Hey folks,

My wife and I are looking to spend our 5 year anniversary on a rental
boat (power) at Lake Powell, but we only have 2 days of water time.
Assuming we start at the Wahweap marina and that we are probably
having to spend our evenings shorebound at a resort (versus on the
lake,) what kind of recommendations do you folks have for sightseeing
the beautiful surroundings within the range we have (say, out at 8:00
a.m. and back by dark or at another resort area other than Wahweap)
and given a small powerboat with a top speed of 35mph (minus plenty of
quiet time taking it all in)??

We will probably be renting an open bow 17-20 foot powerboat with a
crusing range of about 100-120 miles.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Too bad Lake Powell is so low right now. I suggest limiting your tour
to lower Lake Powell, Wahweap to Rainbow Bridge. Fuel is available at
Dangling Rope Marina. Make yor headquarters the Wahweap Lodge. Two
days should give you time to see many of the canyons and beautiful
vistas. Get a Stan Jones map. http://www.az.net/stanjones/ So you'll
know hich canyons to see.

Unfortunately you now have to go up the "channel" to get betond
Wahweap Bay. This adds to each day trip. I hope you are going when
it is warm. A dip in the lake is very refreshing in the summer.

Good luck. Have fun.

On Mon, 08 Mar 2004 22:26:08 -0700, AB wrote:

Hey folks,

My wife and I are looking to spend our 5 year anniversary on a rental
boat (power) at Lake Powell, but we only have 2 days of water time.
Assuming we start at the Wahweap marina and that we are probably
having to spend our evenings shorebound at a resort (versus on the
lake,) what kind of recommendations do you folks have for sightseeing
the beautiful surroundings within the range we have (say, out at 8:00
a.m. and back by dark or at another resort area other than Wahweap)
and given a small powerboat with a top speed of 35mph (minus plenty of
quiet time taking it all in)??

We will probably be renting an open bow 17-20 foot powerboat with a
crusing range of about 100-120 miles.

Thanks in advance for your help!

We have had the Lake Mead/Lake Powell trips on our "Too Do" list for a long
time. But due to the low water conditions, we've put them on the back
burner. What kind of weather patterns ( I know it has to rain) will it take
to get the water back to a reasonable level? Is it likely that this may
become the "normal" level for these lakes? Stopping farmers from trying to
raise crops in the desert would seem like a first step!

"James Gemmill" gemmilljim@hotmail,com wrote in message
...
Too bad Lake Powell is so low right now. I suggest limiting your tour
to lower Lake Powell, Wahweap to Rainbow Bridge. Fuel is available at
Dangling Rope Marina. Make yor headquarters the Wahweap Lodge. Two
days should give you time to see many of the canyons and beautiful
vistas. Get a Stan Jones map. http://www.az.net/stanjones/ So you'll
know hich canyons to see.

Unfortunately you now have to go up the "channel" to get betond
Wahweap Bay. This adds to each day trip. I hope you are going when
it is warm. A dip in the lake is very refreshing in the summer.

Good luck. Have fun.

On Mon, 08 Mar 2004 22:26:08 -0700, AB wrote:

Hey folks,

My wife and I are looking to spend our 5 year anniversary on a rental
boat (power) at Lake Powell, but we only have 2 days of water time.
Assuming we start at the Wahweap marina and that we are probably
having to spend our evenings shorebound at a resort (versus on the
lake,) what kind of recommendations do you folks have for sightseeing
the beautiful surroundings within the range we have (say, out at 8:00
a.m. and back by dark or at another resort area other than Wahweap)
and given a small powerboat with a top speed of 35mph (minus plenty of
quiet time taking it all in)??

We will probably be renting an open bow 17-20 foot powerboat with a
crusing range of about 100-120 miles.

Thanks in advance for your help!

I think people may over-react to a description of "low water" on Lake
Powell. There's hundreds of feet of water through most of the canyon behind
the dam. Exploring the back canyons may be limited during low water, but
please don't think this is a 20' deep pond that turns to a mudflat during a
dry season. Plus, didn't the Colorado mountains get a good snowpack this
winter?

"QLW" wrote in message
...
We have had the Lake Mead/Lake Powell trips on our "Too Do" list for a
long
time. But due to the low water conditions, we've put them on the back
burner. What kind of weather patterns ( I know it has to rain) will it
take
to get the water back to a reasonable level? Is it likely that this may
become the "normal" level for these lakes? Stopping farmers from trying
to
raise crops in the desert would seem like a first step!

I think people may over-react to a description of "low water" on Lake
Powell. There's hundreds of feet of water through most of the canyon behind
the dam. Exploring the back canyons may be limited during low water, but
please don't think this is a 20' deep pond that turns to a mudflat during a
dry season. Plus, didn't the Colorado mountains get a good snowpack this
winter?

