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Lake Powell must see spots.

txav8r

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I don't know what the lake level is, but from the air, the cut has way more water in it than it did last year when were there! I also flew over this week twice, maybe you were my FO? lol
 

giroux68

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I don't think I could take going back to the right seat again. once was enough ; )
 

Pbirbeck

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Got back from both Lake Powell and Lake Tahoe this last weekend. Spent 5 full days at Powell and 3 full days at Tahoe. We visited Rainbow Bridge, Antelope Canyon, Navajo Canyon, Cathedral Canyon, and many others that I had no idea what the name was. Absolutely amazing and beautiful! Lake Tahoe is a frequent spot for us but we stayed at Camp Robinson and visited Emerald Bay, Rooster Rock, and Sand Harbor.
 

Lion

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Wow, great pictures and videos. We have planned our trip and will be heading to Powell this coming summer. Going to be doing a 7 day trip. Day 1 picking up my boat in Havasu where it is stored. Enjoy the day on the lake. Day 2 taking the 4 hr drive to Powell and launching the same day. Will spend day 3,4,5, and 6 in Powell. Day 7 back to Havasu.
Question for those that have been there.... Is 4 days enough to see all the sights talked about here? Or would an extra day make much of a difference? Thinking I can pick up my boat and head straight there. That would make my drive 7 or 8 hrs.
One of the reasons I was thinking of staying in Havasu on day one.
 

Speedling

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You guys just added this lake to my bucket list. Beautiful!
 

txav8r

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@Lion , you will Love the experience. Truth be told, I don't think you could see all of lake Powell in several years of weekend trips there. Powell is BIG. And it changes I am sure as conditions change. You can see much in even one day, and 4 days on the lake is what we spent. We just didn't try to see every canyon and crevasse. Just too much to see. But the places we saw were awe inspiring and would do it again in a heartbeat...all that we did, without feeling the need to see more. It is just that magnificent and majestic.
image.jpeg
 

Lion

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@Lion , you will Love the experience. Truth be told, I don't think you could see all of lake Powell in several years of weekend trips there. Powell is BIG. And it changes I am sure as conditions change. You can see much in even one day, and 4 days on the lake is what we spent. We just didn't try to see every canyon and crevasse. Just too much to see. But the places we saw were awe inspiring and would do it again in a heartbeat...all that we did, without feeling the need to see more. It is just that magnificent and majestic.
View attachment 65677

Thanks for the info. Can’t wait for summer to get here. So looking forward to this trip. I will definitely be bringing my iPad so that I can refer back to this post. Will be trying to hit the same spots that you visited as well as those that were mentioned by the others that have been there.
Thanks again.
 

J-RAD

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Screw Disneyland! Lake Powell is the BEST-EST-EST! Powell has been my family's go-to summer vacation for decades, going to on 3rd generation. There's no place like it... @txav8r is correct when he says you won't see the whole lake in 4 days... I've done 5-7 day trips for 30ish years and I know I've not seen it all. He's also right when he says it changes. Being a reservoir means one year your camping on a beach up the end of a canyon and the next year its under 20 ft of water. Or the water drops and you're staying on a beach a mile downstream from your last site because the water no longer reaches it. I've only camped in the same spot over again a handful of times over the years.

There are countless things to see. There's rock formations (including rainbow bridge), slot canyons, grottos, petroglyphs, Native American ruins, picturesque canyons, overlooks.

My advice to anyone is to just go with the intent to have fun. Plan to see a few sites, but don't overwhelm your schedule trying to see it all. Give yourself time to relax and play because after all... you'll be back next year.

You quickly learn that there are essentially 2 halves to The lake. Your style of camping may effect your choice in which region you choose to visit. The south end (Wahweap area) is known for wide expanses of water and large beaches. The north end (bullfrog area) is more of a small private beach up a canyon type region. There are exceptions to both in each area. Maybe its that I'm less familiar with theWahweap end? ...I've done both and that's just been my experience anyway. We've still ended up in fairly private spots even when staying in the south end.

A few times we've ventured from the north end to the south, from bullfrog to dangling rope to rainbow bridge and back... it's a pretty long journey.

You'll find that there are different ways of staying on the lake. There's the houseboat experience, the campground/rv experience, hotel experience, and the find a beach experience. Each method changes how you see and experience the lake.

My family has always gone the route of the packing the boat so full of gear you can barely get on plane and find your own private beach for a week experience. In fact, last year was the first time I'd ever stayed on a houseboat...

When staying up a canyon, you just need to make sure you're close enough to make the run back to the marina for fuel, ice, and ice cream.

The houseboat experience changes the game in the fact that you have less need to head back to the marina as often. Especially if the houseboat is equip with an accessory fuel tank. It's nice to have the shelter and convenience. The houseboat itself can act as a satellite station to launch extended exploration.

The campground experience pretty much positions you at the marina.

Navigating the lake is pretty simple if you have a map. The main channel is marked with numbered buoys the should correspond to most maps. The canyon entrances are also clearly marked with signs.

It's just awesome! @Speedling it is worthy of being on your bucket list... I'd say, move it to the top of the list.

This comment ended up being way longer than I thought...
 

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swatski

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Hello Gang,
When visiting Powell, what's the best place to slip the boat, staying in a hotel in Page, AZ?
Or - does it make more sense to launch and retrieve daily?

EDIT: Early June, if that matters.

--
 

Frank Marshall

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Not sure if there are slips at Antelope Point Marina, if there are that's the closest to Page. Wahweap Marina isn't far, and they have slips you can rent.

