Lake Powell

[RobbieO]

I need some info on Lake Powell. Is there waterfront camping, and can you keep your boat near your campsite. Powell is on my bucket list, so I want to find out what is the best way to stay there, outside of a houseboat. Any recommendations appreciated! Thanks

 

[Klover]

We stayed at the Wahweap campground a few years ago with our RV and then just launched our boat each day. The boat launch is just a mile or so down from the campground. The lake is awesome and huge -- without a house boat or beach camping, you likely won't be able to explore it all. We're going this summer and renting a houseboat for 5 days (and likely will tow our boat down there as well -- hopefully our new 255xd that's supposed to come in next week). I'm also looking for advice from those that have spent time there as to the best beach spots, etc. Powell is a blast and if you go in the Summer, the water is as warm as a swimming pool.

 

[RobbieO]

Does it get super crowded? Do you need o reserve a year in advance? I heard its like 60 miles from one end to the other. So I’m guessing beach camping is allowed? It doesnt look like there are many beaches.

 

[KnucklDragr]

Tons of beaches where you can camp. You can pull your boat right up to the shoreline and pitch a tent. There is more coastline on Powell than on the west coast of the U.S. so even when it is busy you can just keep going and you will find a good spot.

 

[Klover]

It’s such a huge lake that even when it’s busy it doesn’t feel like it. I’ve only been there once and there were a few areas that were busy/lots of traffic, but we’d just boat to another area.
For houseboat rental I recommend a year in advance. We got lucky and found one of the last ones avail for the summer (we booked 2 months ago for end of July).
we have great boating 10 mins from our house - and we still are gonna drive 1000 miles again this year to spend a week - so that tells you how awesome it is.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Here’s a pretty good map To get you started.

Lake Powell and Its 96 Canyons Boating and Exploring Map Gloss Laminated: Stan Jones, Steve Ward, Steve Ward, Steve Ward, Stan Jones: 0820644900005: Amazon.com: Books

Lake Powell and Its 96 Canyons Boating and Exploring Map Gloss Laminated [Stan Jones, Steve Ward, Steve Ward, Steve Ward, Stan Jones] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Lake Powell and Its 96 Canyons Boating and Exploring Map Gloss Laminated

www.amazon.com

You should Have a good GPS / chart plotter / depth finder With a lake level offset feature. The lake is a bit low right now and is forecast to stay low so there are more navigational hazards.

The lake is over 80 miles end to end. And you can camp along the shore, but you must have a porta potti while camping on the shore.

 

[rad1026]

Powell is an amazing place. I don't know anywhere else you can experience the sheer canyon walls, beautiful desert colors and deep turquoise water. Like others have said, boat camping is allowed anywhere and there is plenty of shoreline. You must pack out everything so it you decide to go out on the lake for a couple nights bring porta potti. NO GLASS! There is one beach outside of Page called Lone Rock Beach. You can bring a RV down to the water and have your boat on the beach. Its first come first serve and you have to be able to get through the sand. We have stayed there in our RV many times and always had a blast. I was there in February and the water was pretty low, but there were still people camped at Lone Rock.

Houseboat is really the best vacations I have ever had. You really get away, and it melts away the daily life. It can be so relaxing. We have rented from the marina at Wahweap and also from private owners. The best by far is to rent from a private owner. Check Craigslist in Page, you see postings all the time from people who can't use their week on the boat. Lots of the private boats have additional fuel storage for you tow alongs, solar freezers to keep ice and are just so much nicer then the marina rentals. The most expensive things you will use are fuel and ice, can never have too much ice.

Forget the GPS and chart plotter. Have some adventure. You are on vacation, get away from the electronics. Get a map and binoculars and follow the mile markers. If you make a wrong turn down a canyon, you turn around and get back out to the main channel.

Watch the weather, it can and does come up fast in the afternoons and can produce very big winds and waves. Also, don't park a boat on shore too close to a cliff overhang. Rains will wash over the ledges and will create a waterfall. Don't want to be under one of those.

