isabel

We are planning to stop in Page, AZ on a trip in September. One of the main things I wanted to do on this trip was a boat tour on Lake Powell. In normal times they run daily (choice of 1.5 h and 3 h tours). Well it looks like at present they only run one day a week - and that's not the day we will be there. We can't afford a private tour or to rent a boat. So my question - are there places from land where you can get good views of the lake? What can you see from the Wahweap Marina? It apparently costs $30 to enter the marina and it's not clear why that is. From the website it looks like there are a few restaurants and shops (some closed) and of course boat launching.

I've been to Page twice before and done Antelope Canyon (amazing!!!!) and Horse shoe Bend (also wonderful). Neither time did we have time for the lake so that's why I planned this stop. We will be coming from Moab and heading to Flagstaff. So does it sound like it's worth stopping this year?

StantonHyde

No, it's not. You don't see much from the road, basically, It's a lake with rocks. You really need a boat tour to see anything, IMO.

Patty

Do you have a national park pass? That would cover the entry fee. We only went to the overlook.

isabel

Thanks for the replies.

So is the overlook worthwhile? That's interesting about the national park pass. I do have one but didn't think it was relevant there as it's not a national park, or as far as I know, national land.

Patty

Yes the overlook is worth a stop. It's part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area https://www.nps.gov/glca/planyourvis...ll-marinas.htm

schmerl

We did an airplane tour of Lake Powell. That was several years ago. Now the water levels are VERY low.

isabel

I'll definitely check out the overlook regardless of what else we do.

schmerl - do you remember the name of the company you used? Was the airplane tour worth it? Were you able to get good photos from the plane?

I guess I don't understand why the low water levels would make a difference to a tourist just wanting to see the lake. It's horrible in terms of the people depending on the lake as their source of water, but it doesn't seem like it would make that much difference in how it looks, either from the air or from a boat. If you regularly go there you might notice it's lower but I don't see how that's bad.

jamie99

Some dozen years ago we drove to a wedding in far NorCal, north of Lake Shasta. It was a heavy drought year again and even though I had never seen Lake Shasta, it was very depressing to me to see how low the water levels were (you could tell from the banks). That was a different lake so YMMV. We drove straight on instead of stopping.

janisj

"I guess I don't understand why the low water levels would make a difference to a tourist just wanting to see the lake."

Then you must not live in an area where lake levels can vary so much. This link is from 18 years ago but it gives you comparison. https://www.climate.gov/news-feature...l-water-levels

The most recent / dramatic photos I've seen are behind a paywall with the SLC Tribune but this one from a couple of years ago illustrates things pretty well. https://www.sltrib.com/news/environm...-could-become/

HappyTrvlr

I was surprised to see this post with the very low water levels on Lake Powell now. It won’t be as attractive as you may envision.