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Lee’s Ferry Arizona
Photography Hot Spot Location
Lee’s Ferry is situated on the Colorado River in Coconino County, Arizona, just south of the Utah/Arizona border. Lee’s Ferry is the only place, within 100 miles, where one can easily access the Colorado River from both sides. This historical site on the Colorado River served as an important river crossing; starting in the mid-1800s, this location was the site of a ferry operated by John Doyle Lee, for whom Lee’s Ferry is named. Today Lees Ferry is a well-known fishing and boat launching point, particularly for whitewater rafting trips through the Grand Canyon. Lees Ferry is considered the official beginning of Grand Canyon National Park on the Colorado River.
We discovered this location personally on a journey in December of 2011 before Nat Geo had a similar shot as above, in their magazine. We had come home from this trip, and we were going to send our pictures into them to be published. We got them all ready and guess what came in the mail. It was their February edition. We pulled it out of the mailbox and read the cover. It said, Lee’s Ferry Little Known Undiscovered Wonder. Pam screamed at the top of my lungs for all the neighborhood to hear, “I DISCOVERED THIS PLACE!” So she really did discover it. And guess what?? Our picture on top of this page is better than theirs. 🙂 Hence this was soon to be the beginning of the idea to have our magazine.
Anywho, This place is amazing. We found it one day after leaving the Lake Powell area on our usual daily explorations during one of our many journies. We always just let the universe guide us, but we do ask humans for guidance on occasion. We stopped in by the dam and spoke to a park ranger after getting our yearly National Park Passes there. She suggested a drive out to this spot. Little did I know how good of a photography location it would be. We saw a hotel on the hill when we arrived at the Navajo Bridge. We thought it would be expensive since we were in photographers paradise. It turned out it was only $32.00 a night.
At dinner there, we sat next to a group of backpackers who were going through the area. It was December, so there was barely a soul there. They had to open the restaurant for dinner and heat up the grill because they had people.
You have to be careful out there alone since there is no one around. We told the park rangers what we were driving because out there at that time of year; there is no on to hear you scream! “There’s our car. If we are not in it after sundown, come and get us.” We told the park ranger with a smile, and off we all went on our journey. You can see some of the images on this page.
Hotel Information:
Lee’s Ferry Lodge – $80.00/125.00Night – 541.5 Hwy 89A – Marble Canyon, AZ – (928) 355-2231
This rustic lodge in a stone-and-timber building is a 4-minute drive from Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center’s craft vendors and pedestrian bridge. There are 10 basic rooms and suites that sleep up to seven (7) and are casually decorated with each having their own unique theme. Each room opens onto a veranda with seating and includes individual heat and air-conditioning controls. We stayed here and it was a country cowboy type theme in our room.
Lees Ferry Lodge at Vermilion Cliffs provides quiet and comfortable lodging for travelers in scenic northern Arizona.
The restaurant is open all day with service for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The accommodations are the perfect getaway for those traveling to Marble Canyon, the North Rim of Grand Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Lake Powell, the Colorado River and many other beautiful and exciting places in the Southwest.
How to Shoot Milky Way and Night Sky Photography in Lee’s Ferry Arizona
What you will need:
Light pollution map – light pollution map
Camera – You will need a camera that you can manually control your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.
Lens – A fast wide-angle lens of 1.4 – 2.8 is ideal. If you use a 3.5 or higher (slower lens), you will have to increase the ISO. The higher the ISO, the more grain or digital noise or grain that will appear in your photos.
Tripod – A good sturdy tripod is essential for night photography. If it gets windy, you will need a sturdy one. Keep that in mind, when you buy one, it should be sturdy enough to withstand the wind but small enough to fit in your suitcase.
Sky Map – Sky Guide is available through the iTunes Store for $1.99. It has a 5 out of 5-star rating on both the current (3.2) version (1200+ ratings) and all previous versions (8600+ ratings).
Flashlight – Our choice is Coast brand for flashlights. The ideal flashlight will have high lumens, and you will be able to zoom the in and out on the amount of light emitting from the flashlight. Get the HP7, PX45, or the G50. Ideally, go with the HP7.
Moon Phaze Map – The best time to go is during a new moon, and you want to be in the darkest area possible. The week before the new moon when the moon has not risen is a perfect time to go, so be sure to check the moonrise chart to see when the moon will be up.
Remote Shutter Release – When painting with light and you want to go over a 30-second exposure, you must have a shutter release to use your bulb mode. When exposing your pictures in general, you can use the remote release, or you can use your camera’s built-in two-second timer.
Milky Way Photography
Use a Tripod – First of all you must be on a tripod. A good sturdy tripod is necessary if it is windy. If the tripod moves, your picture will blur.