Go! Do it! It will be a great time. Something you will never forget.

 

[Klover]

Powell is an amazing place. I don't know anywhere else you can experience the sheer canyon walls, beautiful desert colors and deep turquoise water. Like others have said, boat camping is allowed anywhere and there is plenty of shoreline. You must pack out everything so it you decide to go out on the lake for a couple nights bring porta potti. NO GLASS! There is one beach outside of Page called Lone Rock Beach. You can bring a RV down to the water and have your boat on the beach. Its first come first serve and you have to be able to get through the sand. We have stayed there in our RV many times and always had a blast. I was there in February and the water was pretty low, but there were still people camped at Lone Rock.

Houseboat is really the best vacations I have ever had. You really get away, and it melts away the daily life. It can be so relaxing. We have rented from the marina at Wahweap and also from private owners. The best by far is to rent from a private owner. Check Craigslist in Page, you see postings all the time from people who can't use their week on the boat. Lots of the private boats have additional fuel storage for you tow alongs, solar freezers to keep ice and are just so much nicer then the marina rentals. The most expensive things you will use are fuel and ice, can never have too much ice.

Forget the GPS and chart plotter. Have some adventure. You are on vacation, get away from the electronics. Get a map and binoculars and follow the mile markers. If you make a wrong turn down a canyon, you turn around and get back out to the main channel.

Watch the weather, it can and does come up fast in the afternoons and can produce very big winds and waves. Also, don't park a boat on shore too close to a cliff overhang. Rains will wash over the ledges and will create a waterfall. Don't want to be under one of those.

Go! Do it! It will be a great time. Something you will never forget.

How/where did you find private house boat renters? My understanding is that only the marinas are allowed to rent houseboats. When you google private house boat rentals or look on craigslist nothing comes up. We have a hold on a house boat through antelope marina luckily, but it's expensive and would like to know if there are other options. Thanks.

 

[JBehrens]

Powell is the most amazing place to visit, my favorite place to vacation. The best way to see the lake is by houseboat so don't rule that out completely, it is really worth it. Lone Rock beach is a popular spot to camp with your truck on the beach but it is all fine Utah sand that has a tendency to get everywhere and you are kind of stuck down lake. I would not leave a boat in overnight just anchored on the beach, a storm could come up and cause a problem or wake from other boats.

Plan to have extra fuel on hand, especially if you make a trip from Lone Rock to Last Chance or Rainbow Bridge. The lake is massive and at high altitude you will go slower and burn more fuel then normal so keep that in mind. Like others have mentioned, be mindful of the weather, it can come up fast if you are not paying attention. Southern part of the lake (Dam to B25) tends to get hit with more weather than the mid sections.

Whatever you do, go there and have a blast!

 

[Zechbruder]

"Camped" out of a 18ft Sea Doo loaded to the gunwales about 20 years ago with a couple on a Wave Runner and hydrotrailer. We launched at Bullfrog and kept our room at Defiance House for our supplies (geez, we had so much booze and meat/cheese to keep cold) and gear the whole time and to be able to retreat to air conditioning and a shower (2 or 3 nights camping, one night room was the usual pattern) after trips down river (Dangling Rope was a our furthest), exploring Escalante and San Juan arms and then up river at that time, Hite Marina. Rainbow Bridge had water under it. Lots of slot canyon exploring, the boat hook and rub rail came in handy. It was amazing scenery, and the water was a welcome relief from July heat. We didn't find a lot of "beach", had to get creative with tying off to sandstone and other anchors to keep the gelcoat off the rocks while camping in the coves. We would try to make our distance travel on the main channel early in the day because once the houseboats are on the move, the waves start bouncing between cliff walls and our small, loaded craft took a beating.

Want to do it again with our SX210, but maybe not so much camping, maybe just over nights.

