Wender·Vista
Lees Ferry
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileArizona
where the Colorado River enters the Grand Canyon

Lees Ferry

— river mile zero, the cold green run.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The Colorado emerges from Glen Canyon Dam and runs cold and green for fifteen miles before Lees Ferry, where rafters put in and the long mile-by-mile count of the Grand Canyon begins. The cliffs open here, Echo Cliffs to the east and the Vermilion Cliffs to the north, and the river slows just enough to launch from. John D. Lee built a ferry across the river in 1872; the cable car came later, the bridge later still.

from the studio
Lees Ferry
— bring it home

Lees Ferry, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Lees Ferry

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Lees Ferry sits on the Colorado River in northern Arizona, where Glen Canyon ends and Marble Canyon begins. The site is Mile 0 of the Grand Canyon mile-marker system used by river guides, the official launch point for the 277-mile run downstream to Lake Mead. Glen Canyon Dam stands about 15 river miles upstream and releases water cold from the bottom of Lake Powell, holding the river below at roughly 47°F throughout the year. Lees Ferry sits within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area; the National Park Service operates the launch ramp, ranger station, and historic district.

— the water

The river at Lees Ferry runs cold, clear, and green. The colour comes from deep, sediment-free water released through Glen Canyon Dam upstream. Before the dam closed in 1963 the Colorado here ran warm and silt-red; the change reshaped the fishery and the canyon ecology downstream. A trout fishery, sustained by the cold-water release, runs the fifteen-mile reach above the ferry and is regulated by Arizona Game and Fish. River flow varies with hydropower schedules and is published daily by the Bureau of Reclamation, ranging roughly 8,000 to 25,000 cubic feet per second.

— the visit

Lees Ferry is reached from US-89A across Navajo Bridge, then north on Lees Ferry Road for about five miles to the launch ramp. The historic district includes the Lonely Dell Ranch, John D. Lee's homestead from 1871, and the remains of the ferry operation that ran until 1928. A National Park Service ranger station, a developed campground, and a boat ramp serve both rafters and anglers. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area charges a per-vehicle entrance fee. The road in is paved and open through the year.

— where
United States · Coconino County, Arizona
— within
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
— position
36.8647° N · 111.5881° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
8 km S
Navajo Bridge
highway bridge
1 km S
Marble Canyon
canyon reach
6 km N
Vermilion Cliffs
sandstone escarpment
1 km N
Lonely Dell Ranch
historic homestead
N
Lees Ferry
Navajo Bridge
Marble Canyon
Vermilion Cliffs
Lonely Dell Ranch
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Lees Ferry — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

It is Mile 0 of the Grand Canyon, the official put-in point for rafting trips on the Colorado River, and the only place between Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Mead where vehicles can reach the river.

A Mormon pioneer who built a ferry across the Colorado in 1872 to support the southern Utah-to-Arizona wagon road. He was later executed in 1877 for his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Glen Canyon Dam releases water from the bottom of Lake Powell, about 230 feet below the surface. The release runs near 47°F through the year, which sustains a cold-water trout fishery for the fifteen miles down to the ferry.

All commercial and private trips put in at the Lees Ferry boat ramp under a permit system run by Grand Canyon National Park. Private permits are awarded by lottery and often booked years ahead.

In 1928, after Navajo Bridge opened five miles downstream and carried US-89A traffic across Marble Canyon. The original wagon ferry ran from 1873 until then; remnants are visible at the historic site.

Yes. The Colorado above the ferry is a blue-ribbon rainbow trout fishery managed by Arizona Game and Fish. Walk-and-wade access runs along the ramp area; guided drift-boat trips launch from the ramp daily.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. River runners count the trip in days from Lees Ferry; the ramp is where the journey begins. A Medium or Large carries real weight for that recipient.

The cold-green water and rust cliffs suit desert-modern, mountain-modern, and fly-fishing-cabin rooms. It also reads well in a study with leather, walnut, and warm brass fixtures.

It works without leaning on stock fly-fishing imagery. The river itself does the work: cold green water, cliff shadows, no rod and no hat-on-the-wall cliché.

A single Large fills most three-seat sofas. A 4-tile Mural reads from across a wider room; a 9-tile Mural carries a long wall with the river running through the grid.

Yes. Order Dura Satin or Matte for vertical installs and splash zones. Both finishes are scratch-resistant. The river greens hold their hue under task light.

A soft microfibre and water. The colour is held in the ceramic surface beneath the finish, so normal cleaning won't lift it. No abrasives, no solvents.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is drawn from Reid's atlas of places. Nothing is licensed in, nothing resold. One studio, one eye, one hand-finished tile.

— if this one stayed with you

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