All Along the Watchtower

This is the fifth in a series of posts about my visit through parts of Arizona and Utah.
​(Click words that are bolded for more information.)

Twenty-five miles east of Grand Canyon Village is the Desert View Watchtower near the eastern edge of the Grand Canyon. This spot offers its own unique vantage point of the spectacular Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. The drive along Arizona Highway 64 is scenic and sometimes mule deer or elk can be seen alongside the road. 

Desert View Watchtower

Six buildings along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon were designed by Mary Colter, an American architect, whose distinct architectural style was greatly influenced by the native peoples of the American Southwest. From 1902 until 1948, she was the primary architect for the Fred Harvey Company, founded in 1876 to provide services for railway passengers, good food with excellent service at reasonable prices in clean, elegant dining facilities, which became known as "Harvey Houses." Colter designed twenty-one hotels, tourist shops, and rest areas throughout the southwest, including the Desert View Watchtower built in 1933.

The Watchtower stands 70 feet tall, hovering near the edge of the Grand Canyon. Inspired by ancient Puebloan towers of the Colorado Plateau, Mary Colter had a painstaking eye for detail and oversaw the setting of each uncut stone as the tower was built. Apparently some of the stones, which were brought from nearby areas, are decorated with petroglyphs. I would have liked to have seen them since I have enjoyed seeing Native America petroglyphs on other rocks in other places I have visited. (Spoiler alert - a future blog post will include pictures of petroglyphs.)

Looking towards the Painted Desert from the Watchtower

Outside the Watchtower, the view of the Grand Canyon is spectacular, of course. But the view inside the Watchtower is also wonderful. The walls are decorated with wall murals by Hopi Artist Fred Kabotie and petroglyph-style painting by Fred Geary. At the top of the four story tower is an enclosed observation area with a 360 degree view and scattered along the stair wall are small windows with their own view of the beauty outside. (For more information about this structure, click on the photos below.)

The ceiling of the Watchtower

Click on picture to see a historic photo of the artist painting this mural.

These painted petroglyphs are copies of those found in Abo, New Mexico. The originals have been destroyed.

85 steps to the observation deck

From the observation deck at the top of the Watchtower, the sweeping view of the canyon marks the highest point at the Grand Canyon South Rim. And what a view it is!

Click on photo for a panoramic view

Looking towards the Colorado River near the beginning of its journey through the Grand Canyon.

Walking along this unique watchtower, I was reminded of these verses from Psalms:

"Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I,
for You have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy."

And Who is this Rock?
"Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." (Isaiah 26:4)

And who is the enemy?
"The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (I Corinthians 15:26)

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

Desert View Watchtower

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After enjoying one last look along the Watchtower, we left the Grand Canyon behind and traveled through Navajo Nation, an area of 27,413 square miles, the largest land area retained by a Native America tribe, which covers portions of northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico. We were headed to the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell, which has changed the course of the Colorado River and its flow through the Grand Canyon. So sit back and come along for the ride!

~Debbie

First stop - Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden here.
Second stop - Montezuma's Castle here.
Third stop - Sedona here.
Fourth stop - The Grand Canyon here.
​Fifth stop - The Desert Watch Tower here.