Glen Canyon officials brief San Juan County on ferry schedule, staffing and infrastructure needs

Michelle Kearns, superintendent of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument, told the San Juan County Commission on April 1 that water levels at Lake Powell are stable and the park expects ferry service to resume this year.

“We anticipate ferry operations at Halls Crossing and Bullfrog will commence on May 26, and we anticipate they will operate through October,” Kearns said. She added the ferries will run four days per week.

Kearns warned that the ferry and some services require a minimum lake elevation to operate. “Minimum water elevation to operate the ferry, is 3,560 feet in elevation,” she said. She also reported recent visitation and economic figures: “Last year, we saw around 4,700,000 visitors. Glen Canyon generated $540,000,000 in economic benefit to the state of Utah. We generated around 6,500 jobs in the state of Utah as a direct effect of Glen Canyon being located in your state.”

Heidi Grigg, deputy superintendent for external affairs, described operational constraints at Halls Crossing and other sites. She said Aramark — the current concessionaire — will staff Halls Crossing this season and that Aramark has about 25 employees dedicated to that location. On fuel service, Grigg said the concessionaire removed a fuel dock after reviewing usage and permitting hurdles. “Aramark went through a whole process of deciding to take that out, and it was based on how often it was being used…and then also, the fuel permits,” Grigg said. She added the company consolidated fuel sales at Bullfrog for financial reasons tied to low water and permit costs.

Commissioners and staff raised infrastructure concerns, including long-standing lack of commercial power at Halls Crossing and the need for highway signage directing visitors to Glen Canyon. Kearns said the lack of roadside signage in Utah diminishes economic opportunity and asked the county to consider partnering to place directional signs on state roads. “There is not one roadway sign in the state of Utah directing visitors to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area,” she said, noting that “Lake Powell is only 14 percent of the recreation area.”

Kearns and Grigg outlined other projects and constraints: a planned environmental assessment for a sustainable river takeout ramp at River South near the bridge on the Halls Crossing side; continued work funded by disaster-relief appropriations to address access; and difficulties recruiting and retaining staff following COVID and low-water years. Kearns also said the Park Service lacks a contracting layer in Washington, D.C., that would speed competitive solicitations for concession contracts, and cautioned that large contract changes are likely several years away.

Commissioners expressed interest in federal and state partnerships to electrify Halls Crossing and to explore options for restoring fuel service and other visitor amenities. Kearns said a rough historical estimate — from several years ago and subject to current construction costs — put power extension at about $1 million per mile to connect Halls Crossing or Bullfrog to the Utah grid. She said she has briefed federal lawmakers and is willing to work with the county on the issue.

The exchange closed with county leaders and NPS staff agreeing to continue coordination on signage, vendor opportunities for tribal businesses under NPS commercial use authorizations, and infrastructure grant opportunities.

The presentation was informational; no formal county action was taken.