Focus – Use live view. To focus in the dark use your camera’s live view, hit the zoom button, and focus on a bright star. You can also use the infinity setting on your lens but do several test shots to see if it is accurate. It can be off a little on some lenses. You can also light it up with a flashlight, focus, then gently without touching the focus ring, put the camera in manual focus so it will not search for focus. You would have to do this each time you move your camera to take your next angel.
ISO – Start with ISO 1600 – 3200. This is just a standard starting point, and you will adjust from here.
Shutter Speed – Remember the earth is rotating. If you leave the shutter open for too long, you will see star trails which will not make for a crisp image. We want crisp non-star trail images. Here is the formula to avoid star trails. The 500 rule – Divide 500 by the focal length of your lens. So, if you have a 24mm lens on a full-frame camera, you will set your shutter speed to 20 sec. (500/24 = 20.83). If you are using a crop sensor camera, first do the math of the crop sensor to find the focal length. Cannon is 1.6, Nikon is 1.5. Convert to full-frame focal length then use the formula. Nikon 18mm x 1.5= 27mm – 500/27 = 18.51 seconds.
Aperture – Depth of field isn’t critical on these shots but letting the light into the camera is, therefore you should shoot wide open if. If the depth of field is essential to you, try not to go to high. (wide open =the lowest aperture your camera will allow). You will have to increase the ISO some, which will give you digital noise.
White Balance – When in live view mode, you can change your white balance settings and see what it will look like. You can shoot in shade or cloud mode as a standard-setting and adjust things later.
When to view the Milkyway in Lee’s Ferry Arizona
The best images are usually of the dense part of the Milky Way. We can see this part of the milk way in the southern sky. During March, April and May, the milky way rises above the horizon in the pre-dawn hours. In June at about 10:00 p.m. you will see the milky way. From July until October you can see the milky way as soon as the sunsets, and it becomes dark enough to see, which is about an hour after sunset. In November the milky way no longer comes above the horizon. You will have to wait until March if you want to stay away really late, or get up really early to see her again.
When to go: We like October the best. The temperature is perfect and the milky way is still visible.
Park Information
Entrance Fees – Weekly
1-7 Day Vehicle Entrance – $25.00
Admits one single, private, non-commercial vehicle and all its passengers
1-7 Day Motorcycle Entrance – $20.00
Admits one single, private, non-commercial motorcycle and its riders.
1-7 Day Individual Entrance – $12.00
Admits one individual when entering on foot, or bicycle. Not to exceed $25 vehicle fee. Individuals 15 years of age and younger are admitted free.
1-7 Day Boating Entrance – $30.00
Admits one single private vessel
1-7 Day Boating Entrance additional vessel – $30.00
Admits one single private vessel on the same trailer as a vessel paying full entry fees
Entrance Fees – Annual Passes
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Annual Pass – $50.00
Allows unlimited entry to Glen Canyon for 12 months from the date of purchase.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Annual Vessel Sicker – $50.00
Allows unlimited entry to Glen Canyon for one vessel Jan 1 – Dec 31.
Restaurants:
Lee’s Ferry Lodge has a restaurant which is just a few miles from Lee’s Ferry. The restaurant is open all day with service for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The accommodations at the hotel are the perfect getaway for those traveling to Marble Canyon, the North Rim of Grand Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Lake Powell, the Colorado River and many other beautiful and exciting places in the Southwest.
There are a gas station and two total places to eat in this entire area so check their hours and plan accordingly.
Camping:
Camping:Information for developed campgrounds, beach camping, primitive and reservation campgrounds.
Lees Ferry Campground
· $12 per night / per site
· 55 developed sites – no hookups
Stanton Creek, Hite, Farley Canyon, and Dirty Devil
· $6 Per night/ per person – not to exceed $12 per vehicle
· Primitive Camping
Lone Rock Beach
· $10 per night / per vehicle
· Beach Camping Area
Glen Canyon NRA Backcountry (Including Lake Powell Shoreline)
· No camping fee is required
· Primitive Camping
Camping is limited to 14 consecutive days, 30 days maximum per season. No camping is permitted at Rainbow Bridge National Monument.
Camping is not subject to fee waivers. A 50% discount applies to holders of the Senior or Access Pass. Holder of the pass must occupy the discounted site. Separate entrance fees apply at Lone Rock, Lees Ferry,and Stanton Creek areas.
Note: Additional developed campgrounds, operated by Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, are available at Wahweap, Bullfrog, and Halls Crossing. For details and rates call 1-800-528-6154.
Backcountry use in the Orange Cliffs unit of Glen Canyon requires a backcountry permit from Canyonlands National Park
Area Weather:
Lee’s Ferry weather can be found here.
