5 day 4 night recommendation

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Redwolf

Redwolf

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Hi all

We’ll be visiting soon for a 5 day 4 night trip out of Wahweap. Any recommendations from you folks at places to stop and stay? We’d like to boat for four hours or so each day to give us time to beach and hike or play.

-Red
 
This question gets asked over and over and has been answered over and over. Check out page 3 of Powell recreation , I think it's titled new houseboater looking for info. I know there is a bunch of info under Powell recreation and is not difficult to find by the titles with very little effort. I feel like I've written several short stories on the subject and I just don't have it in me right now. 66 year old putting a 160 foot water line took the wind out of my sails. If you still need help in a few days I will write another short story for you. You need to say when you are leaving and what boats you will have. #1 priority=safety
 
Sorry, Birdsnest, but I *did* search, and couldn't find it. "5 days" "Five days" "4 Nights". Nothing.

I'm sure the marina will have some advice. I've also got maps coming, as well. Everyone recommended coming here to ask.
 
Tell us about your boat. Houseboat? Cruiser? Bassboat? Toon?

You can see a lot more of the lake in a cruiser than a houseboat, so they type of boat you are running will change the answers.
 
If you are renting a houseboat, I'd revise the plan to move daily. Anchoring a houseboat takes time and energy. I'd recommend making a long cruise in the houseboat the first day, and anchor once. Use this as your home base and explore from a run about every day.

I've toured the main channel from Good Hope to Wahweap and 20 miles of the San Juan. I think the first 20-25 miles from Wahweap up lake are the least interesting. I'd probably try to get to Rock Creek, Dungeon or Grove and make that my home base. We cruised down Last Chance Bay once. Just a drive by, but I didn't get the sense there were many good places to anchor.

The other 2 things I'd STRONGLY recommend are a good map (I prefer the Stan Jones) and a marine radio in your run about.

Also read the recent thread "First Timer. Advice appreciated" - it's recent and has lots of good information
 
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I'll second the info/advice given above from @PowellBride and others. And, we can give you even better advice if we know more about you, your goals, your boat, equipment, etc.

Also, there are several good Lake Powell discussions (and even itinerary recommendations) on TripAdvisor.

The Lake Powell Forum is here -
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g60911-i1876-Lake_Powell_Utah.html

And the busiest thread (with lots of itinerary information) is this one -
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTop...ractical_Guide_and_tips-Lake_Powell_Utah.html

Be prepared, that one thread is currently 57 pages long. Lots of good info though.

Hope that helps!
 
Redwolf said:
46' houseboat, no cruiser, party of six. I'm reading and taking notes from the First Timer thread.
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If you can get farther north and anchor using rocks, the effort to move spots will be lessened. We tie a large slip knot or loop around LARGE boulders and leave the anchors on board. Even with that I'm not sure I'd want to move every day, but it's easier than digging holes for anchors.

Enjoy the lake, the scenery is simply amazing. If you do plan to move, do it early, as winds tend to become strong in the afternoon adding challenges to anchoring.

Stop at Dangling Rope Marina for ice cream. It's my favorite. The marina is not accessible by road, all supplies come up rive by barge and it runs on solar and huge generators. It's not easy to spot from the main channel, so the map will help here as well
 
Are you going to have a powerboat? PowellBride is right, try not to have the houseboat as your "exploring" vessel. To much anchoring and trying to find good beaches, to slow. If it's all you got then it will have to do. I worked on the lake for 10 years and still only got to be intimate with the first 60 miles from Wahweap. You should not try to see to much, you'll spend to much time in a hurry. There is so much beauty. Rainbow Bridge would be a good place to consider the farthest up the lake to explore but you boat situation will dictate. Enjoy!
 
PowellBride said:
If you can get farther north and anchor using rocks, the effort to move spots will be lessened. We tie a large slip knot or loop around LARGE boulders and leave the anchors on board. Even with that I'm not sure I'd want to move every day, but it's easier than digging holes for anchors.

Enjoy the lake, the scenery is simply amazing. If you do plan to move, do it early, as winds tend to become strong in the afternoon adding challenges to anchoring.

Stop at Dangling Rope Marina for ice cream. It's my favorite. The marina is not accessible by road, all supplies come up rive by barge and it runs on solar and huge generators. It's not easy to spot from the main channel, so the map will help here as well
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, Powellbride. We'll stop at Dangling Rope!

Right now I'm collating all of the info, and when we get to Powell we'll look at the map as a group and determine what to do.
 
Most certainly, I'll post a link to my Flickr site to share pics, and will post here.

What's up with using lake water to wash dishes and take showers? After reading about beaches contaminated with massive poop piles, I'll admit I'm squeamish of washing my dishes using lake water. Yeah yeah, I know, it's millions and millions of gallons of water in that lake...but still...
 
Soap and HOT water. It is another good reason to get away from the first 20 miles of the lake, but I've washed dishes in the slip at Wahweap without giving it much of a second thought. . It used to bug my mom, and she'd rinse with potable water, and we'd just bring bottled drinking water. Eventually Mom also got comfortable with lake water unless the spot we beached didn't look clean (something we'd choose only if it was late and we had no choice but to beach for the evening).
 
The 46 footer is a small enough boat it isn't hard to move daily and w/o a power boat you really won't see much of Powell if you stay in one spot - back in the days when we rented the smaller boats we moved daily and one year --- wayyyy back went to the San Juan all the way to the end and in and out of canyons on the way back down... granted we were on a 7-day trip, not 5-day - but you should be able to make it to Rainbow Bridge and see it and the area around it - including a couple of incredible canyons in the area on the way back down lake and then perhaps camp in Rock Creek or Friendship area before having to turn the boat back in... the 46-footers get around pretty well - not as good as a power boat, but easier than the larger boats on the lake. Given this time of the year ask them for at least four anchors, though. Season change means shifting winds and sudden large blows are not uncommon - so listen to channel 16 for weather forecasts and make your decisions each day accordingly - you do not want to be camped on the main channel or in the Padre or Warm Creek area is a big storm blows in....
 
Thanks for the re-assurance on the dishwater, Bride.

Good suggestion on the extra anchors, Waterbaby - I'll ask for them. I purchased the pre-boarding, so I will check the boat out thoroughly the night before we leave to make sure everything is in good shape. Also gets us on the water a lot earlier the next day.

I read through 7 years of posts from the Tripadvisor and copied all of the good suggestions over to notes. I've read the manuals for the boat, and have watched the videos. I've also ordered the Stan Jones map and the Boaters Guide to Lake Powell. About as ready now as we're going to be!
 
I love Lake Powell. My favorite place.

But I wouldn't feel the same way if I only had a houseboat.

Some are content seeing the lake at single digit speed. I like to have the ability to go faster and see more. As well as do watersports, and chase fish. Not possible with just a houseboat.

I hope you enjoy your trip.
 
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