Lake Powell questions

[AZMark]

I’m heading up to Page in a couple of days and planning to haul the boat up and spend a day or two (separately) on lake Powell.

I have never taken a boat on the lake so had a few questions for those that have been:
- Is the lake busy this time of year? We’ll be on the water Friday and Sunday.

- How far is it from Wahweap to Antelope in a boat like ours? Is it worth the extra cost for the valet launch (only option) at Antelope?

- I’ve seen horror stories about the tour boat wakes and wakes in general - is this really an issue or do I just need to pay attention?

- I have no navigation electronics or radio. Do I need either of these or can I get by with a phone for day trips in good weather? Any app recommendations for very occasional use?

- How far can I reasonably get from the west end of the lake for a day cruise. Is Face Canyon a reasonable turnaround point?

Thanks all!

@JBehrens @Bottom Bracket tagging you guys as I’ve seen a few Powell posts from you

 

[Bottom Bracket]

I’m heading up to Page in a couple of days and planning to haul the boat up and spend a day or two (separately) on lake Powell.
Sweet! the chicken at the Birdhouse is awesome, takeout, pricey...
I have never taken a boat on the lake so had a few questions for those that have been:
- Is the lake busy this time of year? We’ll be on the water Friday and Sunday
Not busy, The Ramp is huge. My fitbit counted 16,000 step and 75 floors each day.
We prefer the Wahweap ramp. Not on the res, Stateline is in Utah. Study up on mussell inspections.

- How far is it from Wahweap to Antelope in a boat like ours? Is it worth the extra cost for the valet launch (only option) at Antelope?
30 minutes, 10 minutes of it no wake close to WW. I like the parking lot adjacent the WW lodge, 14 day limit.
- I’ve seen horror stories about tour boat wakes.
Tour boat wakes are no joke, In the main channel their wake bounces off the canyon walls and turns the whole place into chop with big holes.
Navigation?
The red and green nuns are mostly reliable. The numbers indicate how many miles you are from the dam.
How Far?
With the cut closed We don"t go past Warm Creek Bay, lots of beaches, don't cut your toes on the mussels.
Carving Navajo Canyon is an absolute must for sight seeing.
Antelope Canyon belongs to the kayakers.
Be prepared for possible white knuckle drive north of the Tuba Ciry turnoff.


Thanks all!

 

[AZMark]

Thanks for all the info.

What do you mean about the white knuckle drive? I’ve driven up there to fish the river but I don’t remember any trouble.

 

[Bottom Bracket]

The road has a lot of fresh patch work and rough in a lot of places.

 

[Bottom Bracket]

Circle K in town has the non ethanol fuel, I used their ethanol premium with the yamaha motor giz in the boat and ethanol reg in the truck, no issues. it also has nice big lanes for trucks with trailers.
Stix in town for bait and refreshments. parking in rear. there is an access road behind.
Once, Google instructed me to turn at "Gap", this takes out across the res the long way.
The first time you look down and see a gigantic boulder 20' under clear water is a lot like the first time you walked up to the edge of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

 

[AZMark]

Thanks for all the advice @Bottom Bracket

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I’m not sure about Arizona but I know going in from the Utah side you have to have your aquatic and basic species stuff from the website. Utah Fish and game has their own and you have to do an online quiz and pass it with a 100% score which is not very hard to be able to pay your 20 bucks to be able to get the sticker or whatever it was they required plus you’ll have paperwork you need to fill out and have on the dash of your vehicle and on your boat before you’re going there since they have quagga mussels. Again I don’t know about the Arizona side but the quagga mussel’s are a real deal and you want to be sure and get your boat decontaminated before you leave there. It is my understanding on the south end that they have the big hot water tanks that you basically back your boat down into then start your engines and run them and this decontaminates all of the microscopic villagers that are the larva of the mussels.


Here’s a link to the water level at Lake Powell. Myself, I would be nervous about driving around on the lake anywhere close to shore without having a good chart plotter or some sort of navigation hardware that you can set the water offset or level of to be able to avoid hazards under the water. They call the rocks white whales… check out Waynes Words for info before going on your trip.

Lake Powell Water Database

Lake Powell Water Database

lakepowell.water-data.com

Here’s a depth chart for you.. you will have to zoom out then scroll until you find Lake Powell then zoom in..

