Haven't done a boat tour on Lake Powell, but did do the half day smooth water raft trip on the Colorado from the dam in Page to Lee's ferry and it was great.

As to altitude sickness, the most likely place to be a problem is Bryce as it is very high at the top. In any case, If you do Zion first, that will give you some time to adjust at a lower altitude and drink lots and lots of water, it helps.

Nancy 5 I can tell you me Nd my daughter felt the effects of altitude sickness. Se is 8 and had a nose bleed and I had a drying attack. It just comes over you. Stay hydrated (my mistake) and you'll be fine.

I did do the oat on Lake Powell but we did swim in Lake Mead andi was breathtaking.

travelbuff what is a drying atttack?

Bryce is about 10,000 ft at it's highest point. That is a bit high, but certainly not that big of a deal. If you have caffeine, liquor, or intend on doing a lot of hiking, then you are more likely to feel the effect. Most people altitude doesn't begin to effect them until 7,000 and higher. If you do Bryce last you will be in much better shape as you will be acclimated to it. At most, maybe a headache. Now, this certainly isn't 100% the case, but it is what most people experience. My wife gets a touch of it(if we start out that high), my daughter and I don't really feel anything other than a bit harder to catch our breath when hiking. None of us felt bad at all when in Bryce this past year.


Cirque shows in Vegas would be my picks there. They are all a bit alike, but different. My point is, that one per trip is enough for me.

Most people need a day in the Grand Canyon. Spend the night there if possible. Catch a sunrise and sunset. Maybe hike down a bit into the Canyon. Have water and remember it's harder and longer to come back up. Have a meal at El Tovar

The same goes for Bryce. Maybe two days. Sunrise and Sunset are really nice here too. I would hike Navajo Loop/Queens Garden combo.

Zion 1-3 days. depending on what you want to do. Hiking, tubing, etc. I love The Narrows and Angels Landing hikes, but they aren't for everyone. Two of the best hikes ever though. Canyoneering would be good in Zion, but it is adventurous.

We just did the Canyons Adventure boat tour on Lake Powell and enjoyed it very much. I booked in advance on line. The boat wasn't completely full, but not far from it, so I would definitely book in advance, particularly on a holiday weekend.

Altitude sickness depends on where you are coming from and where you will spend your first few days. If you are coming from sea level, you are more likely to experience altitude sickness at elevations of 8,000 feet and higher. GC north rim is at 8,000 feet, south rim at 7,000, Page around 4,500, I think. If you start right out visiting places near 10,000 feet, you could have problems. It is always better to visit lower elevations first, just to be safe.

I have never had problems with altitude sickness, but my wife has a couple of times, at elevations over 8,000 feet (Telluride, Aspen).

From Page there are two companies who can give tours on Lake Powell:
Lake Powell Resorts at Wahweap http://www.lakepowell.com/tours.aspx
and Antelope Point Marina http://antelopepointlakepowell.com/recreation/water-tours-of-antelope-canyon/

For me I would want to take the tour to see Rainbow Bridge one of the top largest arch/bridges in the world. We rented a boat and drove ourselves there so I don't know what a tour would be like.

Also from Page you can take the tour of the Glen Canyon. This leaves from the base of the dam and goes through the beautiful end of the canyon covered up by Lake Powell. It is really a wonderful ride. http://raftthecanyon.com/

If you know you want to take it, then book as soon as you know the dates.

I haven't heard of too many people who get altitude sickness, mostly it will happen if they come from sea level and head direct to Bryce or Grand Canyon rather than taking some time to adjust. Drinking enough water does help.

The highest place in Bryce is about 8,800 ft. Most areas are around 8,000ft. While very few people will get sick at that altitude, you'll definitely feel the lack of oxygen when hiking.

I hike Mt Washburn in Yellowstone. That starts at 8,800 and goes up to 10,300ft. The lack of oxygen was very apparent within the first minute of the hike. A lot of stopping and drinking water. But I didn't see anybody feeling sick.

The Grand Canyon is quite a bit lower in the range of about 6,000 ft. I believe Zion is about 4,000 ft lower than Bryce at the bottom so that would be about 4,500 ft.