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Lake
Powell is one of my favorite lakes. The scenery there is unmatched
by anything I've seen anywhere else, the season is long, the lake is big
enough that you can always find some privacy, the fishing is good...
I could go on and on, but instead, I'll attempt to provide you with enough
information to whet your appetite and to compel you to visit this
wonderful area to see for yourself what a national treasure this area
is.
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2/11/03 - Well, it's looking a bit grim. Lake Powell
is currently listed as being officially 86 feet below "normal",
which is causing some major problems. The Stateline Launch
Ramp in the Wahweap area is now closed due to low water levels.
Boats must be launched at the main ramp near Wahweap Lodge.
Up at the other end of the lake, it's sounding as if the ramp at
Hite Marina is pretty much out of service as well. For up
to date information, you can contact the ranger station at
435-684-2457.
Now,
the folks over at
LivingRivers.com are sounding the alarm and telling the
world that the lake will be totally dry by 2007. Now, just
so you remember, these are the folks that think we should be
just yanking all the dams out and letting the rivers run wild.
I looked at the study they sited, and I'm not sure I agree with
their assessment. I suppose only time will really tell,
but if you want to look at the study material yourself, you can
find it here on the U.S. Geological Survey's site.
Either way, before you head to Lake Powell this spring, make
sure you check out the
"what's new" section of the Lake Powell site for any updates
on ramp closures or other low water issues. We'll be
watching the situation closely and will update this site as
often as we can.
10/15/02 - Lake Powell has been
significantly impacted by the cumulative affects of 4 years of
drought in the intermountain region. Our last visit to the
lake was shocking. The ferry ramp is apparently out of
water, so the main boat ramp at Bullfrog is now sharing duty as
both the recreational boat launch and the ferry ramp. The
water is down roughly 80-90 feet from the high water mark.
There are beaches where before there were cliffs, and there are
cliffs in places where we used to beach. This is still a
huge body of water, and there's still plenty of room to boat on
it, but I sure hope we get a few heavy snow years to fill the
pond back up.
9/5/01
- While summer may be winding down, the boating at Lake Powell
this time of year just can't be beat. The crowds are
almost non-existent, the days are still long and warm and the
nights are cool and comfortable. When we last checked,
the lake was down 33 feet from it's maximum elevation of 3,700
ft. This lower water level will make boating there
something you'll want to be a bit more cautious about, as many
more obstacles will be near the surface.
There has been a
lot of controversy surrounding Lake Powell, in fact just a few years ago,
environmentalist groups proposed that Glen Canyon Dam be breached, and
that Lake Powell be drained in order to restore the Colorado River below
to it's more natural state. Thankfully, clearer heads have so far
prevailed, and this extreme proposal has been refused by Congress.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is responsible for the Environmental
Studies surrounding this area, and we've found a lot of information on
their Grand
Canyon Monitoring and Research site. The Sierra Club, while at
one time actively promoting the draining of Lake Powell, has nonetheless
compiled quite a bit of useful information on this and other lakes that
cover the Colorado and Green Rivers. Their Colorado
River Report section is especially informative. The group that
is specifically trying to continue the effort to drain that lake is the Glen
Canyon Institute. While I seriously hate sending traffic to
their site, as I am vigorously opposed to their efforts, I'm providing the
link here in hopes that more folks will get involved in the fight to stop
this movement. A well written, objective view of this issue is presented
by J. Brett Wilson who professes to be presenting unbiased information
to help us all make informed decisions. His site is a good read, I
recommend you take a look.
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- Marina
Information - |
| Lake
Powell is serviced by five major marinas, four of which are
accessible by automobile, and the fifth accessible only by
boat. |
| Hite Marina - This Marina is located on the
northern-most end of the lake, just slightly south of the point where the
Colorado River empties into the lake. This is the least developed
Marina of the lake, but most services are available here. Water
conditions here will be more dirty, due to the proximity of the Colorado
River. Boaters need to be on the lookout for floating logs and other
debris. If you're looking to escape the crowds, try this end of the
lake. As long as you're careful, you can navigate up the Colorado
River from here, or take a short trip up to the end of Dirty Devil
Creek. Both inlets offer dramatic canyon scenery and little or no
boat traffic. |
| Bullfrog Marina - This Marina is the main entry
point for most boaters coming to the lake from points north. All
major facilities are available here, and this is where the bulk of the
Houseboats are located that ply the northern portion of the lake. On
holiday weekends, lines at the boat ramp can be long, so plan on arriving
early so that you can get on the lake with a minimum amount of fuss.
Many of the more popular "attractions" of the lake are
accessible from this marina. If you're planning on camping on the
shore during the peak summer season, find a spot fairly early in the day
and stake it out with some of your camp gear. Sandy beaches can be
hard to come by in some of the more popular canyons, and it's not unusual
to find that every good spot has a houseboat tied to it by late
afternoon. If you're just visiting the lake on a day trip, you can
take the ferry across Bullfrog Bay to Halls Crossing. |
| Halls Crossing - This Marina is located across
Bullfrog Bay from Bullfrog Marina and is the other end of the Ferry
crossing. Most of the folks coming in from Colorado and points East
use this Marina. This marina also offers all the major services that
Bullfrog does. |
| Dangling Rope - This Marina is accessible only
by boat, roughly half-way between the Bullfrog/Halls Crossing Marinas and
the Marina at Wahweap. While gas prices here will offer you a swift
kick in the seat of the pants, if you need it, you'll be darn
glad to pay for it here. You're a long way from anywhere
when you hit Dangling Rope, so don't forget to stock up on ice
and treat the family to an ice cream cone here as
well. |
| Wahweap - Located on the southern end of the
lake near the Arizona border, this Marina is typically the entry point for
most visitors coming up from the south. All major services are
offered here, and this is also one of the points where a substantial
flottila of houseboats awaits visitors. This end of the lake is the
largest end of the lake, and you'll find lot's of open water here.
Along with the large bays can come large water whenever a
summer storm hits. Watch the weather carefully here, and
head for shelter early if threatening weather appears on the
horizon. |
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- Special
Regulations - |
| If you're camping
in the National Recreation Area within 1/4 mile (.5 km) of Lake Powell,
you're required to have and use some device for containing solid human
wastes, unless toilets are available on the beach within 200 yards (188 m)
of your camp.
Any vessel equipped with a marine
sanitation device (toilet) capable of overboard sewage discharge must be
sealed in a way that makes overboard discharge impossible. All
wastes must be disposed of properly -- in portable toilet dump
stations of boat pumpout stations. |
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