Bill Sampson
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
I hear the same question from my friends. If you go to YouTube there are exerpts titled Lake Powell is empty. The same for Lake Mead.
Should Dangling Rope open again?
- Thread starter Gem Morris
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Rainbowbridge
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Yup, It's fun to see their expressions when you respond with "That's why I'm going, because the lake is......empty"
Eagle Rock
Well-Known Member
I can anecdotally confirm that non-boating usage is up due to COVID. Made three trips from CA to S. Utah during COVID (2 to Waterpocket Fold, one to Escalante, and saw lots more people both on-trail and in remote off-trail places each time. The Escalante trip involved renting an AirBnB, and rentals in the Escalante area that weren't already booked were hard to find.
nzaugg
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
I have been annoyed by wake boats, but the only time I ever incurred damage was due to a cruiser and the only time I feared for major injury was also due to a cruiser. The real problem is the person at the helm.
boatdaddy
Well-Known Member
I have been going to LP out of bullfrog starting from 1997, but have never gone to Dangling Rope. We have never had a fuel issue so a trip to DR was never a necessity. Our most southern trip was to the San Juan. If DR reopens what is the distance from Bullfrog? If it reopens I will go for the ice cream.
Love LP
Love LP
Gem Morris
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Dangling Rope is (was) at MM42. The mouth of Bullfrog is 96
Rivergoer
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Assuming it reopens at the same location it’s approx 50 mile from BF
Lake Bum
Escalante-Class Member
Nobody has mentioned Rainbow Bridge. This is a VERY popular destination, and is manned by Park Service normally. When water returns, I'm sure a Ranger will be present to protect/preserve the monument.
Most boats will make the round trip from Wahweap to Rainbow and back no problem. But "most" definitely does not mean all. And the possibility for mechanical breakdowns, not even including fuel shortages is always going to be there. Also.....medical emergencies. I too, have enjoyed a somewhat more desolate lake. But I'm not so selfish like quite a few are on here, to try to say just leave it closed forever. The benefits are obvious.
Most boats will make the round trip from Wahweap to Rainbow and back no problem. But "most" definitely does not mean all. And the possibility for mechanical breakdowns, not even including fuel shortages is always going to be there. Also.....medical emergencies. I too, have enjoyed a somewhat more desolate lake. But I'm not so selfish like quite a few are on here, to try to say just leave it closed forever. The benefits are obvious.
Is there another place between the Escalante and San Juan where a new marina could be relocated? Somewhere that fuel and supplies could be brought in by a road vs. barged? I've heard that there may be a rough road to Hole in the Rock but I've never been on it or anywhere near it. Could it be improved? Right now the people who love the peace and quite of this part of the lake are hating this comment.
Big_BobberII
Well-Known Member
I miss the web cam that used to be at Dangling Rope. The view of the sun coming over the mesa top was uplifting when taking a break from the cubicle life of a database administrator. We only went to Rainbow Bridge a few times but would stop for the ice cream at Dangling Rope. While packing up the houseboat this weekend, I discovered a couple Dangling Rope souvenirs. Those are now home in the permanent collection as I don't think I will see DR make a come back.
JFRCalifornia
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
I think a DR replacement needs to be more centrally located between Bullfrog and Wahweap, and that means somewhere between Dungeon Canyon and the San Juan. As Lake Bum noted above, proximity to Rainbow Bridge is also a big consideration here, which is why a spot just south of RB would be ideal.
But is there one?
Most of the canyons from DR to Rainbow are narrow and unsuitable for a fuel dock. The square-shaped cove just upstream of RB might work, though haven’t looked at it recently with low water. Otherwise it’s slim pickins… Oak Bay? That would ruin it as a great campsite area. Hidden Passage? Maybe—have to check the width. Or what about Cornerstone Canyon? Again, not as protected as a place like DR…
As for places north of the San Juan, the road from Hole in the Rock can’t be extended to the lake, unless you’ve got the ingenuity of the San Juan Expedition of 1879-80. Even then, no, that’s not gonna work. The other side near Register Rock works better, but again, this is only about 30+ miles south of Bullfrog, and more than 65 miles from Wahweap… not ideal..
But always interested in good ideas…
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Meatwagon
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Minimum lake level of 3588, rebuild dangling rope and have full access of all ramps and the fairy.
Sounds like a nice time. I wouldnt mind a few months to myself. Food, water, shelter and the Lake...
Jan Hertzen
Well-Known Member
I don't know if Dangling Rope is such a bad place to rebuild. The engineers must have looked long and hard at the different sites before moving it from Forbidding Canyon. I'm guessing that when the dock buckled in the wind they shut it down, and instead of fixing it and securing it back in the middle, they moved it out of the canyon with the idea to work on it in the future. Did we create a myth that it is being shut down permanently?
JFRCalifornia
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
I agree that if it’s possible to rebuild at DR, that’s the best location. And yes, that’s one reason to try to stabilize Powell at a higher water level (say, 3588). And that’s possible if BOR embraces what it says its going to about potentially restricting releases through the dam to less than its current protocols allow.
That said, I also think there’s potential to build in the relatively deep water cove just upstream of DR… see the attached image taken today 10-10-22, lake level 3530… Just needs a suitable breakwater, and a boat to get employees there from the existing housing in DR.
Worth studying…
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It’s hard to imagine grown adults that own boats and use Lake Powell would pull their boats home or stop coming to the lake because they “heard” there was no water and the lake was shutting down. Come on, are people really that stupid? With social media or picking up a phone and calling the NPS or one of the marinas you would find out the lake is still useable. If people stop coming to lake Powell or pull their boats home due to rumors maybe they shouldn’t be on the lake in the first place?
Dave I.
Escalante-Class Member
I had a customer that didn't even want to come check the lake out for himself. He paid me to haul his boat to his house. But he also lived next to a FULL reservoir that he knew he could launch his boat. It was a big 37' Cruiser
Would I call them stupid? Of course not. Most of them live on the Eastern Slope of the Rockies which have been having a much better record for keeping their reservoirs full.
And since there was an actual point in time where there was NO boat launching ANYWHERE on the lake. It would actually seem stupid to keep your boat where you can't use it, but yet, hundreds of people did that very thing.
Every single customer that has pulled their boat from storage and took it home have a reason. Every one of them were very sad about the Powell situation and hated that they had to make that decision.
ScottF
Well-Known Member
I had six trips this season traveling between Antelope Point and Escalante. With Dangling Rope closed things have been quiet north of Last Chance and particularly north of Dry Creek. But, while some people who might have gone to mid-lake stayed home instead, it's my impression that many more just congregated in the south end. Overall, this was a slow year for lake usage but I think that in the longer term we need to re-open the mid-lake area to avoid overcrowding the south.
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