New House boater Looking for recent suggestions

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

Tellurideboater

Member
Hi All,

I am hitting the lake August 18 with two houseboats from Wahweap. We will have two ski boats so we can satellite quickly to check on spots before we pull the HB in. I've read some post over the summer and have noticed the common theme that water levels are screwing with spots. Thats why I'm trying to get an updated view on the lake.

I'm wondering if you all can suggest some great spots to put two houseboats. I have seen on the site lots of people talking about Rock Creek Canyon. We are only going for 5 days so I'm not sure we want to go to much farther then this area, though would be interested in learning about other places just past Rock Creek.

Thanks ahead of time.
 
just got back today from a 2 day camping trip and we had a heck of a time finding even a tent site. The water level has most definitely shrunk the beach availability. We started looking in the dove cove area then friendship, dungeon,grotto and settled on a small but nice beach in wetherill. Our trip was for fishing so we were'nt worried about a houseboat party. We also did not go to far off the main channel cause I knew we were going to have to hit DR and didn't want to waste time coming out of the back of any canyon. We fished Neanderthal and saw a lot of houseboats in there which was not the norm for me. Didn't go into West, Last Chance or any of the Rock creek canyons except to fish. Saw no available sites in middle or dry rock creek. If you can manage a minimal amount of trips to DR you most certainly will find a nice site a little further back in canyons. I probably wouldn't even bother with frienship cause it's so popular with limited beaches at this time. Having the scout boats will help, as usual. I wonder how Last Chance would be deeper into the canyon. It's such an interesting place but off the beaten path for runs to DR. Many shortcuts are available if you know the waters or are confident reading the water. Good luck. Every houseboater has their own needs so ultimately the decision is yours. Hope this helps.
 
There are 2 little un named (I think) canyons just downlake from DR on the same side of the lake, that are not really visible from the main channel, until the lake gets pretty full. At this level, I think there is a beach in the lower one that would take 2 carefully anchored houseboats. We have only had a rare PWC pull in when we have camped there. They will be on your left as DR Canyon comes into view, going uplake. Since we don't boat anymore, I am willing to share my secret spots. (We never went in August, so maybe it is different then.)
 
Although beaches are harder to find with the water at higher levels, there still are plenty of them available in most of the usual canyons as confirmed by all of the houseboats located in all of the canyons at the moment. The trick is to commandeer a beach as soon as boaters leave the beach with their houseboats when their trip is over. I don't know what day you are heading out, but on the big turn days of Saturday and Sunday, MANY beaches that will fit two houseboats come available; they are usually filled in by a new boats by noon, so get out searching early, watch for houseboats that have packed up their beach toys or are digging anchors out signaling they are leaving the beach soon. We did this exact thing last Saturday and got a great beach for two large boats plus ski boats and jet skis.

If you are coming down mid-week, watch for rental boats as many times they move daily and their beaches come available early in the morning.

Houseboat traffic also decreases significantly from mid-August on as kids head back to school, so that may also be in your favor. This is the best month of the year to be at the lake for sure. Have fun!
 
Last edited:
Be creative, we had three houseboats a couple of weeks ago on our trip. We stayed in Rock Creek. If only going for 5 days, I would look around Padre Bay. Creative means it doesn't have to be the perfect sand beach, for the record with a houseboat you really don't spend too much time on the beach anyhow. I bring plant clippers, rakes, and shovels, and if I see a good spot, I might do a bit of landscaping first. Wherever you camp will be the perfect spot, it always is. Don't worry about the water level, things just change
 
We just got back yesterday. Spent a glorious week at Dungeon canyon where there is plenty of large beaches. The end of Rock Creek on the left side also had plenty of beaches and the Padre Bay area, though more crowded, had plenty of beaches as well. I've learned to just start looking past Gregory Butte and don't settle till you find the perfect beach.

Good luck and have fun!

Check out our page for more info http://dooleyatlakepowell.weebly.com/
 
Thanks Brent!

Do you think Rock Creek is better than Dungeon Canyon for wakeboarding/surfing etc? I'm just looking at the size of Rock Creek and thinking that their may be areas with less wind.

Thoughts?
 
Tellurideboater said:
Thanks Brent!

