Lake Powell Halls Crossing

Halls Crossing was a place well-known on the Colorado River long before the creation of Lake Powell. It was the site of a popular river crossing for many years. Today, Halls Crossing Marina, located on the eastern shores of Lake Powell across from the Bullfrog Marina, offers many services to visitors.

Charles Hall

University of Utah Charles Hall was one of the first pioneers to settle in southern Utah. A skilled carpenter and one of the founders of Escalante, Utah, Hall built the boat at the Hole-in-the-Rock which ferried the pioneer company across the Colorado River in 1870.

Hall continued operating the ferry with his two sons at that location, but the route was very arduous. In 1880, he found an easier crossing 35 miles (56km) upstream, the present site of Halls Crossing.

The ferryboat that Hall built here was constructed of materials hauled from Escalante, 50 miles distant. Cross planks about 10 feet (3m) long were nailed top and bottom to two 30 foot-long (9m) pine logs. The crude boat was tapered at each end and sealed with pitch. There was no cable or rope to guide the craft and it was steered using only man-powered oars and the river's current, an extremely labor-intensive and chancy endeavor.

Hall began operating the ferry in 1881. Ferry charges were about $5 per wagon and 75 cents for each horse. The approach roads here were much better than at Hole-in-the-Rock.

With the completion of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad across central Utah, the rough trek across the canyons became a trip to be avoided. In 1884, the ferry was lost when it either broke its moorings or was cut loose by cattlemen to prevent its use by rustlers. It was not replaced and the Hall family left the area.

After termination of the ferry service, Halls Crossing continued to be used as a gateway into Glen Canyon. The Glen Canyon gold rush was beginning and the site was often mentioned in mining location notices. An extensive register of names on a cliff face near mile 199, now covered by Lake Powell, chronicled this activity.

Halls Crossing Today

Today Halls Crossing is the site of a marina on Lake Powell, about 95 (153km) miles upstream from Glen Canyon Dam. The National Park Service maintains a ranger station at Halls Crossing. It also provides a launch ramp and free boat pump-out station.

ARAMARK, the park concessioner, provides many visitor services, including: housekeeping units, grocery store, 2 campgrounds (one with hook-ups), laundry, showers, service station, boat rental, and boat repair. Cal Black Memorial Airport is located approximately 10 miles (16km) east of Halls Crossing.

The State of Utah maintains a regularly scheduled ferry, capable of carrying cars, trucks, rv's and trailers, which runs between Halls Crossing and Bullfrog . This is a fee service and is available on a first come, first served basis. The ferry is occasionally out of service for repairs. If ferry service is crucial to your trip, we recommend you call ahead to verify that it is in service. See a ferry schedule and price list.

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