old cliff dwellers lodge (blanche russell rock house)

We stopped here by chance driving the scenic US89A as we saw interesting rock formations and dwellings. The story behind how the settlement got expanded was interesting too. If you are driving through here, do stop by all means.

Worth a stop to explore the bizarre landscape of boulders, wind-carved rocks and red-stone cliffs. The brief information of Blanche Russell creating a rugged home among this landscape is interesting. This isn't a 'tourist' attraction, so much as a left-over piece of history.

Trent and his wife run the best restaurant at Cliff Dweller's Lodge in Marble Canyon. The food is fabulously prepared and served by this wonderful couple, who are also hikers in the local area. The lodge itself is very quaint and has that 'rustic' feel to it, as well. There are unusual rock formations as you walk around the back of the lodge and watch the sun dance across Echo Canyon creating a kalediscope of colors as it sets. This is a gem of an experience! Don't forget to go visit Lee's Ferry and Paria Beach also nearby and hike into an old homestead.

choice of 3 motels along 89 here to fish or hike Glen Canyon area - this one has the best restaurant. None have wi fi or phones. It's an old, clean, air-conditioned room and comfortably large. Red rock structure is beautiful.

Had a lovely stay very nice and clean rooms incredible view of Echo Canyon from our window. Nice and quiet! And don't forget to enjoy the incredible meals right there.

With no plan, no information, only by chance I found this. Driving through 89A, I saw unusual rocks. Now I got to know the name of this place. If you find this house by chance like me, take a look around. It won't be long.

The rock houses that are located immediately east of Cliff Dwellers Lodge is a fascinating place. It makes a wonderful photo opportunity. It is located about 10 miles west of Marble Canyon and the Navajo Bridge on SR 89A.

We stopped here while exploring the area. Nice rocks for taking pictures by. It is not on the Navajo reservation but there still was a vendor there in December.

This site presented a fun bit of history and a good way for the family to get out of the car and move. The dwellings themselves seemed a bit dilapidated but interesting. The rock formations were unique and we all enjoyed hiking around on the red rocks. A great and interesting quick stop.

We were staying in the cliff dwellers lodge on a road trip and took a little stroll down to this historical site one evening. It is a really interesting piece of history and it was really nice to have a walk in and around the old dwelling. However, be really careful because we went in to one of the little dwellings and spotted 3 snakes so we immediately left the dwelling!! It was exciting to see our first desert snake though!! It is definitely worth stopping your car and having a look at this little historic building.

Reading the other reviews, I think some of the reviewers are a little confused. There is an open Cliff Dwellers Lodge in the area and then there is this one, which is not open as a lodge anymore - its just a historical site. It looks like some other people reviewed this one as the open lodge, but that is another thing entirely.This site is something that you will pass by on the side of the road. At first glance, we thought it might be some ancient cliff dwellings (especially because there are other ancient sites in the area), so we stopped to check it out. The rock formations are definitely ancient, but the lodge itself is only from the 1920s. There is some information on a sign there that tells you how Blanche Russell was driving in the area and her car broke down at this site. She set up camp to stay there for the night while waiting for help. She came to love the location so much that she returned and then turned it into a place where passerby could stop for food or stop for the night. The large rock structures were turned into small bedrooms and she built a larger main house for herself. While it wasn't an ancient site like we originally thought, its still a pretty remarkable place. The rock structures look like they have been worn by wind and water over the years, and its interesting because we didn't see any other location that looked like this on our travels. It seems to be a pretty secluded area. I'd be interested to know more about the geography of the area because I'm curious as to why its only a small area that looks this way. The way the rocks were turned into rooms was also interesting. She simply used what was there and then added wood structures and other rocks to close it in. Each structure is completely different from the others. Its definitely worth it to take some time to walk around and into all of the different structures.If you're driving past this area definitely stop to check it out. Its not that large, so it doesn't take too much time to look around. We happened to stop around the time the sun was setting so we stayed there to watch the sunset, and its a beautiful area for that!

Very much fun, relaxing to dine on the patio, good variety of food and drink, visiting with friends and new acquaintances in anticipation of departure on raft trip in the morning. Accomodations were comfortable, clean, relaxing. Staff was very friendly and helpful.

We stayed here the night before our Grand Canyon rafting trip took off. Very comfortable bed (my top priority!) so I slept great. Friendly staff & easy check in/out.

Clean big rooms with big beds. The little store was well priced and had everything. Restaurant had great burgers and good wine. Breakfast was ample and tasty.

The Old Cliff Dweller’s Lodge holds the remnants of a life once lived by 1920s Ziegfeld Follies dancer Blanche Russell, who left her career to care for her ill husband. Traveling north of the Navajo Bridge into Marble Canyon AZ, the Russells’ car broke down, in what could only be described as divine intervention to have stopped at one of the most breathtaking plots of land in Arizona. Blanche built a meager lean-to against the largest rock of many framing a vibrant, panoramic mountain landscape, and gradually built a life by serving food to passer-bys vising the Grand Canyon. Guests of particular interest included Mormons traveling the nearby Honeymoon Trail to the temple in St. George, Utah. Photos do not do this landscape justice. One must sit and breathe in the solitude, feel the scorching heat, and feel the hot stone to fully appreciate this now abandoned landmark.