 

[rad1026]

How/where did you find private house boat renters? My understanding is that only the marinas are allowed to rent houseboats. When you google private house boat rentals or look on craigslist nothing comes up. We have a hold on a house boat through antelope marina luckily, but it's expensive and would like to know if there are other options. Thanks.

Looks like you are right. When Armark took over concessions they lobbied the Park Service to restricting private rentals. Sorry, its been quite a while since I have done the houseboat there. I hate Armark! I have my reasons, the biggest being I just about lost my thumb on one of their houseboats due to lack of maintenance. It cost me an end to the trip, a painful ride to Page for emergency care, a good amount of $ in medical bills and they have deep pockets. Basically told me to get a lawyer. When you are out of town its not so easy to do. So be careful on their equipment.

 

[BrandonG]

Do any of you folks live near the lake?
I'll be coming down there at the end of July for a week with my boat and I'm curious what role the low water level will have on my trip or if it will even be a factor next month

TIA

 

[Klover]

Ya -- they're saying water levels are at record lows -- we have a house boat reserved as well the last week of July. We're planning on bringing our new boat (making the long haul of about 16 hours) -- but only if we can launch it. Some launches are closed their right now. Hoping water levels rise in the next month but they're not predicting that.

 

[JBehrens]

Water isn't at a record low yet but it is only 6ft away from it (keep in mind water elevation at dam and overall content are two very diffrent things at Powell). Runoff is late this year but the lake is on the rise. Wahweap is open and usable and should remain that way for the rest of the season, just have to make the trip around Antelope to get to the main lake. You can launch at the Antelope business ramp but there is an additional fee + wait time. I am going the week of July 4th and will report back

https://lakepowell.water-data.com/index2.php?elevation=3560.74

 

[BrandonG]

@JBehrens can you report back lol

We are going at the end of the month and just planned to use the Wahweap ramp but now they are talking about it being potentially closed so they can extend it to accomodate boat access with the low water.

Did you use Antelope business ramp? Is that the Antelope point marina ramp? If so what were the costs?

 

[JBehrens]

@JBehrens can you report back lol

We are going at the end of the month and just planned to use the Wahweap ramp but now they are talking about it being potentially closed so they can extend it to accomodate boat access with the low water.

Did you use Antelope business ramp? Is that the Antelope point marina ramp? If so what were the costs?

Oh sorry I forgot haha.

So the water level is well low, stick to the channel markers and be carful. That being said, low water at LP is still a crap ton of water and there is a lot of cool things to see. Padre Bay has a ton of camping options, Last Chance is good too but there are a lot of structures midway into the canyon where the water gets low. Last Chance Bay is a good spot and has a lot of options (this is where we camped for the week), Face Canyon and West Canyon also had some spots. Middle Rock was low and did not have a lot of offer but the rest of Rock Creek had spots.

It looks like they are trying to close only half the ramp at a time so there still is a launch ramp at Wahweap but that could change at anytime, the park can not afford to loose that ramp so they will do anything to keep it up and running. Good news is NPS is planning on a major ramp renovation/extenuation for Wahweap in the off season.

The main Antelope ramp is completely unusable. I used the Antelope business ramp which is a weird experience, the ramp is 2 vehicles at a time, valet only. At the top of the boat yard you get in line, check in at the office where you get a claim ticket and let them know when you plan to return, cost is $40 per L&R (credit card only, open 7a to 7p), after that someone from the service gets into your truck and drives it down the ramp. I launched in the afternoon and that was an easy process with only 4 boats in line at 5pm but if you plan to launch in the morning, expect to get there early say 6am or better or expect to wait a few hours before getting in the water. If you are getting on the water the night before, it could be difficult to find a place to tie up as people return. The most difficult part of the Antelope Business ramp is retrieval, it took multiple attempts and a lot of time on hold to get through to the valet office and the wait was well over an hour. The place gets busy so you just have to be patient and plan accordingly. It was kind of nice to not have to hike up and get the truck and they will also winch/land the boat with you but on the flip side I really don't like other people driving my truck. Both the launch and retrieval happened on a Saturday so I think that contributed heavily to the delays.

