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UID:fadcd5275ca772ca68f5179346a9a174
CATEGORIES:Other Fly-In
CREATED:20231027T134350
SUMMARY:Day Trip to Marble Canyon, AZ
LOCATION:Marble Canyon, AZ
DESCRIPTION;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE:\n\nDecember 2 day trip to Marble Canyon, Arizona\n\n\nOur next day trip&nb
 sp;has been rescheduled for December 2 to Marble Canyon, Arizona.
   If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit Marble Canyon, it is an 
 incredibly beautiful spot at the beginning of the Grand Canyon near Lee’s F
 erry.  Our plan is to arrive at 9:00am with a very short walk to the N
 avajo Bridge (which spans the Colorado River).  Condors nest in the wa
 lls below the bridge and its great fun to watch the river rafters pass belo
 w.  There is also an Navajo Bridge Interpretive Visitors Center as wel
 l as some souvenir shops.  The Marble Canyon Lodge includes a restaura
 nt which opens at 11:00am for lunch.  We’ll plan to eat at 11:00am and
  depart afterwards.\n\n\n - Planned arrival time at Marble Canyon airport (
 L41) is 9:00am. \n - We'll take a short walk down to the Navajo Bridge
  which spans the Colorado River.  Great views of the river and the raf
 ters that are launching from Lee's Ferry.\n - There's a Navajo Bridge Inter
 pretive Center and Antelope Canyon Interpretive Market near the bridge for 
 everyone to enjoy.\n - The Marble Canyon restaurant opens at 11:00am and we
 'll have an early lunch and then return to Phoenix.\n - Anyone planning to 
 attend should read the airport and airspace information in the October APA 
 newsletter as part of your fight planning.  There are interesting and 
 unique airspace requirements.\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\nThe APA newslett
 er in June, 2018 published a very detailed and well written article about M
 arble Canyon including flight information.  Rather than recreate the s
 ame information, I’ve included portions of that article (below) for those t
 hinking about making the flight.  The airspace around Marble Canyon Ai
 rport (L41) is part of the Grand Canyon protected airspace (SFRA) so flying
  into L41 does require some study and attention by each pilot. \n\n\n&
 nbsp;\n\n\n \n\n\nExcerpts from APA’s June, 2018 article about flying 
 into Marble Canyon:\n\n\n \n\n\nMarble Canyon is an incredibly unique 
 location, smack dab in the Grand Canyon. While the majority of the Grand Ca
 nyon is off-limits to lower-level flight without a tour operator permit, ap
 proach and departure from the Canyon’s few airports is exempted from the Sp
 ecial Flight Rules Area (SFRA). The airport is strategically located within
  walking distance of the Navajo Bridge in the Glen Canyon National Monument
  and just down river from Lees Ferry.\n\n\n\n\n\nMarble Canyon was placed o
 n the map back in the 1870’s. Settlers from Utah began to cross into Arizon
 a and found the Colorado River nearly impassable. In 1927, construction of 
 what is now known as Navajo Bridge was begun.  In 1929, the bridge was
  opened as the highest steel arch bridge in the world and was a welcomed wi
 th a festive celebration.\n\n\nAs vehicles became larger and the bridge age
 d over the following 60+ years, planning for a larger bridge began. In 1993
 , construction started on a new and wider bridge only feet away from the ex
 isting bridge with nearly the same style. In 1995, the new bridge opened an
 d is now the primary means of crossing the Colorado River on AZ 89a. The or
 iginal bridge is still open, but only to pedestrian traffic. These bridges 
 offer breathtaking views of the river 500 feet below with sheer cliffs oppo
 sing each bank.\n\n\nWhile the Navajo Bridge alone is worth the visit, the 
 Marble Canyon Lodge is a great hub for activities and food. It doubles as a
  resting point on AZ 89a with a gas station, trading post, hotel and restau
 rant. Though the airstrip records date prior to 1959, the history of the ai
 rstrip is not clear.\n\n\nNavigating to L41 is straightforward, though ther
 e are some airspace considerations. It lies approximately 190NM North of Ph
 oenix. The Sunny MOA lies between Flagstaff and Marble Canyon, so it is imp
 erative to remain vigilant for low-level military flights. Additionally, th
 e southeastern boundary of the Grand Canyon SFRA comes within 3 1/2 miles o
 f the Sunny MOA, leaving a relatively narrow corridor to transit North. Aga
 in, vigilance for traffic is vital.\n\n\nThough the SFRA generally prohibit
 s operations within 3000’ AGL, exceptions are made for takeoffs and landing
 s to the Canyon airports. Specifically noted on the Grand Canyon VFR Aerona
 utical Chart, “Landings/Take-off operations below 3000’ above airport eleva
 tion within 3NM of the airport are authorized by the 14 CFR section 93”. L4
 1 is included.\n\n\n\n\n\nArriving from the South, the terrain gently slope
 s upwards to about 6700’ MSL before abruptly dropping near vertically to fo
 rm the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. L41 sits at 3600’ MSL, and because of
  its location within the SFRA and the above-stated 3NM rule for altitude, t
 he descent will be brisk. Because of the canyon wall, there may be signific
 ant updrafts or downdrafts in the vicinity of the wall. Runway 3/21 is on a
  1.3° gradient with the approach end of Runway 21 being the high point. The
  runway is 3715’ x 35’ and has been recently resurfaced. While the pavement
  is in good condition, the underlying surface is bumpy. Approaches are typi
 cally made on Runway 03 due to the upslope. The terrain before and after th
 e runway is not suitable for over or underruns, so pilots should become pro
 ficient in go-around procedures. Also, the elevation of the airport combine
 d with Arizona summers leads to significant density altitude considerations
 .\n\n\n\n\n\nOnce on the field, taxi to the far end of Runway 3 for tie dow
 ns. There is room for several aircraft both on the ramp, or pushed back ont
 o the surrounding dirt. Keep in mind, this area is used as a turnaround for
  charter and tour aircraft, so push back as far as possible. There is no FB
 O and no fuel available on the field. Page (PGA) is only 13NM Northeast and
  has fuel available. A short walk across the street brings you to the Marbl
 e Canyon Lodge for food and supplies. There are $5 and $10 landing/tie-down
  fees for singles and twins, respectively. $5 allows for a helicopter. Some
  pilots report the fee is waived with a food purchase, but others report ha
 ving paid the fee.\n\n\nAircraft departure is typically down Runway 21. Thi
 s allows for a downhill departure. Of course, best judgement is needed for 
 prevalent winds and traffic. Keep in mind, the SFRA altitude restrictions o
 n departure. Depending on aircraft performance, a gentle climbing spiral ov
 er the airport may be necessary to clear the canyon walls without exceeding
  the 3NM distance from the airport. Again, use best judgement.\n
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DTSTAMP:20260503T164105Z
DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix:20231202T090000
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