nina

After we visit the Grand Canyon we are staying in Page at the Wahweap lodge for a night. I'm thinking of either renting a powerboat or taking the half day raft float trip down the canyon. It will be me, my husband and our 10 and 13 year old sons. Has anyone done either? If we rent a boat, can we take it down to the narrow areas of the canyon where the float trip goes? Can anyone recommend someplace that rents boats for half days? Thanks!

cd

Just got this in my email this morning. It's for houseboats 50% off at Lake Powell. You might want to check it out. http://www.frommers.com/book_a_trip/...destid=LODGING

utahtea

nina,

I'm a little confused. The "float" trips are from Lee's Ferry (Marble Canyon) which are not on Lake Powell.

I couldn't find any thing about renting a boat at Lee's Ferry

Boat tours on Lake Powell go into all the canyons and to Rainbow Bridge National Monument.

Boat rentals from Lake Powell keep you on the lake.

There is no way to get from Lake Powell to Lee's Ferry by boat because of the damm.

If you know anything about boating then renting one will be cheaper if there are four of you. You will probably get to see more too.

Here's a few links that tells about floating trips, boat tours on Lake Powell and boat rentals.

If you rent a boat you can go to all the places & canyons the boat tours go and more. It's a BIG lake!

http://www.powellmuseum.org/Reservations.html

http://www.lakepowell.com/?source=overture

We have taken the all day boat tour to Rainbow Bridge twice and loved it both times. We are not boaters so didn't want to venture out on our own.

Utahtea

curmudgeon

My memory (not totally reliable) says that the float trips are in the stretch of river below the dam, while powerboat rentals are on the lake. If you are comfortable with operating a boat on a large lake, the half-day boat rental can be a lot of fun. There are two or three marinas near Page that rent various sized fish/ski boats. A few years ago on a similar trip, we rented one with tubing/ski equipment and had fun doing that as well as exploring in some of the canyons.

nina

Omigod, What a ditz I am. Yes, you're right. The float trips are from Lee's Ferry, so of course we wouldn't see the same scenery from a powerboat on Lake Powell. We aren't boaters, but I figured we could handle a small powerboat. Taking the float trip and renting a boat for the day are both about $220, so the price is the same. Just trying to figure out which will be more fun. Thanks.

nina

curmudgeon, are you saying that you were able to explore some canyons from a powerboat on Lake Powell? That would be ideal. We do waterski and tube, so I think that would be a more fun option than just a slow float trip.

tommy

I believe there is a float trip that leaves from Page, near the base of the GLen Canyon dam and ends at Lees Ferry, where you return to Page via bus.

The motorboat rental is in Lake Powell on the other side of the dam. There are plenty of deep walled canyons and crevices to explore in the Lake, including the one that leads to Rainbow Bridge. I did not rent a boat because, as a city boy, I was afraid I would not have the skills needed. I took the Rainbow Bridge tour, and watched with jealousy at all of the motorboats having more fun than me, especially since they could stop whenever they wanted for a swim.

xxx30

Rent the boat and make sure it has a top so you don't fry.The lake has an easy navigation system so you won't get lost.the side canyons are amazing.there are cave dwellings you can access.bring yor fishing gear.you should plan on a whole day 7AM TO AROUND 5 PM,they want you back and gassed up by then.buddget $120 for gas for the day.Also rent the boat the night before to save time.bon voyage

nina

Thank you! Any recommendations for boat rental places?

curmudgeon

I've heard that water levels in Lake Powell are quite low this year, not sure how much difference it would make to you; I think it's mostly a hassle for launch ramps and having to move docks.

Wahweap lodge is the place on the lake, right? I think there were two or three rental concessions right by the lodge. They each had dozens of boats, we just picked the one that had a type we liked available when we stopped in. I would call the hotel and ask if that is still the case.

I would pick a boat in the 18-20' range, if the wind picks up in the afternoon, it can make a smaller boat uncomfortable. Definitely get one with a top if you are going to be out all day.

We went up one of the slot canyons (Navaho canyon??); it was an amazing (and somewhat spooky) place, with 100'+ vertical canyon walls on each side of the boat in a canyon often only 15' wide. They day after we were boating there, a group of tourists who had climbed down into the dry end of the canyon (a few miles away) via rope ladder were caught in a flash flood and drowned.

nina

Thanks crumudgeon. How did you know where to find the slot canyons? That is exactly what I'm hoping to see, and would love to get directions to those spots.

Aren't the boats docked and in the water? I definitely don't want to put a boat into the water!

curmudgeon

For rental on the lake, you shouldn't have to deal with launch ramps, I was just making a more general comment on the effect of low water levels. I'm not sure whether levels will rise later this year or not, or how much effect it would have on boating. You can check Glen Canyon/Lake Powell info on www.nps.gov website.

You can take a look at a lake map to see some of the canyons; We went up Navaho Canyon and Antelope Canyon, which are across the lake from Wahweap, and probably the closest of the slot canyons (maybe an hour by boat). You can buy a map there which will show contours at various water levels. If you do a web search for Antelope Canyon, you will likely find pictures, as well as stories about the flash flood back in '97. I would guess that the lower ends of Navaho and Antelope might still be accessible by boat, but I wouldn't make any guarrantees. Water level is so low that the launch ramp by Wahweap is closed, which also implies that the much of the Wahweap area of the lake may be dry.

curmudgeon

let me correct myself on the launch ramps point (which doesn't really affect nina anyway, but I don't like to be a source of misinformation). The smaller launch ramp at stateline (near the dam) is closed, but the main one at Wahweap is still open. Lake levels are at near-record lows, though.