Lake Sakakawea nautical chart and water depth map

Lake Sakakawea nautical chart on depth map. Coordinates: 47.67444589, -101.99346998. Free marine navigation, important information about the hydrography of Lake Sakakawea

usa.fishermap.org

 

[AZMark]

I’m not sure about Arizona but I know going in from the Utah side you have to have your aquatic and basic species stuff from the website. Utah Fish and game has their own and you have to do an online quiz and pass it with a 100% score which is not very hard to be able to pay your 20 bucks to be able to get the sticker or whatever it was they required plus you’ll have paperwork you need to fill out and have on the dash of your vehicle and on your boat before you’re going there since they have quagga mussels. Again I don’t know about the Arizona side but the quagga mussel’s are a real deal and you want to be sure and get your boat decontaminated before you leave there. It is my understanding on the south end that they have the big hot water tanks that you basically back your boat down into then start your engines and run them and this decontaminates all of the microscopic villagers that are the larva of the mussels.


Here’s a link to the water level at Lake Powell. Myself, I would be nervous about driving around on the lake anywhere close to shore without having a good chart plotter or some sort of navigation hardware that you can set the water offset or level of to be able to avoid hazards under the water. They call the rocks white whales… check out Waynes Words for info before going on your trip.

Lake Powell Water Database

Lake Powell Water Database

lakepowell.water-data.com

Here’s a depth chart for you.. you will have to zoom out then scroll until you find Lake Powell then zoom in..

Lake Sakakawea nautical chart and water depth map

Lake Sakakawea nautical chart on depth map. Coordinates: 47.67444589, -101.99346998. Free marine navigation, important information about the hydrography of Lake Sakakawea

usa.fishermap.org

Thanks!

Nobody told me there’d be a test involved!

I’ve seen the posts and pics from your trip out there and have been checking out Wayne’s words. I should have tagged you too but I saw you came in from bullfrog, which might as well be the other side of the planet because I’m not going anywhere near that far across the lake.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Thanks!

Nobody told me there’d be a test involved!

Right on…. AZ game and fish should have something on their web site… I’m not sure if it is the same as Utah’s..

 

[Bottom Bracket]

I tried to show the inspectors my Utah certificate for the $30 mussell quiz.
They were not interested. I then asked then why I needed it, They said that if the utah game and fish stop me on the water I need it, not sure that is true. Wahweap is in AZ.

 

[JBehrens]

I’m heading up to Page in a couple of days and planning to haul the boat up and spend a day or two (separately) on lake Powell.

I have never taken a boat on the lake so had a few questions for those that have been:
- Is the lake busy this time of year? We’ll be on the water Friday and Sunday.

- How far is it from Wahweap to Antelope in a boat like ours? Is it worth the extra cost for the valet launch (only option) at Antelope?

- I’ve seen horror stories about the tour boat wakes and wakes in general - is this really an issue or do I just need to pay attention?

- I have no navigation electronics or radio. Do I need either of these or can I get by with a phone for day trips in good weather? Any app recommendations for very occasional use?

- How far can I reasonably get from the west end of the lake for a day cruise. Is Face Canyon a reasonable turnaround point?

Thanks all!

@JBehrens @Bottom Bracket tagging you guys as I’ve seen a few Powell posts from you

Late to the party here but catching up. Ya the mussell quiz is more of a money grab, I have yet to see a ranger or Utah DNR actually loop/ask or care for it. They more want to tag your boat upon exit of the lake. Mavrick off of the 89 also has ethanol free 87 on your way from town to the lake.

- Is the lake busy this time of year? We’ll be on the water Friday and Sunday: It is very quiet this time of year, not many out, mostly fishing. Be prepared for cold, I have seen it warm and freezing at this time of year.

- How far is it from Wahweap to Antelope in a boat like ours? Is it worth the extra cost for the valet launch (only option) at Antelope: Takes me about 30ish min to get thru the antelope arm I believe, Wahweap is also our preferred place to go but Antelope isn't bad, I have done the valet ramp and it is ok, in peak summer it can take 1.5-2.5+ hours to get your boat out but this shouldn't be an issue this time of year, it get's you a lot closer to the main lake to go out of Antelope. It's nice to be able to just hop on the boat and go. There is also a basic restaurant/bar on the water there, you can likely get a slip for the night too.

