Home sweet waterborne home
Lake Powell, a water playground in the desert that offers land adventures, too, is a great place to rent a houseboat as a floating hotel.
By JANNA GRABER
Published October 26, 2003
[Photo: AP]
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| A houseboat heads out to Lake Powell from the Wahweap Marina near Page, Ariz., in May. |
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GLEN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA - It's almost 10 p.m. in the red-walled canyons of Lake Powell. The desert air is still warm, almost hot, and all is silent except for the occasional splash of jumping fish.
From the roof of our rented houseboat, which is anchored in a secluded cove near Good Hope Bay, I see twinkling stars in the clear night sky reflected in the lake.
In this remote corner, worries of daily life have been left far behind. Surely that is one of the reasons so many people visit Lake Powell each year.
The second-largest artificial lake in the country stretches for about 180 miles, from northern Arizona into southern Utah. It is part of the Colorado River, in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
The lake is named for Maj. John Powell, a Civil War veteran who explored the region in 1869. But it was not until 1966, when the Glen Canyon Dam was completed, that the lake came into its own.
It took almost 17 years for Lake Powell to reach "fill" capacity, a depth of up to 500 feet. Since then, it has become a major destination for houseboats and water sports. The lake passes more than 90 canyons and has almost 2,000 miles of shoreline, longer than the Pacific coast of the lower 48 states.
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My family and I pick up our rented 52-foot houseboat at Bullfrog Marina in Utah. It is one of six marinas on the lake. Motorboats, water scooters and houseboats of all sizes and price ranges are available for rent.
Because our houseboat sleeps 12, we have asked relatives to join us.
Our boat has a small kitchen, two bathrooms with lake-water showers, four tiny bedrooms and a nice-sized living room. The kids are thrilled to see the large slide that runs from the roof of the boat to the water. I like the deck chairs in a shaded area on its roof.
We get a quick tour of the boat from one of the employees. He shows us the power systems (generator and propane) and explains the cooling system. Later, when we can neither get the cooling system to work in the 100-degree heat nor reach the marina by radio for assistance, we wish we had paid more attention to this part of the tour.
Fortunately, a good manual is onboard for folks like us, who didn't ask the right questions in the first place.
It is our first houseboating experience, and we are surprised to find that the houseboat feels like a big RV. There is a bit of a learning curve in handling it, but we soon catch on.
"Houseboating is not really for those who want a luxury experience," Dan Cole, general manager of the marina's water operations, had said when we had finished our introductory tour. "We don't put a mint on your pillow."
Houseboating on Lake Powell is best for those who like exploring remote locations, enjoy rugged but gorgeous scenery and like adventure.
Although winters can be cold, the lake is open year-round. Summers can be extremely hot. "The best time to visit Lake Powell is in the fall," Cole said. "The crowds are gone by then, it's cool enough to hike and explore, but the water is still warm."
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Regular visitors are quick to offer advice, and one basic suggestion for newcomers is to bring all their supplies with them. Convenience stores around the marinas are limited, and having to motor back to buy something that was forgotten can be a time-consuming interruption.
Keeping food cool is not easy. Terry Cartrite, who has vacationed at Powell for the past 16 years, says he always hauls plenty of ice onboard before he sets off. "The refrigerators sometimes have a hard time keeping up in the heat," he says. "We take fresh items that need cooling for the beginning of the week, then rely on canned foods by the end of the trip."
Cartrite also stresses the importance of towing a motorboat or water scooter behind the houseboat. "The second boat adds a degree of safety in case the houseboat breaks down, or you need to go back to the marina for something," he says.
Our houseboat travels at about 10 miles per hour, so we've decided to tow two motorboats to allow our group of 10 to explore the canyons more quickly, as well as provide for water skiing.
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After the boat is loaded, it's time to set out. "Any suggestions on where to go?" my husband asks Cole, who is standing on the wharf.
"It doesn't matter where you go," Cole answers, laughing. "The whole lake is beautiful!"
He seems to be right. Red, white and yellow layers of rock line the sheer canyon walls, displaying the Earth's ancient age in a dramatic way. The water is quite clear, too.
The lake is a fisherman's paradise. The Escalante and San Juan rivers feed into it, providing popular areas for large and smallmouth bass, crappie, catfish, carp and striped bass.
Not all the fun is to be had on the water. Hikers have a huge wilderness to explore, and in arid weather that includes hundreds of dry river beds going into the canyons.
Wildlife easily spotted includes wild donkeys, many species of birds and coyotes.
Our boat heads out toward Good Hope Bay, and four hours later we pull into a deserted cove. It has a sandy (albeit muddy) beach where we can safely anchor. We'll spend the next few days anchored in the bay, taking the boats to explore, hike, water-ski and tube.
We cook delicious dinners on the barbecue on the back deck and spend hours reading and playing games. I eventually decide that is perhaps the best thing about Lake Powell: You can be as active or as relaxed as you wish and design the vacation of your dreams.
But my favorite part of the trip comes at dusk, when we head up to the houseboat roof and pull out the chairs or lie on cushions to stare into the sky. No city lights pollute the view, and as the sky darkens, nature's best show soon begins.
- Janna Graber is a freelance writer living in Golden, Colo.
If you go
GETTING THERE: The services offered by the six marinas on Lake Powell range from very little to full, including National Park Service amenities. Bullfrog Marina is the second-largest marina. The nearest large city to it is Salt Lake City, about a 300-mile drive to the north. There is direct air service between the Tampa Bay area and Salt Lake City.
The nearest town to the marina is Hanksville, about 70 miles away. The marina is about 95 lake miles from Glen Canyon Dam.
Bullfrog is across from Hall's Crossing Marina. The marinas are connected by the John Atlantic Burr Ferry, an extension of Utah Highway 276; the ferry cuts 130 miles off the road route. The ferry can carry cars, trailers and RVs; the cost is $9 per car and added charges per foot for other vehicles. There is a $10 park fee per vehicle.
The largest marina is Waheap, six miles from Page, Ariz. The nearest large cities are Phoenix and Las Vegas, both about a 285-mile drive. There is direct air service between the Tampa Bay area and both cities. WHAT TO BRING: All food, drinks, medications, bedding (sheets, sleeping bags and towels), hats, sunscreen and bug spray. Ice and extra gasoline (a must if you want to head to remote regions of the lake) can be purchased at the larger marinas. Life jackets are onboard the rentals.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: On Lake Powell, call toll-free 1-800-528-6154, or go to www.lakepowell.com For information on the marinas, go to www.canyon-country.com and click on "Lake Powell."
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