? for lake powell houseboat veterans
 

Hi all,
My wife and I (just the two of us) have rented a houseboat on Lake Powell for a week this August. We will be picking the boat up at Bullfrog marina.
I am looking for advice on where to park the boat for a few days. We want a secluded canyon protected from wind with good swimming and hiking spots. We have never been to Lake Powell and don't want to spend hours and hours driving the behemoth. If you could give us a couple names of canyons to choose from, it would be helpful.

Thank you,

dewars

Is this a question that the rental people could also answer? I've found that fellow houseboaters are the most friendly - and would be a great source for this info.

Never been to Powell, but houseboated Shasta last year.

Thanks TripleSecDelay,
I will check with them but I was hoping to get some info early so I could get the correct maps.
In the past there have been some houseboaters on this site.
Should I post my question on a different site? Which one?

Thanks,

dewars

This has always appealed to me. Please keep me updated.

HI Dewars...we rented houseboats two summers in a row...Just want to let you know it could be hard for just 2 people to land and secure the boat..even though the brochures say it is fine...instructions were limited. We had 4 people the first time and 9 the second..All men were off the boat as we anchored,helping to secure the lines and anchor and my husband steered it in.You don't always get a sandy place to anchor. Lots of times its just slickrock with the lines out of the water and wrapped around them. Even then in the middle of the night when it was super windy, we came undone! We lost a propeler last yr. to the tune of $125 cuz we just skinned the top of unseen rock!!.When the wind blows, believe you me, it blows in the canyons too and brings all the dirt and sand off the tops of the canyon!.The park folks would give you LOTS of hints once you are there. It is a massive undertaking getting there and having all your supplies with you. We did both trips in Aug. and the second time brought dry ice to keep the food cold. Lots of planning but we look on those 2 weeks as one of our favorite vacations ever!.We left from Bull Frog also and got as far as Cascade Canyon..We parked our boat for 3days there across from the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge Canyon..We did make a day trip to Dangling Rope.Some of my favorite websites for planning the trip are found at: http://www.elakepowell.com/freds/index.htm ,http://www.riverlakes.com/san_juan-e...powell/....big trip! The Best..We came from CT. and it was a long trip, but so worth it..I would highly recommend you get another couple to go and split the costs, and help man the boat. Cell phones work in certain spots, the boat radio works in certain spots..We lost a day of the trip to get the propelor fixed..We picked up fellow boaters and gave them a ride to the marina cuz they had trouble. Good Luck, be glad to answer any other ???'s

Thanks for all of your help.
disneynan, we will have a 44' boat. what size were you on?
Anyone else ever do this with just two people?

Thanks

dewars:
In 2002 we had a group of 4 and rented the 44ft. basic model...was just that, but being older models, the propane run fridge did not keep things ultra cold or frozen. We left from HITE that year with water level at 3635ft. In 2003 we had to leave from Bullfrog because Hite was closed with water now at 3610 ft.We had 9 aboard the VOYAGER 46ft. with a very lovely interior. With water now at 3586ft. all the beaches and canyons will once again be different. So unless you get someone who has been there recently, it would be hard to identify a certain place to go. In fact my sister gave us a "spot" to go to, as she had just been there a month before, and it was no where in sight when we got there.Thats the ever changing face of L.P... Sorry, I didn't mean to make it seem impossbile with just 2 people, but I think you could have lots of "trying moments" parking the boat(especially under windy conditions.) You never know what the weather can bring out there!.. It was just the most unbelievable vacation! I don't think anyone who just takes a "tour boat" up the river would ever truly know just how different the houseboat vacation is. It is just so magical.. Oh yeh, and you have to sleep out on top of the boat everynight for the true Lake Powell Experience!(Not to mention its much cooler than the interior) Warm desert winds & stars galore!

disneynan,

Thank you, you have been very helpful.

dewars