Tours through Glen Canyon Dam here at Lake Powell have long been one of the staple free things for locals to do, as well as our huge visitor base. On January 5th, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Glen Canyon Natural History Association will charge $5.00 per adult with a discount for children, seniors, and school groups.
Living in the Lake Powell area there are so many cool things to do within a short drive and for little or no money. My hope is the local residents continue to support the tour program at the dam as it is a true treasure.
 |
I wrote a post a couple of months ago about the Top Ten Things to do Under 5 Bucks at Lake Powell and Tour the Dam was high on the list. Well, it’s still gonna be 5 bucks or under which is a great deal.I was heavily involved in the tour program at the Glen Canyon Dam from 1996 to late 2002 and loved the time I worked there. After the September 11th attacks our tour program was closed for two weeks and when reopeneded we had a security program in place which included things never done before. People were now required to sign up for tours, receive a ticket and had to go with a tour guide. Even tho the tours were still free, the tracking process had begun.
Why Charge Now?
In order to keep up with public demand for the tour, more guides were hired and trained. Security people on the dam were increased as well. All of these things have been paid for out of the sale of power from the Glen Canyon Power Plant. However, Barry Wirth, the regional public affairs officer for the Upper Colorado area Bureau, explained it is time to recover at least a portion of the cost of running the tour program.
|
It will remain free to enter to Carl Hayden Visitor Center and the Glen Canyon Natural History Association run bookstore. Movies at the visitors center run every half hour and are free as well. Talks given by the tour guides and rangers at the relief map in the center of the VC will also remain free.
To enter the Carl Hayden Visitor Center it’s much like entering an airport. There are no bags, purses or backpacks allowed in the building and everyone goes through a metal detector.
