“Car Canyon” cleanup on National Public Lands Day

Phil Clark and Lissette De La Cruz

The City of Page and Glen Canyon Na­tional Recreation Area celebrated National Public Lands Day on September 27 with a community cleanup. Twenty-two volun­teers including local residents, employees from the City of Page, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Glen Canyon Conservancy as well as the entire Page Unified School District’s Girl’s Flag Football team helped pick up discarded met­al, glass and other trash near the Ver­milion View Trail that crosses a canyon that has an interesting his­tory.

Left to right:

• Page Unified School District’s girl’s flag football team participated in the event with their coaches. Photo by Lissette De La Cruz.

• Adam Rymer, Facility Manager and Jeremy Childs, Interpretive Ranger of Glen Canyon NRA show the large amount of trash and debris that volunteers removed. Photo by Phil Clark.

• “Car Canyon” gets its informal name for the many cars that were disposed of in the 1960s. Photo by Antonia Muskat.

Officially “Honey Draw” on Google Earth, the canyon is in­formally known locally as “Car Canyon” for the many cars that fill part of the canyon. Honey Draw is between Tun­nel Road (extension of Lake Powell Blvd) and Haul Road, west of US 89 and is not far from the edge of the Colorado River canyon. While the cars in the canyon were not removed during this cleanup event, a large trailer, provided by Glen Canyon NRA was completely filled with other discarded debris.

When Glen Can­yon Dam and Bridge was completed in the 1960s, and workers started to leave Page, many left behind cars that the owners decid­ed to abandon. Locals who stayed behind collected the non-func­tioning cars and trucks and bulldozed them into a canyon that was then well out of sight of Manson Mesa, where Page was originally established. For years, only a few people knew of the canyon’s unique ‘decorations.’ Some have discovered the canyon from online blogs. Others have dis­covered it by looking for a nearby geocache.

As Page has become a popular tourist des­tination, “Car Canyon” has become a bit of a curiosity and some vis­itors to the area take the short hike to see something rather un­usual. The cars, mostly from the 1950s and 1960s are considered classics nowadays. Following Honey Draw to the Glen Canyon portion of the Colorado River, visitors can see a dramatic view of the confluence of Honey Draw and the Colorado River, some 700 feet below.

Vermilion View Trail is on Glen Canyon NRA land and is approxi­mately 7.5 miles long with little elevation gain or loss. According to the Glen Canyon NRA website, “The scenic trail walk offers views of the winding river, slickrock, rock formations and oppor­tunities to see a variety of desert wildlife that call the fragile land­scape home.” Along the trail, hikers can view Glen Canyon Dam, Horseshoe Bend and other breathtaking views. Access to the trail is from Glen Can­yon Bridge, the Dam Overlook or Horseshoe Bend. Hikers should look for a trail lined with natural stone as there are few signs.

Since the early days, in addition to the old cars, other trash and debris found its way in the area. This year’s Public Lands Cleanup Day focused on the Vermilion View Trail near the automotive curiosity. The cleanup day was a free and public event sponsored by the City of Page and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Par­ticipants were issued heavy duty gloves and cleanup supplies. There will be future opportunities for resi­dents and visitors to help with more clean­up events.