LAKE POWELL, UTAH
Lake Powell belongs to both Utah and Arizona, and a paddle through the reservoir means weaving through massive red rock, including the famed Antelope Canyon, with teal water beneath your kayak. Journeys can last anywhere from hours to days.
Lake Powell is a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River, straddling the border between Utah and Arizona, United States.
Most of Lake Powell, along with Rainbow Bridge National Monument, is located in Utah. It is a major vacation spot visited by approximately two million people every year.
You can hike, camp, climb, rappel, water ski, kayak, jet ski, water ski, fish or just kick back on the beautiful shores of Lake Powel
Lake Powell is counterintuitive. First of all, it looks like veins. (Aren’t lakes supposed to look like blobs?) Second, it isn’t a “lake” at all. It’s a reservoir.
But you (and the other 2,999,999 annual visitors) can do so many lakey things in it you won’t care about Lake Powell’s unorthodoxies. Head toward the Arizona border for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area’s otherworldly boating, beaches and endless network of canyons
THE AIRBNB VACATION RENTALS ARE SOME OF THE CHEAPEST ACCOMMODATIONS TO BE HAD IN THE AREA
BOAT RENTALS ON LAKE POWELL
THINGS TO DO WHILE VISITING LAKE POWELL
TOURS AND ACTIVITIES ON LAKE POWELL
FISHING LAKE POWELL
Lake Powell offers some of the nation’s finest fishing, for striped bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, catfish, crappie and northern pike.
Whether you’re a seasoned fisherman hoping for a record catch, or just want to relax under the sun with a rod and reel trying your hand at fishing, Lake Powell is the fishing destination of choice. The lake is teaming with smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, striped bass, walleye, channel catfish, crappie, and bluegill – so there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be hooking dinner for your whole group!
Quick information about fish typically found in Lake Powell:
Best time of year to fish? Good year round fishing, but best time is April, and September, October. In the fall the fish are very active.
Best time of year to fish? Good year round fishing and are typically found in deeper waters.
Best time of year to fish? Best fishing is when the shad start to school up after spawning. The stripers will “boil” or surface feed on them –typically July through October.
Best time of year to fish? February through April.
Best time of year to fish? Summer and fall. If renting a houseboat, you can catch them off the back of your houseboat from June through October.
Best time of year to fish? Spring is the best time to fish Crappie for 1.5 to 2 pounds.
Taste? Very mild, slightly sweet, non-fishy flavor. Probably the second-best tasting fish in Lake Powell.
Great summer fishing.
BEST FISHING CHARTERS ON LAKE POWELL
Other recreational activities include boating, water skiing, wake boarding, scuba diving and swimming. Boat tours to Rainbow Bridge National Monument are conducted daily throughout the year from Wahweap Marina.
RIVER RAFTING AND TUBBING – LAKE POWELL
RIVER RAFTING AND TUBBING – LAKE POWELL
The best way to enjoy all that Lake Powell has to offer is by houseboat. Lake Powell houseboats vacations are very popular, plan in advance as houseboat rentals often become limited during the peak season.
WATER SPORT RENTALS -KAYAKING, CANOES
PADDLEBOARD TOURS AND RENTALS
JET SKING AND WATER SKING RENTALS
A fabled place called Cathedral in the Desert is located in the Glen Canyon area and is normally covered by Lake Powell water.
The Cathedral emerged for a brief time in 2005, because droguht had lowered the lake’s level, but it is again covered by water.
There are seven visitor centers or contact stations located in the area. Visitors are encouraged to stop by and learn how to visit the monument with minimum impact to the fragile desert environment.
Only the Carl Hayden Visitor Center located next to the Glen Canyon Dam (near Page, Arizona) is open year-round. During the summer months, the National Park Service offers evening slideshow presentations at the campgrounds at Bullfrog and Wahweap.
HOTELS DEALS LAKE POWELL
Many people prefer to visit Lake Powell in the spring or fall because temperatures are moderate. In the summer, temperatures can reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, 43 degrees Celsius. But summers are definitely nice if you intend to play in the water.
– HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED STAYING ON A HOUSE BOAT –
MARINAS ON LAKE POWELL
Wahweap Marina
Wahweap Marina, located just south of the Arizona state border, is our largest marina and home of Lake Powell Resorts. Wahweap Marina can be found at the most southwestern point on Lake Powell and is open year-round. There you’ll find our largest fleet of houseboats and recreational watercraft, a variety of restaurants, campground, swimming pools, and lodging with 350 rooms. Additionally, we are pleased to offer a wide assortment of marina servces for our visitors with specific needs for their personal boat.
Wahweap Marina Houseboat Rentals >
Bullfrog Marina
Bullfrog Marina, located in Utah, is five hours north by car from Wahweap Marina (95 miles by water), and is the other departure point from which your houseboating adventure can begin.