- I’ve seen horror stories about the tour boat wakes and wakes in general - is this really an issue or do I just need to pay attention?: Tour boats are very serious, even more so for houseboats. You need to pay attention if you see one, especially in the antelope arm. They might not be running this time of year, I know there is a cutoff for tours sometime in the fall. Your greater risk is to underwater hazards.

- I have no navigation electronics or radio. Do I need either of these or can I get by with a phone for day trips in good weather? Any app recommendations for very occasional use?: Download Navionics and be sure to download the Lake Powell base map, don't blindly trust it as the lake level keeps changing. Keep in mind, cell service is spotty on the lake so depending on where you are you might not be able to get a call out. You don't need a fancy GPS to go there, just read the charts and be aware, the phone is perfectly fine. Main channel heading south will take you home if you get lost, follow the cans.

- How far can I reasonably get from the west end of the lake for a day cruise. Is Face Canyon a reasonable turnaround point? Face Canyon is a good spot to turn around, if you are going from Antelope you could possibly make it to Last Chance Bay but I would not go down Last Chance as you will burn so much extra fuel for nothing (there is nothing in the front of that canyon). I would recommend only going to Padre Bay, it's got a lot to see and is a good middle ground on distance. Be careful if you choose to navigate Gunsight canyon as there are many underwater hazards. Warm creek is fine just not much to see, getting past the narrows really shows the cool parts of the lake, if you want to feel more comfortable then go out of Antelope.

Have a fun trip! Go see the dam if you have a chance, +1 on Stix as those guys are great. Last time I went we took 89 all the way up with no issues, you will need to slow down as you near the Grand Canyon.

 

[AZMark]

Thanks everyone!!!

Heading out soon. I downloaded Navionics, adjusted it for the current elevation and plotted routes to a few spots we want to see. What a great app that is.

weather is looking perfect for this weekend. Low 70s and no wind.

 

[JBehrens]

Thanks everyone!!!

Heading out soon. I downloaded Navionics, adjusted it for the current elevation and plotted routes to a few spots we want to see. What a great app that is.

weather is looking perfect for this weekend. Low 70s and no wind.

Have fun! Post some good pictures

 

[AZMark]

Sitting in the middle of padre bay and we haven’t moved a foot in 15 minutes. Glass…

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

What’s the air and water temp?

What gorgeous afternoon! Don’t see any other boats either.

 

[AZMark]

What’s the air and water temp?

What gorgeous afternoon! Don’t see any other boats either.

About 70 and 70 in that bay. Saw as low as 65 for the water.
Saw less than 10 boats all day.

 

[JBehrens]

Looks awesome! Wish I was heading to Powell Mohave

 

[ahenderson432]

Sitting in the middle of padre bay and we haven’t moved a foot in 15 minutes. Glass…

View attachment 211149

Only because I am not there!

 

[AZMark]

Well we’re home now. We didn’t have any issues thanks to all your input and being a little extra prepared for the unknown.

Spent two days on the lake and feel like we barely saw it. We covered about 115 miles but most of that was overlapping since we had to go back to the marina at night. Definitely going back next year and hopefully my wife and 3yr old will be up for a little longer high speed running as it was wearing them out a little on both days and limited our distance.

We crossed two of the smaller tour boats but caught them just before the channel to Antelope Point so no issues getting over their wakes. I sure wouldn’t want to deal with them in that channel though. Those things really go fast and toss a wake and that channel already had 2 ft waves without a boat in sight.

It turns out the range on this boat is looong. Granted we had perfect conditions but went 55 miles with the bimini up on Friday and burned 19.3 gallons of gas. That gives me a range of 142 miles, which exceeds Boat Tests longest range estimate of 130 miles at 5500 rpm. I tried to keep it around 5500-6000 on most of the long runs but we also had a couple miles of no wake zones and we were WOT at 7000 (all it had at the elevation) for about 15-20 miles coming home racing darkness.

https://boattest.com/boats/yamaha/212-limited-s-2019

Navionics free trial was a lifesaver as far as my comfort exploring a crazy place I’d never been.
@Ridesteady was also super nice to have for comfort/noise on such long runs and probably helped with the good gas mileage since we could just lock in an rpm for miles and miles.

 

[JBehrens]

we were WOT at 7000 (all it had at the elevation)

Ya that's the only bummer about elevation with the Yamaha's is the power loss. If you end up making more Powell trips during summer it would be worth getting Impros to make some props for Powell.