Due to "whales" all over the lake, I have developed "Lake Level Maps" to match the current water level. They work on Garmin, Lowrance GPS units, as well as iPhone & iPads, Android phones, Windows computers. Here's a link to check it out: Lake Powell GPS Maps
 

J-RAD

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@swatski that should be quite the epic road/boat trip for you guys. Probably a longer journey than Miami for the Bimini crossing. Good for you guys!

I'm going down this year but haven't set any particular dates yet. June is a fantastic time to go down, you'll have a ball. It should be a great water year, the snowpack up river is well over 100% and I don't think we're done yet. Water levels will be on the rise in June, but it's usually nothing to worry about. Some side canyons can have some debris near the ends from run off. Most hazards are easy to spot if you're sober. Check the weather each day before you head out, wind is the worst thing to contend with...

As for what to do with your boat in the evenings, I don't know that I'm an authority on that subject. We've typically beach camped over night and usually on the Bullfrog end of the lake. Although some close friends that typically stay in the Wahweap campground usually pull their boats each night. However, ramps can be a bit congested in the mornings.

One thing to consider is, if you leave your boat slipped, you may have a bit of a trek from your parking spot down to your boat with all the gear you'd want for the day. You may find it more convenient to be able to load and unload from your hotel. Gas will be way more affordable in town too.

While you're on the water, you'll find floating bathrooms at the mouths of most of the major canyons and of course at the marinas. The marina stores are a nice spot to take a break and refresh with some icecream. Dangling Rope Marina is a convenient stop after hiking Rainbow Bridge (You must do this!). Owning a Dangling Rope T-shirt makes you a member of a exclusive club ;) (I am probably making that up). Watch out for those tour boats, they put out some massive wakes!

Make sure you have a good map or chart on your GPS. I also recommend picking up a good guide book. Here's one I keep on board. It'll give you some good ideas and help you spot things like Indian ruins, petroglyphs and places to hike. You can probably mark them on your charts...
516PABBGD4L._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
There's bound to be some other members down there at the same time that are familiar with everything... maybe try and hit them up and tag along to some of the sites.

Make sure you plan a day to stake out a beach and chill for a few hours. Remember, sunscreen is your friend, you will burn in minutes under the desert sun.

Have a safe journey and a great time out there!
 
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J-RAD

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@swatski one other thing that came to mind is you may need to check what the procedures will be for leaving and entering the park daily with the zebra mussel contamination. Maybe they have over night parking slips available inside the park? It might be worth calling the marina to find out.
 

swatski

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@Frank Marshall @J-RAD Whoa, thanks a million!!!!!!
Super useful info, exactly what I was hoping to learn. Much appreciated!

We are going for the first week of June and staying in the Hampton Inn&Suites in Page, with our own boat.
I'm (secretly) hoping we will be back there again with a houseboat!
Need to take baby steps, Kate is not into camping of any kind, lol.

The prospect of zebra inspections scare the bejesus out of me!
Not opposed to the idea, but it's just a logistical nightmare with our boats (w/those impossible to dry water boxes etc.).
I'd like to avoid that at all cost. Please let me know if you have any info and/or ideas regarding zebra muscle inspections: what to do/not to do to avoid that!


--
 

swatski

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Not sure if there are slips at Antelope Point Marina, if there are that's the closest to Page. Wahweap Marina isn't far, and they have slips you can rent.

Due to "whales" all over the lake, I have developed "Lake Level Maps" to match the current water level. They work on Garmin, Lowrance GPS units, as well as iPhone & iPads, Android phones, Windows computers. Here's a link to check it out: Lake Powell GPS Maps
Thank you for the link! I think you posted this before, I just couldn't find it for some reason.
Very much appreciated!!!

--
 

Rumbo

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This is my lake and so excited to talk about it! Such a gorgeous place! @swatski, what days will you be there? I will be there the week of 6/3 (and about every other week thereafter. It’s a great time to be on the lake! Memorial Day crowds are gone and water is just getting warm enough to enjoy.

You can rent a slip by the day at the Wahweap Marina. Overnight Slips | Wahweap Marina Services (South Lake Powell - AZ)

Mussel inspections aren’t a big deal. They will want to look at your anchors and ropes and have you blow out your engines on your last pullout of your trip. They will tag your boat and you’re not supposed to remove it for 14 days I believe. During that 14 day period let your boat dry out to kill any mussels that may have hitched a ride. If you are going to launch in another body of water within 14 days of leaving Powell you will need to be decontaminated. Decon is free and I can get you some info on this if you need.

The water-data site that @Frank Marshall mentioned above is great up to date info on the lake.
 

Rumbo

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Also an FYI, it does get windy there in the afternoons so be prepared for that. The bigger bays get some decent chop (I’ve been in 6+ foot waves there). If you’re caught on the water when the wind hits you can usually tuck into a cove and at least shelter from waves. When the wind hits it usually lasts for about 2 hours or so.

We usually shore camp here but occasionally do the whole houseboat thing. If you end up liking the lake it’s definitely worth another trip in a houseboat.
 

J-RAD

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@Frank Marshall @J-RAD Whoa, thanks a million!!!!!!
Super useful info, exactly what I was hoping to learn. Much appreciated!

We are going for the first week of June and staying in the Hampton Inn&Suites in Page, with our own boat.
I'm (secretly) hoping we will be back there again with a houseboat!
Need to take baby steps, Kate is not into camping of any kind, lol.

The prospect of zebra inspections scare the bejesus out of me!
Not opposed to the idea, but it's just a logistical nightmare with our boats (w/those impossible to dry water boxes etc.).
I'd like to avoid that at all cost. Please let me know if you have any info and/or ideas regarding zebra muscle inspections: what to do/not to do to avoid that!


--
I hear you on those baby steps. I've only done the houseboat thing once but it was great. More like glamping!

Sounds like @Rumbo has your info on the mussels.
 
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