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.
