A group of adults are planning a week long trip in September. We are renting a houseboat from Bullfrog and exploring the canyons of Lake Powell. We will not have a motor boat with us only kayaks. Can someone give us advice as which canyons are the best to explore by foot or kayak. Expecially canyons with narrows or ruins. Thanks
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1 helpful vote September is the best time at Lake Powell, in my opinion. After the summer crowds have gone, water is still warm, days are still long enough, and the monsoon rains have let up. So good choice—I’ll be going this year in September too.
Since you'll be in the northern part of the lake, boat traffic will be much lighter than in the south--a great thing for kayakers. Bullfrog is also much closer to several very nice exploring canyons than is Wahweap Marina in the south, so again, you score.
I'd head generally north from Bullfrog. You'll encounter several excellent kayaking canyons in that direction. On the right as you head north, Moqui, Crystal Springs, Forgotten, and Knowles are similar, and all a couple of miles long or more. In each case, you should be able to park your kayak at the end and keep on walking, without any real difficulty. Knowles and Forgotten offer the best hiking potential, as does the northern arm of Moqui. Also, Forgotten Canyon is home to the very well-marked Defiance House Ruins (left side of the right fork as you go in, maybe 2 miles from the main channel), great ruins and petroglyph panel (marked by an NPS sign). There are also unmarked ruins in Moqui Canyon if you look hard enough.
Across the main channel on the west side, Smith Fork (directly across from the mouth of Forgotten Canyon—so named because the old USGS maps from the early 20th century forgot to label it on the map) is one of the best slot canyons on the lake. Good for kayaking, but great for hiking. You can pass through the slot, then hike all the way up to the top of the plateau—actually to the top of the nearby cliff of Tapestry Wall, if you want, to look stright down on the lake, 700 feet below. One of the sad things about Smith Fork, however, is that it once featured among the most awesome petroglyph panel found in Glen Canyon, near its mouth. Today, however, Lake Powell covers that feature, and probably destroyed it permanently….there’s always a yin and a yang about the lake, of course…
Farther north, Sevenmile Canyon (on the left) is good for kayaking, and a good hike if you’re into rock scrambling. Good Hope Bay (mile marker 118—about 20 miles north of Bullfrog) is a nice spot for a houseboat—good beaches). Most any inlet in this part of the lake will be quiet, and very nice for kayakers, especially in September. You may not see another boat for a half hour or more, sometimes. One of my favorite of all Lake Powell hikes is White Canyon, near the current northern lake limit (mile marker 130), just south of Hite. That hike is worth an entirely different post…
South of Bullfrog (mile 95), if you go that way, the canyons are fewer till you get past the mouth of the Escalante River (mile 68), but the walls are generally higher than in the northern end of the lake, owing to the dip of the geology (the Waterpocket Fold). These few canyons, however, are quite nice. I’d recommend Annie’s and Iceberg for kayakers—Iceberg is particularly tall and somewhat narrow. Lake Canyon is okay, but will be a jet ski haven, since the canyon is a bit wider, and the first you hit south of Bullfrog….however, there are ruins up there, toward the end.
The Escalante River (if you go that way) has plenty of side canyons just right for kayaks and hikers (notably Davis, Willow, …this would be my secondary destination if I were you, after the lake’s northern canyons. Three Roof Ruin can be found on the Escalante’s main arm, several miles from the main channel of the lake…
Enjoy…
Edited: 13 years agoThanks so much for responding. Are the canyons to the north as scenic as those to the south. I plan to read up on the ones you mentioned when my Lake Powell book arrives.
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1 helpful vote Yes, they are just as scenic, though I suppose it all depends on what is considered "scenic". Some canyons are higher, others are very narrow, still others have unique features, beautiful riparian areas, running water, etc.
But we're talking about Glen Canyon here. They are all great.
In general, if I had to characterize part of the lake as "most scenic overall", I suppose I'd pick the canyons in the central portion of the lake, from about mile 45 (near Rainbow Bridge) north to about mile 68 and up the Escalante River. A lot of that has to do with the geology, and the fact that the lake looks more like a wide river than a lake...and that there's just a lot of neat inlets and coves...
There are awesome canyons up and down the lake, and the ones I pointed out in my my post are among the best--and I've seen just about all of them. Still, there are many others with very interesting unique features--and unfortunately, you can't see them all in a week.