Do you think Rock Creek is better than Dungeon Canyon for wakeboarding/surfing etc? I'm just looking at the size of Rock Creek and thinking that their may be areas with less wind.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Rock creek is terrible for watersports, the main channel is better. It only take 2 boats and the water is bad in Rock Creek. Dungeon is better for water sports
 
I agree with Cookie! Rock Creek gets blown out a lot. Dungeon is a bit better as is Friendship. The main channel from West Canyon to Friendship can some times be perfect. Warm Creek usually has the best water but the views are not that great and you are to close to the mass of people from the marinas. This week the main channel was perfect some times very late in the day and not a boat in site!
 
Good, consistent glass in my experience can be found almost anywhere on the lake. And there are edges to be had even in choppy times. There are occasional blow-outs where you have to enjoy stuff other than skiing...
 
Brent said:
We just got back yesterday. Spent a glorious week at Dungeon canyon where there is plenty of large beaches. The end of Rock Creek on the left side also had plenty of beaches and the Padre Bay area, though more crowded, had plenty of beaches as well. I've learned to just start looking past Gregory Butte and don't settle till you find the perfect beach.

Good luck and have fun!

Check out our page for more info http://dooleyatlakepowell.weebly.com/
Click to expand...
Nice web page. Thanks.
 
Brent said:
We just got back yesterday. Spent a glorious week at Dungeon canyon where there is plenty of large beaches. The end of Rock Creek on the left side also had plenty of beaches and the Padre Bay area, though more crowded, had plenty of beaches as well. I've learned to just start looking past Gregory Butte and don't settle till you find the perfect beach.

Good luck and have fun!

Check out our page for more info http://dooleyatlakepowell.weebly.com/
Click to expand...

I think i saw you motoring up-lake as i was motoring back on 8/2. Purple Moon? I recognized the boat from all the posts here and i've checked out your great website. We were in a great spot with a decent beach in the back of Dry Rock Creek.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pccaptainjack said:
I think i saw you motoring up-lake as i was motoring back on 8/2. Purple Moon? I recognized the boat from all the posts here and i've checked out your great website. We where in a great spot with a decent beach in the back of Dry Rock Creek.
Click to expand...

Purple Moon was our old boat. We are with Turquoise Bay now. A bit newer but a different week.

Thank you for checking out our website! Updating it this week with pics of this years trip.
 
He is leaving this Saturday! Thank you for asking! We are taking him to LAX, not sure how I am going to drive home! :(

Telluride. I just updated our web page. Have some new pics up of our 2017 trip. We had a blast!! I also made a page showing how we do our anchor lines. Might be helpful to you!

Good luck and have a great time!
 
Tell Brad to move his wallet to his front pocket & be very wary of pickpockets there. Every time I have been in Paris (and Rome for that matter) pickpockets worked in groups. Example: I got off of the subway once and proceeded to the escalator to go up. As I approached it a fellow rushed in front of me to get on....seemed to be in a hurry but that hurriedness vanished once he was on the escalator and standing in front of me. A little odd I thought. There also were two guys that got on right behind me. As luck would have it just as we reached the top, the fellow in front pretended to drop something and tried to stop & bend down causing a pileup. I immediately slapped my hand to my wallet pocket and my hand got there at the same time as a guy behind me. Some audible abort code was spoken and the three disappeared as quickly as they showed up.
Another time outside the Colosseum in Rome a passel (<--I believe that is a technical term) of young'uns (<- more highly technical jargon) crowded us as we walked down the street, bumping and such as it was quite crowded. I finally yelled angrily at them and they backed off with a 'what's up with him attitude.' Upon inspection of my camera bag, three of the four exterior pockets were fully unzipped. Luckily there was nothing in them except some lens wipes and a few rolls of film.....remember film?

All things considered, you used to be able to have a good time in Paris if you could tolerate the Parisiennes condescension of Americans.

Not sure if any of that has changed but it pays mighty dividends to always be on your guard and maintain SA of your surroundings.

I guess that goes for anywhere nowadays so never mind.

Anyway here is a nice view of the Champs-Élysées:
people.jpg
 
Last edited:
Brent said:
He is leaving this Saturday! Thank you for asking! We are taking him to LAX, not sure how I am going to drive home! :(

Telluride. I just updated our web page. Have some new pics up of our 2017 trip. We had a blast!! I also made a page showing how we do our anchor lines. Might be helpful to you!

Good luck and have a great time!
Click to expand...
With Brad's personality, I can see why you would miss him. Please keep us posted on his adventures.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top