Heart of the canyon
This alcove is located in Clear Creek Canyon in the Escalante River arm of Lake Powell (Glen Canyon). It is adjacent to the Cathedral in the Desert, another amazing alcove largely covered by a sandstone ceiling. The cathedral is/was renowned for the beautiful light that filters through its “ceiling” into the quiet verdant floor at the bottom of the canyon, now under water. The surrounding walls are ornamented by striped desert varnish on the Navajo sandstone.
This part of Glen Canyon/ Lake Powell has been a flashpoint of contention between environmentalists, who view the cathedral’s drowning as "America’s most regretted environmental mistake" (David Brower, former Sierra Club head) and recreationists who relish their jet skies and power boats, and feel the access to such monuments was enhanced; (although as much as 90 feet of it is underwater… ) “Environmental activists want you to believe that all was lost when Lake Powell was created but those of us who are intimate with Glen Canyon know better” (Paul Ostapuk, Friends of Lake Powell). The cathedral fully emerged from the lake in 2005 following a severe drought, but has since again been partially immersed by the rising lake waters. Given the prediction of climate change for the southwestern U.S., it is likely the lake levels will lower and the cathedral will again be viewable in its entirety. (#2)
Heart of the canyon
This alcove is located in Clear Creek Canyon in the Escalante River arm of Lake Powell (Glen Canyon). It is adjacent to the Cathedral in the Desert, another amazing alcove largely covered by a sandstone ceiling. The cathedral is/was renowned for the beautiful light that filters through its “ceiling” into the quiet verdant floor at the bottom of the canyon, now under water. The surrounding walls are ornamented by striped desert varnish on the Navajo sandstone.
This part of Glen Canyon/ Lake Powell has been a flashpoint of contention between environmentalists, who view the cathedral’s drowning as "America’s most regretted environmental mistake" (David Brower, former Sierra Club head) and recreationists who relish their jet skies and power boats, and feel the access to such monuments was enhanced; (although as much as 90 feet of it is underwater… ) “Environmental activists want you to believe that all was lost when Lake Powell was created but those of us who are intimate with Glen Canyon know better” (Paul Ostapuk, Friends of Lake Powell). The cathedral fully emerged from the lake in 2005 following a severe drought, but has since again been partially immersed by the rising lake waters. Given the prediction of climate change for the southwestern U.S., it is likely the lake levels will lower and the cathedral will again be viewable in its entirety. (#2)