Here's a tip--if you do make it to Annie's Canyon (mile 83), go all the way into the right hand fork. You will end up in a huge watery alcove, covering a small rocky and sandy beach (at the right lake level) where you can camp. When it rains, you will be right next to a very neat waterfall, and you will actually be camping behind another one...but only when it rains...
So much depends on what you like to do...
I will say this about the northern portion of the lake--the walls of the main channel are not quite as high as in the central portion of the lake, but the side canyons are every bot as good or better, especially in a kayak...
And as for the southern part of the lake (below mile 27), it's objectively speaking the least scenic part of the lake...more open...less topography...but there are neat distant buttes and mesas to frame your photos....but there's also the triple smokestacks of the Navajo Power Plant to remind you you are not as isolated in that part of the lake...not to mention all the jet skiers....
hope that helps...
John
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1 helpful vote ...also, as you point out, your Lake Powell book should provide additional insight. I'd recommend Michael Kelsey's "Boater's Guide to Lake Powell", and maybe that's the one you're getting. Actually, I think that book is great for a lot of reasons, particularly for its tips about hiking. I do think it's a little light on actual practical boating tips, but for hiking and overall context about the lake, history, geology, stories, maps, it's hard to beat...
Edited: 13 years agoyes, that is the book I bought. Thank you for all the information. You have been very helpful. We look forward to our trip.
Fantastic posts! Thanks for taking the time to share... We'll be first timers in sept & your posts are a great starting point for research.
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1 helpful vote Madey--
Glad you found this all helpful...not sure where you stand on your logistical planning, but if you're kayaking here's a website that might be able to help you with rentals and other guidance...
http://www.kayakpowell.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
thanks for the link. Are you willing to donate a little more time and expertise to help us? We don't want to abuse your generosity, but have never been to the s'west and are a tad disoriented when calculating driving times to create a realistic itinerary. For instance, your description of the different areas of Lake Powell made me lean toward Bullfrog instead of Wahweap for renting a houseboat, but we'd like to fit in a trip to the Grand Canyon without spending too many hours in the car. If you have time/inclination to help, it will be greatly appreciated.
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1 helpful vote Madey—
One of the most daunting things about the southwest to those who haven’t been there is the time and distance it takes to get anywhere. But the trade-off is spectacular scenery all along the way. The general lack of roads complicates the issue further, since routes can often be circuitous and counter-intuitive.
Such is the case regarding the dilemma accessing the lake at Wahweap or Bullfrog, then heading to the Grand Canyon. Although the two marinas are only 100 miles apart on the water, there is a huge difference in the distances from the two places to the Grand Canyon on roads. Wahweap is by far closer. From there, it’s only about 2.5 hours, and 135 miles to the South Rim. Very simple, easy roads: US 89 south from Page, to Highway 634 west, and you’re there.
From Bullfrog, it’s more of an adventure. The most direct way (though certainly not the most obvious), takes about 6 hours and 300 miles. This involves a ferry ride across the lake from Bullfrog to Halls Crossing (leaves every two hours during the daylight hours only), then Highway 276 east (road even goes a little north!) to Highway 95, again east. From there. It’s Highway 261 south over the Moki Dugway (an unbelievable series of switchbacks down the side of a mesa), then US 163 west through Monument Valley. From there it’s US 160 west to US 89 south, then Highway 64 west to the South Rim. Essentially a clockwise route halfway around a clock, from about 2 to 8 on the dial.
It is possible to go the other direction around the clock, but it’s even longer. This route will take 9-10 hours (to the South Rim), and be a little over 500 miles. This route is beautiful though: north to Hanksville, then west over the Aquarius Plateau, through Boulder and Escalante on Highway 12 (objectively one of the more scenic paved roads in the world), past Bryce Canyon, down US 89 to Kanab, then east on 89 to Page…from there the same route as from Wahweap.
The route to the North Rim is a bit shorter—the same as above, but when you get to Kanab, go south through Jacob Lake to the North Rim. This route is about 7.5 hours and 375 miles…you might consider this option…
If time is an issue, then go kayaking out of Wahweap---way more convenient to either rim of the Grand Canyon. But if you have the time…there is no question—leaving from Bullfrog plus the drive are hugely rewarding opportunities not to be missed…
Edited: 12 years ago
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1 helpful vote I erroneously said Highway "634" in my last post...I meant Highway "64". Oops.