The Defiance House at Bullfrog Marina.
It offers 48 rooms and a casual family restaurant. Bullfrog Marina is open year-round though operating hours vary by season.
Halls Crossing Marina
Halls Crossing Marina, located in Utah, offers a convenience store, snack bar, fueling facilities, launch ramps, and campgrounds. Halls Crossing is open year round though operating hours vary by season.
Dangling Rope Marina
Dangling Rope Marina, located in Utah and accessible by water only, offers a convenience store, snack bar, and fueling services.
The John Atlantic Burr Ferry, operating between Bullfrog Marina and Halls Crossing, saves drivers 130 miles. The ferry, which accommodates cars, motorhomes and buses, operates year-round with reduced.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN LAKE POWELL
Who knew “stringy-dandelion-root” was the ideal lake-shape for picturesque water sports? Lake Powell’s placid blue water runs right into sandy beaches, adding swimming and boating to the hiking, camping and sandstone dynamism you’ve come to expect from southern Utah.
It’s been called “America’s lost national park” because the flooded canyons look so much like the federal designations that surround it, meaning travelers get to enjoy the same amber-/tangerine-/red-rock views by boat. It’s the desert without all the dryness.
From the floor of Glen Canyon, the good people of the 1950s looked at a spot 200 feet overhead and said, “I’d really like to float on an inner tube up there.” So they built a dam where God had built a canyon to make a reservoir where He’d put a river. (That Glen Canyon Dam still stands suggests His tacit approval of houseboating.)
VACATION RENTALS ON LAKE POWELL
RAINBOW BRIDGE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Rainbow Bridge, on the edge of Lake Powell, is the largest natural bridge in the world at 290 feet/88 meters tall and 270 feet/83 meters across. Rainbow Bridge is considered sacred by the Navajo culture as a symbol of deities responsible for creating clouds, rainbows and rain – the essence of life in the desert.
Natural Bridges National Monument features three huge, stream-carved natural bridges as well as a concentration of Ancestral Puebloans ruins. The multi-colored bridges can be seen from overlooks along an nine-mile paved loop road through the monument. The bridges have Hopi Indian names: delicate Owachomo means “rock mounds,” Sipapu (the second largest natural bridge in the world) means “the place of emergence” and massive Kachina means “dancer.”
GLEN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
Rainbow Bridge National Monument. 1.25 million acres is probably going to keep you busy discovering the intricacies of desert wonders.
CAMPGROUNDS ON LAKE POWELL
Set Up Camp by the Lake!
Time to get outdoors and enjoy Lake Powell camping and water activities. Offering four great RV campgrounds and easy access to restaurants and boat tours, come see why Lake Powell is a must-stay for camping enthusiasts of all kinds.
Wahweap RV & Campground
South Lake Powell
Right in the heart of all your “down-lake” activities and adventures…
Bullfrog RV & Campground
North Lake Powell
Located on the lake in Bullfrog, Utah, this is your gateway to unlimited land and water adventure.
Halls Crossing RV & Campground
North Lake Powell
Steps from food, fun, and the Village Store.
HOTELS DEALS LAKE POWELL
RESTAURANTS ON THE LAKE
Savor every bite at Lake Powell Resort as you take in the views of sapphire-blue water, the boats at Wahweap Marina and the beautiful red rock buttes beyond. From the unmatched panoramas and fabulous dinners in the Rainbow Room to the casual waterfront comfort of Latitude 37, you’ll find the meals here to be almost as unforgettable as the scenery.
Rainbow Room
Wahweap Marina
After a fun-filled day, join us again as our chef tempts you with entrées ranging from fresh fish to flame-broiled beef and a delightful selection of vegetarian fare.
Driftwood Lounge
Wahweap Marina
In addition to its stunning lake view setting, the Driftwood Lounge offers mouthwatering pub fare, appetizers, plus a wide variety of specialty cocktails, beer and wine.
Latitude 37
Wahweap Marina
Latitude 37 is accessible by both land and water, with temporary slips available for boaters looking to satiate their hunger.
Wahweap Grille
Wahweap Marina
Whether your canvas is a burger, chicken sandwich, or pizza, the art is up to you! Wahweap Grille offers the perfect dining experience!
Wind
Wahweap Marina
Grab custom coffee creations, delectable & light appetizers, and a perfect glass of wine at this convenient spot.
Anasazi Restaurant
Bullfrog Marina
Hearty home-style breakfasts, satisfying burgers, sandwiches, salads and soups for lunch and delicious dinner entrees from fresh fish to pasta to steak keep guests coming back for more.
Getting Here
Scheduled flights are available into Page Airport (connecting through Phoenix, AZ and Las Vegas, NV), where you can rent a car or enjoy the shuttle services provided by Lake Powell Resort, just a few miles from the airport.
Depending on where you are traveling from, below are directions to help get you here easily and quickly.