"QLW" wrote in message
...
We have had the Lake Mead/Lake Powell trips on our "Too Do" list for a
long
time. But due to the low water conditions, we've put them on the back
burner. What kind of weather patterns ( I know it has to rain) will it
take
to get the water back to a reasonable level? Is it likely that this may
become the "normal" level for these lakes? Stopping farmers from trying
to
raise crops in the desert would seem like a first step!

I think people may over-react to a description of "low water" on Lake
Powell. There's hundreds of feet of water through most of the canyon behind
the dam. Exploring the back canyons may be limited during low water, but
please don't think this is a 20' deep pond that turns to a mudflat during a
dry season. Plus, didn't the Colorado mountains get a good snowpack this
winter?

"QLW" wrote in message
...
We have had the Lake Mead/Lake Powell trips on our "Too Do" list for a
long
time. But due to the low water conditions, we've put them on the back
burner. What kind of weather patterns ( I know it has to rain) will it
take
to get the water back to a reasonable level? Is it likely that this may
become the "normal" level for these lakes? Stopping farmers from trying
to
raise crops in the desert would seem like a first step!

"John Wentworth" wrote in message
...
I think people may over-react to a description of "low water" on Lake
Powell. There's hundreds of feet of water through most of the canyon
behind
the dam. Exploring the back canyons may be limited during low water, but
please don't think this is a 20' deep pond that turns to a mudflat during
a
dry season. Plus, didn't the Colorado mountains get a good snowpack this
winter?

Yes, there is plenty of water in both Mead and Powell once you're on the
lake, but that's not the central issue for people trailering in. With Mead
currently down 89 feet, and Powell down 114 feet, the real concern for
trailer boaters is the condition of the launch ramps. It's been many years
(decades) since these lakes have been down this low, and the Park Service
can only improve the portion of the ramps that are exposed. That leaves the
condition of the portion of the ramps below the waterline very questionable.
Not a problem for smaller boats, but might be problematic for larger
trailerables.

The future water levels of these lakes is dependent on the snowpack in the
watershed. We are in the 9th year of a drought cycle. This year's snowpack
is no better than average, as I understand. Major hydrologic cycles can run
20-30 years in this part of the world, so we could be in for even more
ugliness. It could very well be that the desert southwest will be forced to
make some very hard choices in the near to intermediate future. Agriculture
will take the first bullet. The fact is, the Colorado River is already
over-committed, and we are still experiencing significant population growth
in the area. Bureau of Reclamation is not predicting Mead or Powell to rise
any time soon. Very unfortunate.

Rangers seem to think it will take several average or better snowpacks
to raise the lake. It is being drained as it fills.

On Tue, 9 Mar 2004 16:29:16 -0600, "QLW" wrote:

We have had the Lake Mead/Lake Powell trips on our "Too Do" list for a long
time. But due to the low water conditions, we've put them on the back
burner. What kind of weather patterns ( I know it has to rain) will it take
to get the water back to a reasonable level? Is it likely that this may
become the "normal" level for these lakes? Stopping farmers from trying to
raise crops in the desert would seem like a first step!

"James Gemmill" gemmilljim@hotmail,com wrote in message
.. .
Too bad Lake Powell is so low right now. I suggest limiting your tour
to lower Lake Powell, Wahweap to Rainbow Bridge. Fuel is available at
Dangling Rope Marina. Make yor headquarters the Wahweap Lodge. Two
days should give you time to see many of the canyons and beautiful
vistas. Get a Stan Jones map. http://www.az.net/stanjones/ So you'll
know hich canyons to see.

Unfortunately you now have to go up the "channel" to get betond
Wahweap Bay. This adds to each day trip. I hope you are going when
it is warm. A dip in the lake is very refreshing in the summer.

Good luck. Have fun.

On Mon, 08 Mar 2004 22:26:08 -0700, AB wrote:

Hey folks,

My wife and I are looking to spend our 5 year anniversary on a rental
boat (power) at Lake Powell, but we only have 2 days of water time.
Assuming we start at the Wahweap marina and that we are probably
having to spend our evenings shorebound at a resort (versus on the
lake,) what kind of recommendations do you folks have for sightseeing
the beautiful surroundings within the range we have (say, out at 8:00
a.m. and back by dark or at another resort area other than Wahweap)
and given a small powerboat with a top speed of 35mph (minus plenty of
quiet time taking it all in)??

We will probably be renting an open bow 17-20 foot powerboat with a
crusing range of about 100-120 miles.

Thanks in advance for your help!