Grandstaff Canyon

Grandstaff Canyon was named after William Grandstaff, an African American prospector and rancher who grazed his cattle here during the late 1800s. The canyon is cut into the Navajo Sandstone by a small, perennial stream that begins about six miles from the southern shore of the Colorado River. The trail winds along the stream through an oasis of cottonwood and willow trees, cut off from the desert above by towering sandstone cliffs. At the end of the canyon, Morning Glory Natural Bridge spans the head of one of Grandstaff’s side canyons at the end of the trail. According to Bureau of Land Management statistics, Morning Glory is the sixth largest natural bridge in the United States, with a span of 243 feet.