The River That Shaped the American Southwest
The Colorado River is far more than a blue line on a map. It is a force that carved the Grand Canyon over five million years, challenged everyone who dared cross the desert, and remains deeply sacred to the Indigenous tribes of the Colorado Plateau. As America marks 250 years, Aramark Destinations invites you to meet this river at its most elemental point - Lee’s Ferry, the historic crossing that has connected two worlds for centuries - and to travel it with the guides who know it best: Wilderness River Adventures.
Lees Ferry: The Only Crossing for 500 Miles
For centuries, the towering canyon walls of Glen Canyon and the Grand Canyon made Lees Ferry the only viable crossing point on the Colorado River for more than 500 miles. Explorers, pioneers, and Indigenous peoples navigated to this narrow gap in the rock because there was no other way through. Today it remains one of the few places where you can reach the river by vehicle—and it is still, as it has always been, the place where every Colorado River journey begins.
Think of Lees Ferry as a crossroads in the canyon desert—a place where ancient geology, Indigenous history, and American exploration converge in a single bend of the river.
Experience History in New Ways
- Guided interpretive tours and legacy experiences
- Special events and commemorative celebrations
- Property-specific stories and milestone moments
- Culinary and retail offerings inspired by local destinations
- Immersive content revealing the past, present, and future of each place
Our Promise to These Places, and to You
Landmarks of Legacy connects our destinations through three shared commitments.
Stewardship
Caring for What Endures: The Colorado River’s canyons are remarkable and fragile. Stewardship means leaving no trace, protecting river ecosystems, and honoring the sacred relationship Indigenous tribes have held with this waterway for centuries. Travel as a guest of the canyon.
Stories that Shape Our Destinations
Every Landmark Has a Voice: Grand Canyon’s stone records nearly two billion years of Earth’s history, while its human story lives through Ancestral Puebloan markings, Indigenous nations who call it home, and explorers shaped by the Colorado. Our guides share these stories on every expedition.
Experiences of Legacy
Not Spectators. Participants. On the Colorado River, there’s no passive experience—you’re immersed in it. Reading rapids, sleeping beneath desert stars, and moving through towering canyon walls, every moment is participation. Our guides don’t just navigate the river—they help you understand it.
Give Back to the Places You Love
Through our Round Up program and other philanthropic initiatives, guests can support preservation, education, and community programs near Lake Powell, helping protect the local landscape and the stories it holds. Because honoring legacy also means investing in the future.
Join the Journey
Landmarks of Legacy is more than a campaign. It is a movement across America's most meaningful places — a shared commitment to the destinations that shaped our nation and continue to define who we are. Learn more at landmarksoflegacy.com.