If you have any other questions or want more info on the lake let me know.


(View from the back of the houseboat)

 

[JBehrens]

One more thing I forgot to mention, depending on where you camp, be ready for some bugs due the lower water level exposing more beaches and vegetation. Where we camped the gnats were bad, that being said not all spots are going to be the same so your milage may vary. Bring some extra bug candles and some rags to nock them off the seats.

 

[ChrisM]

Here's a few amateur videos I shot while there late 2017.

https://www.youtube.com/user/PlzrApplRepair/videos

 

[Klover]

Oh sorry I forgot haha.

So the water level is well low, stick to the channel markers and be carful. That being said, low water at LP is still a crap ton of water and there is a lot of cool things to see. Padre Bay has a ton of camping options, Last Chance is good too but there are a lot of structures midway into the canyon where the water gets low. Last Chance Bay is a good spot and has a lot of options (this is where we camped for the week), Face Canyon and West Canyon also had some spots. Middle Rock was low and did not have a lot of offer but the rest of Rock Creek had spots.

It looks like they are trying to close only half the ramp at a time so there still is a launch ramp at Wahweap but that could change at anytime, the park can not afford to loose that ramp so they will do anything to keep it up and running. Good news is NPS is planning on a major ramp renovation/extenuation for Wahweap in the off season.

The main Antelope ramp is completely unusable. I used the Antelope business ramp which is a weird experience, the ramp is 2 vehicles at a time, valet only. At the top of the boat yard you get in line, check in at the office where you get a claim ticket and let them know when you plan to return, cost is $40 per L&R (credit card only, open 7a to 7p), after that someone from the service gets into your truck and drives it down the ramp. I launched in the afternoon and that was an easy process with only 4 boats in line at 5pm but if you plan to launch in the morning, expect to get there early say 6am or better or expect to wait a few hours before getting in the water. If you are getting on the water the night before, it could be difficult to find a place to tie up as people return. The most difficult part of the Antelope Business ramp is retrieval, it took multiple attempts and a lot of time on hold to get through to the valet office and the wait was well over an hour. The place gets busy so you just have to be patient and plan accordingly. It was kind of nice to not have to hike up and get the truck and they will also winch/land the boat with you but on the flip side I really don't like other people driving my truck. Both the launch and retrieval happened on a Saturday so I think that contributed heavily to the delays.

If you have any other questions or want more info on the lake let me know.

View attachment 157294
(View from the back of the houseboat)

Our houseboat rental is from Antelope and we're planning on bring our 255XD (it's a long haul from WA state -- about 16hrs) but we'll be stopping in Utah for a day or two so it should be too bad). Thanks for the input -- really hoping we can launch and retrieve our boat (either with Valet service or someone else like Wahweap). I too am not thrilled about someone else driving my new truck and boat. Do we get to take the boat of the trailer or do they do that?
On a side note, if we decide to tow our yamaha behind the house boat, do you have to clamp the cooling lines? If so, anyone have a pic to ensure I clamp the correct ones?
Excited as this will be our 2nd time to go to Powell and first time with a houseboat.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Our houseboat rental is from Antelope and we're planning on bring our 255XD (it's a long haul from WA state -- about 16hrs) but we'll be stopping in Utah for a day or two so it should be too bad). Thanks for the input -- really hoping we can launch and retrieve our boat (either with Valet service or someone else like Wahweap). I too am not thrilled about someone else driving my new truck and boat. Do we get to take the boat of the trailer or do they do that?
On a side note, if we decide to tow our yamaha behind the house boat, do you have to clamp the cooling lines? If so, anyone have a pic to ensure I clamp the correct ones?
Excited as this will be our 2nd time to go to Powell and first time with a houseboat.

Yes, you will need to clamp the cooling lines and or install in line valves. Do a search here on the site for threads about installing tow valves. Or better yet, buy a service manual, it will prove very useful for other things besides just locating your cooling lines.