Colorado River by ferry between Moab, Utah and Needles, California and was heavily used by travellers between Utah and Arizona.   Lee's Ferry is considered the official beginning of the Grand Canyon National Park- today it is used as a fishing area and river rafting launch site.

We stopped on the way to Lee's Ferry to admire the cliffs and bridge.  Here is a close up view of the colourful rocks.  

This is the Navajo Bridge located over Marble Canyon.  

This photo was taken on the way home.  You can see the new bridge on the right.  The old bridge is now a pedestrian bridge.

Here is another photo of the Colorado River.

We hiked the river trail at Lee's Ferry.  We came across  several old buildings built at the site starting  in 1874 by a mining company.  I liked how the old settlement blended in with its surroundings.  

The hike was beside the lake- the girls enjoyed a short swim as the day had become quite warm.  This was one beautiful spot.

Along the trail we came along this beautiful flower.  I didn't have my macro lens with me so I couldn't get too close which made the image a little busy but I liked the flower.

The river was full of rafters- some were on a day trip and some were starting a fourteen day trip.  

After our hike we drove to a different section of the park and found this great beach along the river.  The sign at the parking lot  said that we were officially in the Grand Canyon Park.

Here is a shot taken  from the beach. 

Here is another beach shot.  We spent quite a bit of time here, enjoying the breeze and scenery.

This shot was taken on the way out of the park. 

We had to stop to look at these rock formations- they were all over the area.

One last look at the Colorado River.

One last stop to look at this unique rock structure in the cliffs before heading back to Lake Powell.