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89checkmate
07-31-2002, 01:29 PM
We are heading to Lake Powell for the first time.
We are taking the boat and staying at the wahweap lodge.
Any tips on where to go on the water?
and what to watch out for in the water, are there any hazards?
Any insider information would be great.
Thanks

BoatFloating
07-31-2002, 02:20 PM
Checkmate, that lake is awesome. Most of the hazards are clearly marked. Are some rocks that are under water that look alot closer than they are because the water is so clear. The lake is so big it's hard to see during day trips. The best way to see lake is on a house boat. Dangling rope is at mile marker 40 and it has gas and is a fully stocked floating marina. At mile marker 46-48 is Rainbow bridge pretty cool to see. Down closer to wahweap is cookie jar bay that is nice area. I would buy a fold out Stan Jones map at the gift shop there. It gives you great detail for the whole lake. It's worth the money. Once yo go to Powell you never want to leave.
BF..... :D

Livin Large 27Hallett
07-31-2002, 02:49 PM
Have to agree,BoatFloater. Been going to Powell for 10 years now every August and it is the best place....

89checkmate
07-31-2002, 05:03 PM
Do you spend most of the time in your boat, or is it best to find a sandy beach and tie off?

burtandnancy
07-31-2002, 05:12 PM
have to disagree with boatfloating, a houseboat is the worst way to see Lake Powell, but is a great outpost. You need a great cruiser with a large fuel capacity and LOTS of time. You won't be able to see all the sights in a month. Put your houseboat as far up lake from Wah Weap as possible and only come home at dark. Get a good map, there are many of them, and the lake is well marked, its hard to get lost for long.
Finally, if the sky gets black, be in a cove, on your trailer or out of there. They have some neat, short, lightning and wind storms. There is no more beautiful recreation lake in the world...

jet496
07-31-2002, 06:54 PM
Last year when we went to Wahweap we stayed in the Navajo building (There's several seperate buildings) which had a sandy beach and is right next to the ramp. We kept our boat in the water on the beach (over night) the whole time we were there. You can see from your room balcony & watch the show as people pull out. I don't know what it's like gthis year since the lake is alittle lower.

PACKERFAN
08-01-2002, 07:27 AM
89, pull an allday boat trip one day and head up to the Escalante River arm.There are all kinds of great things to see there. Lagorce Arch, Fifty Mile Canyon, Willow Creek Canyon, Three-Roof Ruins (very cool to walk up to).This trip will get you away from the crowds and take you to some of the best canyons on the lake. Dangling Rope Marina has gas, store,ice,3.2 beer(bring your own),and great soft serve ice cream.Have a great time!

89checkmate
08-01-2002, 07:40 AM
Thanks to everyone for all of the information, I am printing all of the responses to take with me.

flat broke
08-01-2002, 07:53 AM
89,
If there were 4 things I'd say you needed to know/have for a good Powell trip asside from a good boat, they'd go as follows.
1. A good map of the lake
2. Remember this phrase "Red Right Return" (I'll explain in a minute)
3. Know your boat's fuel consumption rate and estimated range at different RPMs
4. Leave plenty of time in your schedule
I got back from my first trip up there last weekend, and will definitely be going back. The lake is better marked than some freeways if you know what to look for and how to read a topo map. The main river channel has markers every couple of miles with green bouys to the left and red to the right as you travel up river/lake. This is where the navigational phrase red right return comes from. If you are returning up river/lake the red bouy should be on your right side. Simple stuff but it helps you keep your bearings when the channel looks like its dead ahead, but it actually bends off one way or the other.
Outside of the bouys if you have a good map with mile markers and topo markings you can use the landscape to help determine your locale. Just remember that the map was probably made when the water level was a little higher :)
Fuel and time will be your main handicaps if you're staying at Wahweap. You should plan your route and fuel consumption ahead of time so you don't get caught with your pants down. Most any 20' and up boat should have enough fuel to get you from Wahweap to Dangling rope. If you plan your fuel usage well you shouldn't have any problems. The only issue I could see is getting turned around somehow and going down one of the canyons thinking it was the main river channel, then having to back track which would eat up time and fuel.
As everyone has stated, the Dangling Rope marina is fairly well stocked and surprisingly the prices weren't set in full arse rape mode. The only thing that seemed waaay out of whack was their pricing on film, but if you're the type that takes lots of photos, you should carry plenty of film anyway.
The only other thing I can thin of is the stretch from Wahweap bay out onto the rest of the lake. It was getting really shallow and had been reduced to a no wake zone in order to keep the water passable. Other than that I thought the water level was more than adequate everywhere I went. One last thing you might want as a convienence item is a small set of field glasses. If you get turned around they can be helpfull in surveying your surroundings and looking for bouys that are too far off to see with the naked eye. The main benefit is that you will be able to get back on course without wasting gas/time probing around in different directions.
Good luck on your trip and bring back lots of pictures as its one of those places that is easier to show your friends than to tell them about.
Chris

Pure Magic
08-01-2002, 08:24 AM
89checkmate:
We are heading to Lake Powell for the first time.
We are taking the boat and staying at the wahweap lodge.
Any tips on where to go on the water?
and what to watch out for in the water, are there any hazards?
Any insider information would be great.
Thanks

Pure Magic
08-01-2002, 08:26 AM
Watch out for the (TOUR BOAT WAKES) !!!!

kevnmcd
08-01-2002, 11:16 AM
Pure Magic:
Watch out for the (TOUR BOAT WAKES) !!!!No Sh$t, Pure Magic....I almost got swamped by those things. Definately watch out for those. eek!

Lakemead1
08-01-2002, 11:24 AM
Hey Kev,
I have maps on my site for Powell if you need one. I can bring it to the photo shoot this weekend, let me know
www.lasvegas***boats.com (http://www.lasvegas***boats.com)

jet496
08-01-2002, 06:01 PM
Yeah, be on your toes going through that narrow mile or so strip from Wahweap to Padre Bay. Those tour boats throw a huge wake & I think they try to swamp boats just for fun.
I've been going there with tiny-ass, low-profile 21'river boats & jet skis for 10 years & always survived (been in some bad swells during storms-PRETTY DAMN HAIRY).
WATCH THE WEATHER AT ALL TIMES. Be scoping out coves to hide in at all times (This saves my ass every time!!). That way you'll know a place to go if (when) the weather gets nasty in the afternoon. I'm constatntly looking for NON-WASH COVES that look safe from the water & wind. Look for where houseboats are, they're usually in the best locations.
Remember, the storms almost always end after an hour at the most & the waves will calm down within an hour the storm passes.
Don't be paranoid (I never mention this stuff to the wife & kids- it can freak them out), but just be alert to what I've said & you'll have an exiting (storms are exiting!) safe, fun trip! That's what's it's all about.
What a long-ass post!
[ August 01, 2002, 07:03 PM: Message edited by: jet496 ]

DEEZ NUTTS
08-01-2002, 07:29 PM
Powell is awesome! I may be there the same time you are. I will check your dates on the other post and be in touch.
Advice for your first time would be to definately pick out some land marks as you head up the lake. It is easy to get lost as you explore, but definately do. The water is much farther down than the past few summers which limits travel into a lot of cool canyons. The maps that others have told about have little hikes to some neet sights labeled on them so take a pair of shoes if your into it.
Dont be afraid to drive right up to a bouy to get the mile mark off it and know where you are.
Dangling Rope marina is not visible from the channel. There is a sign on a bouy directing you to it, but you can easily pass it.
Fill the tank at dangling rope, then go to Rainbow bridge, then fill it again on the way back. Yeah im always paranoid about the gas, but I only have a 50 gal tank in a 24' boat with a blower an 2 carbs.

DogHouse
08-01-2002, 08:33 PM
Oh no, you guys are all wrong. Powell is a terrible place, just awful. Windy, rough, no decent scenery, no sandy beaches, no interesting places to explore, no good places to camp. I wouldn't recommend going there under any circumstances. Nope, everybody should just stay away and leave all those terrible rocky beaches to me.
'scuse me while I go plan my week long trip for September...
J/K!!! My favorite place on this planet...
-brian :D

PowellScooter
08-02-2002, 05:10 AM
I will be looking for you all when we are out this weekend. Have been out every night this week. Lone Rock is getting semi full looking as of Thurs night. Keep an eye out for us too, 26 ft Caribbean vintage 80`s tan/brown/gold colors gel coat brown bimini top, always going SLOW. You can hail us (SCOOTER) on ch 16 marine band, or look on AA dock to see if we are in the slip. The Castle Rock cut is getting pretty shallow, just go slow and u should be fine. The rest of the lake should pose no problem either.

BigWaveDave
08-02-2002, 11:57 AM
The one thing not mentioned yet in this thread is this: When you're hiding out in that cove, waiting for the storm to blow over...STAY AWAY FROM THE CANYON WALLS!!!!
My first trip was nearly my last. We were sitting in a cove while a big squall blew over and we heard this rumbling noise like a train comming. Kept getting louder and louder until a spout of red, muddy water and BIG rocks came crashing down about 30' from our boat.
Remember, all those little canyons and creeks run down to the river, and not all of them terminate at water level. Some of them are hundreds of feet up the side of the canyons. Having a 12" diameter rock plunge through your deck and on through your hull is a hideous way to end your vacation.
Other than that, Powell is boating heaven. I've already left instructions for my ashes to be spread there.

jet496
08-02-2002, 04:49 PM
This is all great information for anyone going to Powell or Meade, veterans or rookies :D .

89checkmate
08-03-2002, 08:49 AM
PowellScooter:
I will be looking for you all when we are out this weekend. Have been out every night this week. Lone Rock is getting semi full looking as of Thurs night. Keep an eye out for us too, 26 ft Caribbean vintage 80`s tan/brown/gold colors gel coat brown bimini top, always going SLOW. You can hail us (SCOOTER) on ch 16 marine band, or look on AA dock to see if we are in the slip. The Castle Rock cut is getting pretty shallow, just go slow and u should be fine. The rest of the lake should pose no problem either.Hi PowellScooter, We will be there aug. 9-13.
We will keep an eye out for you.
We will be in a 21' blue/tan checkmate w/ a 225 honda fourstroke outboard.
Thanks again to everyone for all of the info. We will be taking alot of pictures.

89checkmate
08-13-2002, 05:49 PM
We just got back from Lake Powell and had a great time...
Thanks to everyone for all of the useful information.
It is as awesome as everyone said.
We are going to make this trip every year.

89checkmate
08-13-2002, 05:49 PM
We just got back from Lake Powell and had a great time...
Thanks to everyone for all of the useful information.
It is as awesome as everyone said.
We are going to make this trip every year.

Backfire
08-13-2002, 07:33 PM
I got confused about the direction of the main channel even though I knew I was at Camel Rock. Thought I'd run out of gas before I figured it out! I just waited a few minutes and followed a tourboat (carefully!) The storms come up almost daily about noon or 1pm during the summer and the remainder of the day is kinda big water. You could retire there on a houseboat and easily die of old age before seeing the entire lake! The giftshops sell a photo map that is helpfull and yes, high powered binoculars are very helpfull in spotting the markers!